Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

[Deandre]

Hi, I have been an active reader for the last several weeks, and have normally found answers to my questions by doing a simple search. However, I haven't been able to find an answer to this question, so I figured I'd ask.

First, I am on extended Induction and I recently stalled (not in weight loss, but in the bathroom) as well as I have been dealing with tolerable, but annoying cramps. So I went through my daily meals and came to the conclusion that I just wasn't getting enough, or any, fiber in my diet. I read here about the Psyllium Husks and it seems that most of the posts appear to be people taking it in a form that you could pour into a recipe or into water.

I recently purchased Psyllium Seed Husks from GNC, which are capsules
Natural Brand™ Psyllium Seed Husk - GNC NATURAL BRAND - GNC

After sitting here staring at the bottle for 2 days reading the warnings about drinking enough water while swallowing to avoid choking, I finally decided to try this tonight. While enough time hasn't passed yet, I can say that so far, my stomach is feeling a lot more... normal.

Sorry for so much text, I just want to include as much info as possible right off the bat...

Any way, I started to search to see how often one goes to the bathroom after taking these, because I really dislike using public bathrooms and don't want to have to go to the one at work, as we have to share ours with customers. So I started thinking, and finally, here is my question:

I have Psyllium Seed Husk. They are capsules, but I know in induction/extended induction seeds are off the acceptable food list. Maybe I am over thinking, but I just wanted to check with you guys to make sure I was able to add this to my diet before I go and potentially ruin a good week.

Thanks for reading!

[JulieB]

Re: Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

Yes, those are fine. They are not digestible, so will not add calories/carbs...just fibre. I used to use the powdered stuff, but it is really hard to take (like stirring sawdust into water). I have been using the capsules for several months - they work the same - they are just easier to take
I take these every day, and find the just keep me regular. No big explosions/emergency trips to the bathroom or anything like that, which can happen with laxatives (from what I hear).

Do make sure you drink LOTS of water, not just to avoid choking, but because too much fibre with too little water has the opposite effect than what you take fibre for... Also, water will help keep you regular psyllium or not.

You should be getting some fibre from your 3 cups of veggies...are you eating them? The "other" veggies are more nutritious (in general) and have more fibre. Try choosing veggies that are higher in fibre. Veggie carbs are nothing to be afraid of as long as you stay under your limit (20, assuming induction). Remember that half of your daily carbs should come from veggies.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

>>I just wasn't getting enough, or any, fiber in my diet.>>

Aren't you eating any vegetables?

These are not a violation of the rules of no seeds on Induction.

Also ... you should drink extra water with these ... an extra 8 ounces at least.

Also ... they CAN do the opposite of what you're expecting ... in other words, they can be constipating.

And ... generic Metamucil capsules are probably much cheaper.

If you don't want to use the bathroom at work, how do you drink all your water during the day?

[Deandre]

Re: Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

Yea, I do eat veggies. Actually, I'm not much of a meat person, more-so a carb lover... pastas, breads, etc. Im adapting and adding chicken, turkey, and meat into my diet, which before I would never eat unless it came with a bun or taco shell.

I normally stick with romaine lettuce with Kent's Steak House Caesar dressing or Northern Italian, a artichoke with mayo, broccoli with butter, string beans.... not all of this on a daily basis, but these are my staple foods.

I don't eat much cheese as I'm mildly lactose intolerant. I eat Egg whites as a snack... scrambled eggs, few slices of bacon for breakfast... not much of a sausage person, but occasionally I'll have 2 or 3 breakfast links, which are smaller than one of my fingers. We have a really nice deli not too far from my house where I pick up lunch meat that isn't dripping with sugars.

To be honest, I'm really not used to eating this much greens. I've ALWAYS been a pasta/bread person... I'd say that 90% of my meals used to come from some sort of fast food, pizza, etc. So for me, I'm doing really good right now. Over the last 2 months I've probably ate more salads than I have in the last 10 years... but if you have any suggestions, I'm definitely interested in adding more to my menu.

Thanks for the quick responses on the Seed Husks.

[Deandre]

Re: Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

Oh yea, and water I get plenty of. It's all I drink. I've never drank coffee, I used to drink probably a 2 liter of Soda a day, and so for me, I don't even want to drink Diet Coke or any sort of Water flavorings... its just too close to the diet I once had.

And yea, I drank 32 oz of water to swallow the 2 Psyllium capsules, just out of fear of choking, lol.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

>>I'm really not used to eating this much greens.>>

Atkins is more about the vegetables than anything!

[tracyc]

Re: Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

2 psyllium capsules doesnt seem like much, i have metamucil brand and a no name brand here at the house, and the bottle says to take 5. if i dont take all 5, they dont work for me. take the pills one at a time. i swallow them with a full 10oz of water, and then follow them buy a cup of tea or warm water. the reason for this is to make them bulk up quicker and fill me up. you can safely take metamucil 3 times per day to lower cholesterol, and i find that it keeps me full. I love metamucil orange powder mix, but make sure it is sugar free.

[Georgiana]

Re: Question about Psyllium Seed Husk

I love metamucil orange powder mix, but make sure it is sugar free.

I believe it has some sweetener in it. So you need to count it towards your sweeteners (max. 3 per day).