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Medifast and poop.  Medifast and taking a dump.  My stools are hard.  My stools are soft.  Medifast has given me diarrhea.  Medifast has made me constipated. We have heard so many questions about Medifast and bowel movements that we decided to just lay it all out here in the open.  When we started to review Medifast we knew that we would get right into as many aspects of the Medifast Meal Plan as possible.  One thing we did not even think about at the outset of this extensive personal review was the correlation of Medifast and bowel movements.  Looking back on the start of Medifast just a few short weeks ago it is hard to believe that the thought of how Medifast would change overall bowel movements in such a drastic way.  Many would shy away from this type of essay but we choose to discuss it because how food exits the body is about as important as how it enters.  This may seem like a weird thing to talk about, but you were the one that asked us the question…so here it goes.

First off you need to realize I, nor my wife are doctors and the material you are reading here is just from personal experience and nothing more.  The descriptions below may be more than some may want to read, but for others the information of how our ”poop” has been affected by Medifast will be very important.  If you can get distressed from reading about going to the bathroom, it is suggested you just skip this article.

The issue my wife has had with Medifast was the fact that for the first few days she was constipated.  For a day or two she had some minor cramps and pains and repeatedly said that she felt the urge to go to the bathroom, but could not complete the act.  Other things that were noticeable right from the start of using Medifast was the amount of stools being relieved from the body.  Also, another placid fact about it all is that the stools no longer really spent too much time floating in the toilet.  We believe that this is because the fat content of our new eating plan had been reduced greatly.  Without all of the fat in the diet, the poop, or the stools just sink right to the bottom.

One other observation is that the amount of stool output has been greatly reduced.  No longer are there any large bowel movements and this is simply because the amount of food consumed has been greatly reduced.  Since the quantity of food entering your body has been sharply reduced it only makes sense that the amount of food exiting your body is also reduced.  No longer are the trips to the restroom going to fill up the toilet.  You will need to get use to seeing just a few small stools unceremoniously sinking to a small pile in the toilet.

The opposite has been true for me as I have not suffered from constipation at all.  The reality is true because I have endured a few rounds of diarrhea but I attribute that to drinking too much water at meal time.  I know it is the water because I drink flavored water and the color of the bowel movement is the same color as the drink.  The diarrhea has not been that often, but it has occurred a few times.

The one thing that has been common with both of us is that we have learned to just not pass gas when there is an urge for a bowel movement.  The reason for this is because often there is something other than gas waiting to come out and that should be avoided at all costs.  Also it has been discovered that sometimes when a bowel movement does occur there is liquid waiting right behind the stool waiting its turn in line.  The key word is to have sort of a cautious approach to bowel movements when you start Medifast.

Another thing that really needs to be stressed is that if you are serious about losing weight then you need to be aware that you are about to change your eating habits tremendously.  What you will soon discover is that when using Medifast your body will need time to adjust.   All of the issues discussed above were not painful or an inconvenience in any way, shape or form.  We have no embarrassing stories to share because there really are none to be told.  If you ever dealt with a popular weight loss pill called ALLI you may have had a story or two of your own to tell, and that is not the issue with Medifast.

Overall the big thing about how Medifast has affected our bowel movements was the fact that they were smaller, did not float and smelled really, really bad for the first three or so days of being able to have a bowel movement.  We feel this is because the new meal plan allows your system to sort of detoxify itself.  I used to have a bowel movement after each and every meal.  My wife used to make fun of me because I was so regular, but now the trip to the toilet, for a bowel movement, has been changed to once a day, which is after the Lean and Green Meal.

If you are starting Medifast soon there is really nothing to get in advance to help with bowel movements.  If you are reading this because you are on Medifast we will take some information from a Medifast web-page and show you what we have learned.  Below we have listed some of the top tips to help a person not have any problems with bowel movements while on Medifast.

• Drink at least 64 ounces of water everyday and try to spread out the consumption throughout the course of the day.
• Avoid alcohol and limit caffeine intake to
• When you choose your vegetables for the Lean and Green Meal choose from the high fiber vegetables available.  Spinach. Broccoli. Greens. Okra. Cauliflower.
• Slowly increase your exercise time to at least 20 minutes a day.
• Set aside some peaceful time for the bathroom, where you will be undisturbed.
• Do not ignore the urge to use the bathroom. Never be too busy to go when the need arises. If you have to go, do not put it off.
• Add some whole or ground flax-seed to your meals. (1 teaspoon counts as 1 condiment option on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan), fiber capsules, sugar-free Metamucil, or Benefiber. Be sure to increase your fluids when adding these items.

In closing we want you to know that bowel movements and Medifast really should be discusses because of how closely related the subject really can be.  As far as we are concerned there is nothing to fear with how Medifast will impact on your bowel movements.  We had no issues other than mild constipation and mild diarrhea, which passed within the first few days of using Medifast.  We also want to tell you that the impact Medifast has been on our life has been tremendous.  The weight keeps falling off and it is the easiest thing we have ever done in our long history of weight loss.

No longer do we look in the mirror and see fat people. We now see people looking back at us that we have not seen for many years, and that feels really good.  Medifast and bowel movements are really nothing to worry about…but if they are for you, we have one final bit of advice.

Medifast users may use stool softeners, laxatives, or rectal suppositories with caution; the bowels may become dependent on these over time.  You may need to visit a doctor if  bowel movements do not occur after the use of these products.
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