How does it work that we eat few times a day, but usually we poop only once?
Is the colon somehow programmed to buffer the waste until the time is up and then dumps it all further?
Got this thought when observing my dog who eats twice a day (morning and evening) and more or less poops twice a day (morning and evening).
I would guess (without knowing for sure) that it’s because your body absorbs a part of the food, so you poop out less mass than you eat.
Science time!
Fast for 24 hours then use an anal douche. This should completely clear your digestive track.
Now eat for the next 24 hours while measuring everything you eat. Every time you poop make sure to measure it, either my measuring the poop directly (poop in a bowl?) Or by measuring the difference in weight after you poop (be sure to first pee as to not measure liquids)
Now fast for another 24 hours while continuing to measure your poop. By the end of it you should have to total weight you eat and the total weight you pooped. For most foods you can probably reduce the weight by half to account for liquids (most will be pee, some will be in your poop, this will depend on the liquidness of your poop)
Now you will probably notice a few things:
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you poop a lot less mass than you consume, this is because you turn a lot of it into energy.
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there is a lot of water in food
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you probably poop more than you think (one dump can be quite big in comparison to a meal when removing liquids)
Enjoy!
Cuz we’re generally more full of shit than we like to admit.
I’m no poopologist, but I’ll give it a shot!
Your output, is incredibly, incredibly, incredibly, dependent on your input.
People who eat a strict carnivore diet, famously, have very little and infrequent poops.
People who have a fiber-rich diet, and eat spicy food, think about curries, have frequent and powerful poops.
People who eat a lot of fat, more fat than they can process, will have more fatty poops. In fact, this is one way to determine if you are eating enough fat in your diet, if your poop is dry and clumpy, you need more fat. If your poop is fatty, you need less fat
All of this is also moderated by your gut biome, whether it’s changing or fed. If you make any serious diet changes, you can expect an odd pooping schedule for the first week or two. Until your gut biome completely adjusts. I’ve seen a paper where it indicates total gut biome adjustment to a radically new diet can take up to 9 months
A lot of modern processed food, in order to try to be “healthier”, is difficult, or not impossible, for the body to process. That means it goes from the input to the output very quickly. Lower transit time, is healthier because you’re absorbing less of the nutrients when you’re eating a bad diet, but it means more poop
On the whole: fat, and protein, are almost totally absorbed by the stomach. Grains, carbohydrates, fiber, anything from a plant, The domain of the intestine… And since these are not perfectly absorbed, they have more outputs.
Fun fact, poop is brownish, because that is your old blood cells getting removed!!!
if your poop is dry and clumpy, you need more fat.
Ok, I’m gonna need info on this. Because it does appear to check out, but I’ve always been told it’s lack of fiber and not enough fluid (which is impressive because I drink my 3-5 liters a day).
Which also makes me wonder, what am I not eating that has fats in it?
Typically super dry poops mean something is deficient in your diet, so your stomach / gut is really wrangling every last drop it can get from your food. Make sure your eating some highly bioavailable food like liver, eggs to ensure your getting all your micronutrients.
Fiber can help, but its not necessary, its famous for reducing transit time, it doesn’t fix the first problem, but the poops will be more frequent. (natures broom as some would say)
If your eating more fat then your gall bladder can provide bile for, the excess makes it into the intestines, resulting in lubricated poops. This is one possible scenario as well.
If you have other gut issues, like ibs, chrones, lactose intolerance (which happens in lots of adults who don’t even realize it!!!), etc - just removing the irritant can fix the issue. Elimination diets are good ways to experiment with different foods (carnivore is the gold standard elimination diet - often used by people with severe / chronic gut issues)
I’m not sure how drinking water would really help, assuming your not dehydrated… Perhaps the theory is the water can overwhelm the intestines ability to absorb? Maybe… depends on transit time, overall electrolyte balance, sweat, etc… if your pee is already clear and not yellow at all, you have enough water
(Again not a poopologist - I swear it on my endoscope, not medical advice, just spit balling)
The dehydration is a consistent problem for me. But, I’m looking into this fats thing. I have IBS-C, and since I started taking Wegovy, it’s gotten much worse, but the fat in my diet has also decreased a ton.
Which isn’t great because fat can fill you up more than what I used to eat. Unfortunately I can’t stand eggs and liver, it’s a texture thing i don’t really understand.
One thing I know works very well is any cream pasta sauce. Which makes me think it’s time for experimenting.
I eat mostly meat, starches, and veggies and poop between three and five times a day!
I eat mostly meat, starches, and veggies and poop between three and five times a day!
You sure eat veggies and poop a lot! How many times a day do you eat meats, and starches?
Now that I think about it, I don’t eat a crazy amount of meat! Once a day, usually chicken or beef. Not every day though, especially if I’m hanging out with veggie or vegan friends.
I eat rice, potato, or noodles multiple times a day! I love rice and pasta soooo much.
The thing I eat the most is cheese, for sure. I eat tons of cheese every day. But I’ve heard that makes someone poop less? My body is strange hahaha. I drink a lot of beer, so maybe that’s part of it?
…You poop only once?
I’m planning to use mine on my 40th birthday. It should make for a really special day.
