April's CR Diary

Hi April: I'm a 5'8" 51-year-old woman who's been doing CRON, eating a lot of mile high salads like the one you describe in your post, since mid-Feb. I love eating this way. I have lost 15 pounds, getting me into a size 8 (awesome for me) and to a BMI of 18.2. I never thought this would be possible: now I'm having to buy a whole new wardrobe.

Anyway, I have a question that I'm almost embrassed to ask: I haven't seen this topic come up in any of the blogs or the support groups. When I eat a lot of raw veggie salads, I get constipated - hard stools that are difficult to pass. Have you or MR ever experienced this? I found it surprising, given that I'm eating a lot of fiber, which is supposed to be good for the digestion. My doctor says to drink more water, which is easier no that it's hot.

I've found that taking a magneseum citrate supplement helps, as does a colace stool softener. I'm also taking probiotics and, of course, eating yogurt dressings on those salads.

I wonder if slowed-down metabolism is to blame. Is this a common problem with new CRONies? It seemed to start at the end of April and really bothered me through several weeks of May.

Thanks in advance for any advice or help. Cheers, Y

PS: You are an inspiration. Love your blog.

Hi Y,

Definitely drink a lot of water and liquids. Other questions: are you getting enough total fat, and enough omega 3's? How much fat do you usually consume?

In addition to all our veggies, we eat wheat bran (aka Miller's Bran), 1 tablespoon a day, soaked with a little warm water and then drained.

Hope that helps, glad you like the blog!

a

Hi April
It seems to me that YC is not eating enough fiber. Lettuce alone won't provide all the roughage. The guar gum mix with micronized fiber I consume twice a day must contribute to going to the bathroom thrice daily. I'm trying to sound fancy regarding the subject of output frequency.
Cheers, Arturo

Hi April and Arturo: Yes, I use flax seed oil, generally a tsp or so, or olive oil in the dressing, avocado when I have it. I eat chicken and salmon quite regularly, plus shrimp and whole eggs. I eat small amounts of brazil nuts, walnuts and almonds daily (walnuts and almonds are my favorite snacks) and have peanut butter or sunflower seeds a few times a week.

When I have low fat yogurt and blueberries for breakfast, I add flax oil and flax meal and nuts and a tsp of psyllium husk. But you could be right, I may be low on fat. I must track nutrients for a few days. (I'm a gardener and I'm so busy right now, it seems impossible to add this task.)

The salads are very similar to what April and MR eat, definitely not just lettuce, but spinach, carrots, shredded cabbage, radishes, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, cooked asparagus, etc, etc, plus some protein, usually egg, chicken, salmon or shrimp.

Thanks for your responses. Cheers, YC