laxatives

[slimkim]

Hi all had a great first day, woke up today feeling great. I know to drink a lot of water but is it ok to take a laxative?
Thanks

[*Emma*]

Re: laxatives

i wouldnt personally - when your body gets used to atkins you wont need laxatives!

Its only the first week you may get constipated (personally i didnt but i know people who did) so unless your in pain i'd stay away.

[slimkim]

Re: laxatives

Thanks, I will just keep drinking my water!!

[thirteenlbs]

Re: laxatives

I've been on Atkins 4 years and haven't been regular since. I've recently begun taking flaxseed oil as well as having a flaxseed muffin every other morning, and that is working out well.

Others also suggest adding more fat to your diet to help, uh, "push things through."

I previously used sugar free Milk of Magnesia, but, like other laxatives, its effectiveness became less pronounced the more I used it...which was usually 2x per week or so. I certainly prefer the yummy flax muffin!

[ValidRouge]

Re: laxatives

Focus on eating vegetables from the allowed list that have the most fiber. Lettuce is NOT a good choice. If you eat a good amount of fiber in your 3 cups of veggies, you should be just fine and not have a problem with constipation.

Keep in mind that on Atkins, we are using fresh, minimally processed foods with little fillers, so there won't be as much "waste" as you had when you ate filler filled junk food. This means you won't be going to the bathroom (except to urinate) nearly as much.

[Slooknoo]

Re: laxatives

Ok. This is straight out of the Atkins book: get yourself some psyllium husks powder. Dr. Atkins names it as his favorite in the book. I get mine at The Vitamin Shoppe. It is all natural. I take it right before I go to bed, and rarely miss a day on the toilet!

[heatherm422]

Re: laxatives

That's great! I'll be making a trip to the Vitamin Shoppe today! The first time I did Atkins I was constipated really bad, but this time around I'm eating ALOT more veggies and am not having as much a problem with that.

[Slooknoo]

Re: laxatives

Your welcome! They have saved me! Just get the regular container that says, 'psyllium husks powder.' I like the Vitamin Shoppe brand the best! It is $4.95. Let me know if it helps!

[sallyseachange]

Re: laxatives

Yes psyllium were Dr A's favs. Many on the board use flaxseed though as you can use them in various recipes.

[Elizellen]

Re: laxatives

You can also use psyllium husks in recipes!

Here is one posted by Naja on the old ADBB

Pretty Damn Good White Sandwich Bread
2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
2 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp water
1 tsbp ground flaxseed meal
1 tsp psyllium powder
1/2 oz pork rinds (about 4-5 rinds)

The basic recipe is a plain egg custard/meringue, given some body with cream cheese and stiffened up with flour substitutes that contain some fiber. This is almost a souffle, except that it sets up solid in the microwave. It is a very flexible recipe and can stand a lot of additions and subtractions and messing with proportions

Grind the pork rinds to coarse powder in the small bowl of your food processor. Add ground flaxseeds and the psyllium powder. Pulse until mixed well.
Soften cream cheese in the microwave and add it along with the egg yolks and water.
Mix well, scraping the bowl down as needed. This should be a fairly thick paste.
Beat the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. Stir in 1/3 of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture to lighten it, then carefully fold this batter into the remaining egg whites.
Immediately pour the batter into a small (5" to 6" round) microwave safe bowl.
Cook on medium to high power until set, from 2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave.
This will set up into a tender, fluffy, thick slice of sandwich "bread".
Slice it in half lengthwise and fill with sliced meat and condiments to make a sandwich, or use it at full thickness as a muffin.
It can be toasted crisp or briefly fried in a small amount of butter for a "crust" texture, but overcooking will toughen it.

You can also increase the cream cheese by 1 oz for a heavier, thicker product, but I like the light and fluffy "white bread" texture to make classic sandwiches..

about 3 carbs total

[soliwit]

Re: laxatives

Also what I found is that flax can stall you, well it did me, and as soon as I moved over to psyllium it was ok, I used to make a kind of pancakes with them, just beat eggs and a tiny bit of heavy cream and add the husks, tiny bit of salt (else they taste kinda blah) and melt butter in a skillet, add the mixture, bake em on both sides and there you go, a tasty way to get a softer stool, LOL, oh yah, if you make a bigger badge of this mixture, make sure you stirr it often because it can get really thick, you can't keep it 'for later', you will end up with a psyllium-egg-brick
For a quick psyllium intake I used a bit of cream and water, mix in the psyllium and just drink it like that (maybe some splenda, just a tad for some more taste)
Have a happy stool !!!!