Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. We might earn a commission through links on our site. Apr 15, skaman For a few, the low-carb ketogenic diet is an instant way to shed unwanted weight. Although reducing your weight while eating a great deal of cheese, bacon, and fat might sound great, you’ll eventually pay the purchase price in another way: popping problems.
Although any diet change will throw off bowel motions, keto dieters are specially susceptible to diarrhea or constipation. If you’re thinking about using the trendy diet for yourself, here is a breakdown of everything you can expect. You might be constipated on keto “A lot of people immediately are certain to get pretty constipated,” says Liz Weinandy, R. This is also true for individuals who are accustomed to eating lots of fiber from wholegrains and fruits, which are limited on the keto diet.
Carbohydrates are usually capped at 30 grams each day, which makes it hard to take pleasure from a plate of oatmeal or an apple. You could Alternatively experience diarrhea on keto, some individuals may have the contrary problem. Barbie BoulesR. Plus, many keto-friendly foods contain non-nutritive sugar or sweeteners alcohols, which might cause digestive problems in a few social people. Your poop can look different Stool could have less bulk probably, due to insufficient fiber, and become smaller in proportions, which isn’t specifically ideal.
For reference, this might be level one on the Bristol Stool Chart. John Whyte, M. Your poop could Anecdotally smell different, Weinandy says some patients say their bowel motions are more, uh, pungent. That’s because eating a whole lot of high fat foods makes stool move more slowly through the gastrointestinal track.
As a complete result, stool sits in one’s body for longer intervals and will putrefy more easily-particularly if you are eating plenty of protein. You might Again see blood from hemorrhoids, this is anecdotal, however, many of Weinandy’s patients develop hemorrhoids from being severely constipated. Hemorrhoids are engorged veins in the anal passage that become inflamed from straining or sitting on the toilet for long periods of time, Men’s Health previously reported.
That’s because sitting all that sitting puts pressure on the connective tissue that holds the veins set up. People who have hemorrhoids might notice some blood when wiping.
So, how can you prevent these awful unwanted effects? Weinandy recommends drinking lots of water and going for a fiber supplement like psyllium husk.
Many keto dieters depend on magnesium pills or powder to poop, which Whyte against advises. Advertisement – READ ON Below.
do a show on FAT FASTING? please..
Thanks for the advice doc. I get constipation on Keto. I thought chia seeds would break a fast but I’ll try it. One small spoon of it contains 60 calories but again I’ll try it. I also do OMAD so I don’t want to break my fast.
Try psyllium husk 😉
Much less calories and even better at regulating transit than chia.
Headed to store NOW of chia seeds. I have CIC and was put on a med (Amitiza) to help.
@Moxie McKeldrey lolololol 😂🤣😂
@Sharon Miott 😱
@Moxie McKeldrey lol 🤣 chia seeds and partial dentures dont go together either!!! 🤣
@Moxie McKeldrey not fun!
@Regina Pontes I will put them in my protein shakes and let them expand. Giggle, I tried a teaspoon of dry chewed them and lets jus say braces and Chia seeds dnt go well together……dental picks anyone..😝
Great info! Thanks. 👍😊🎉🎉🎉
I’ve been keto for over 5 months, I’ve lost 50 pounds and have had diarrhea the entire time! I have no pain or cramping just very loose stools. Do I need to be concerned?
Fidelity Quester Oh thanks that’s good to know!! I will try that and see if it helps.
Julia Entz —
Yogurt, kimchi, keefer, and all that stuff is good, but if you take probiotics, you will know within a day or so if it effective or not. There will be no question if it helped or not.
Mark LeBlanc I am almost completely carnivore as well. Hasn’t had that much effect except with my ketones and blood sugars. I do not take a probiotic. Maybe I will investigate that as well. Maybe something fermented like kombucha or sauerkraut??
I tried eating a lot of veg when I first started Keto. I too had diarrhea at first. After cutting back the vegetables to almost none, my bowel movement were almost perfect. I’m 98% carnivore now and all stomach, skin and other things are perfect. I’ve come to realize that we don’t need much in the way of fiber and maybe not at all!
Julia Entz —
Do you take probiotics? Prebiodics too are good.
Bile, the right amount in your stomach helps, lubricates the stool and helps it slide along.
I have diverticulosis and had pain when I ate chia pudding. I thought it would be okay because I was letting the chia seeds fully swell and absorb all the water before I ate them. But it still cause me pain. Id have to think that chia seeds that arent swelled yet and youre swallowing them are going to cause more pain. Has anybody else with diverticulitis try this?
I greatly appreciate this segment. Thank you.
MzJenny – it is a weird thing to talk about .. but every patient has this question.
I solved my IBS by Keto and IF. I was a childhood sufferer of high stress because of an emotionally abusive parent. I always had stomach aches as a child. This was never addressed by my mother. My gut bacteria is so much better now….I have lost weight and am working out without aches and pains and even have girly guns ( my arms are getting leanly muscular!)
I am 4.5 months into Keto and IF and am so grateful to you and Dr. Fung and others for all the wonderful life changing assistance in becoming healthier! ❤️❤️❤️ all the best to you!
2 teaspoons of MCT oil and plenty of water. It will empty you in 1 to 2 hours max. Have access to a loo.
Lol!!! I definitely will try it. And Ill be sure that I camp out at my loo!!! 🤣 Thanks for the info Amp Head and Kid Avocado!!! 👍👍😻
I did that before work and lived in the bathroom for a few hours. Disaster pants. Definitely works
I tried Chia seeds a couple of years ago. I had a really horrible experience with them and ended up in the ER with horrible stomach pain. The only way I can even begin to use them is soaking them over night so they are fully expanded. I just avoid them now, dont want to go through that again.
YEP – I had the exact same experience only I didnt go to ER. I just suffered like hell at home.
I have a good amount of gallstones, my doctor says it should come out, should I get it out, and if I do, what effects will that have on me long term? Thank you, Karen
I passed a gallstone and it was painful. I was in bed for two days.
I would test for IBS antibodies (IBSSmart), pancreatic insuficiency, Bile Acid Malabsorption 2 tests (mayo clinic). There is of course spinal issues like tethered cord which can cause constipation. People with EDS or spina bifida are more likely to have it and it does not always show on imaging, but there are others symptoms like constipation, pain when crossing legs etc. lower back pain.
Chia seeds made my chronic constipation exponentially worse and it caused really bad bleeding and pain regardless of how much water I drank. Even MCT oil did not work. Which is sad cause I noticed Chia Seeds were great for keeping my blood sugar levels and mood stable and reducing inflammation and bloat. So I did take Milk of Magnesia once to flush my system out of whatever was causing the constipation and in the morning I start eating full fat yogurt with potato starch and a zenwise digestive enzyme+probiotic and my stool softened up immediately with zero blood.
Do you take the chia seeds every hour while youre awake the first 2 to 3 days?
Thank God Im not a doctor.
Thank you! Im new to constipation, but now in hospital for diverticuloscious (sp?). Its a relief to hear this for when I get out of here and back to keto.
Hi Dr. Boz! Your skin looks great! What have you changed lately or what do attribute to great skin?
I have trouble with dry stool. What causes this. ?
I did an egg diet ( 6 eggs, 4 tbl spoons of butter , 2 tbl spoons coconut oil , & 2 oz of cheese) and I literally had water diarrhea but i did not feel like diarrhea it wasa different type of pain😐
How much and how often should I ingest Chia seeds? Ive been on keto for 1- 1/2 yrs and lost 80 lbs. I get occasional constipation and have to push. At suggestion of doctor who treated me for diverticulitis, I eat a 1/2 cup of bran cereal (Fiber One) each morning with just enough whole milk to make it wet. I also sprinkle a teaspoon of Myralax on it. It would be nice to forego the cereal which has carbs and the Myralax.
Chia and swelling concerns me because of past diverticulitis episodes. How fast does it work? Id like to experiment with small amounts because I dont want any surprises. I drive a school bus and there is no way I can stop at a local gas station, etc, plus there are no facilities on the bus. It would be a major embarrassment to have an accident. Im 74 yr old and reasonably healthy. Loosing the 80 lbs has greatly improved my life. Im not skinny and at 250, I hope to shed another 25+ lbs.
MCT oil greases the skids pretty goof for those bound up ones.
gracias gracias gracias
Dr. Boz…I know this is off topic but…please help me out with this I cant seem to get any answers from people I talk to…Quick background…I am a 6 3 58-year-old male…Struggled with gut pain from age 16…at age 45 discovered I had Celiac sprue…Celiac took me from 191 pounds of solid steel to 160 pounds of whimpy teenage boy…took a couple years to master gluten free…now 100% gluten, grain free and still only 169-171 pounds …always low carbs NEVER eat any junk…started keto October 2018…somehow I transitioned into carnivore…I feel pretty darn good with one HUGE problem…muscle cramps… all the time in my hands, feet, calves, and ribcage…I take Epsom salt baths twice a week…I was told to up my Potassium and magnesium intake, so I have been taking a minimum of 500 mg Potassium and about 1000mg magnesium each day…and I put pink sea salt in my water every day and I drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day no other beverages except my keto coffee in the morning…How do I stop the muscle cramps? I cant work out because of them and I wake up each night and every morning screaming from the intense cramps …What can I do??…HELP!!
Wolf Daddy Leyton Jay Cougar has the same problem got worse with Keto. Started taking calcium, magnesium, vitamin B complex, and a scoop of ultima electrolytes in 16 ounces of water 4 to 6 times a day. Problem gone. If I go more than a a few days without this regiment they return. Also take extra B-1.
@samsonkitty99 Thank you!!
I was dealing with the same cramping issues with just the mag. and pot., adding calcium citrate did the trick for me. I only do the calcium citrate part for about a week, then stop and I always take vitamin K2 with it. Then I just take it if the cramps start again. Sometimes I can go a long time without it, maybe because I eat a lot of dairy. I learned the combination of those three from a video by Dr. Berg. He has helped me learn so much about what foods can help different issues.
Poor audio I hate videos like that.
Well… that explains all the liquid in the beginning and then…nothing…radio silence…. I got to a point where no stool softener was helping and i looked pregnant. I had to resort to an enema which was NOT pleasant but I can now marvel at my flat abdomen. Chia seeds will be my new buddy from now on :p
Chia seeds made me compacted. Not very comfortable going #2. I soak overnight too, and love the texture. Almost like tapioca. I guess I was just eating too much at a time. So I haven’t eaten them for a long time. Does anyone know the fix for this???
I put my Chia seeds in my smoothies. I only use one tablespoon and have not had any complications.
I’m sitting here constipated and did the massage. It worked. If it keeps up l’ll do the chia seeds thanks
I cannot consume chia seed because of my low blood plesure and it incrase acid in my digestion. I always get constipation with or without ketogenic diet. How to overcome my constipation without magnesium milk and chia seed?
I dont eat cheese (especially yellow cheese) anymore.
They lead to such hard stools that I was gonna cry. It was really painful.
Stay away from cheese.
yes but if you give you cheese you get depressed so its a balancing act haha
Been on keto & fasting for 8 months lost 120lb.
Something weird that I have noticed. Every now and then I will pig out on something like chicken wings or pulled pork. Little to no carbohydrates, and I mean really pig out like 5 lb of food in a day and a half.
I gain the food weight initially but it goes away in like a day or two but the food never come out the other end. It disappears into my system or something its so weird.
mike c – I can answer that! LOL. I just learned about this recently from another fabulous internet doc. When you eat real food, it’s nutrient dense. Your body can and does fully digest this type of food and uses all the available nutrients so there is little to no waste. That is what poop is … waste. So, if you eat five lbs of something good for you, your body throws a party and uses it all up. Yay for real food!
@Regina Pontes
I kind of have the mindset where I throw my good bacteria a party once or twice a week and get them all fired up and then I just cut them off and just leave them no choice but to consume my body fat.
@Regina Pontes
Congratulations on the 60 lb. Feels great doesnt it?
I honestly dont keep track of a lot of stuff. I have a property inspection company so Im up and down stairs all day.
I think one thing that really helped was I read a book called The Microbiome Diet. I really focused on getting rid of anything that was causing me inflammation and rebuilding my healthy gut bacteria just by eating prebiotics.
I eat low carb salad four or five times a week for dinner and just throw all of those prebiotics in there. Aside from that I pretty much just live off of meat and Im very happy.
wow! thats awesome! Im 60 at 6 months. How did you get to lose so much more? What were your total carbs and macros?
that whole process sounds unnatural af. maybe fruitarians are correct and we are not carnivores.
For me constipation is supposedly caused by low bile in my stomach because of the stones in my gallbladder.
Did she say fiber is a no no on a keto diet?
I started keto on 1st of Jan. 21 straight days I had diarrhea. I only stop eating any carb. so stop eating cheese and spicy food. it help like a week but im back again so I dont what to do
What about people with diverticulosis with the chia seeds?
Ooops! Haha, shoulda just shut up and watched!
When I first started KETO the second week I had some experience with Constipation and after about 15 minutes I resorted to talking to my bowel … You have 5 minutes (I said it out loud) or Im gonna get a spoon … I dont know if it was the speech or not but I havent had the problem since. ;^)
Now to be serious, I did add fermented foods to the diet and it did seem to rectify the problem.
Doctor boz please pain relief for anal fissures
Hey Doc, good info. I seem to be fluctuating between the two. I will be picking up your book shortly to hammer out the details. I will say that after the purging end of the spectrum, wow, do i feel better. Is this toxic fat stores being expeled from a lifetime of caution to the wind diet. Thanks for all your info. Hope things are well.
ya, my mom had us on about 8 cups a day of vegies and some fruits. Never, ever had constipation til I was not only keto, but fasted 72 hours. Im 67 and scared to do another prolonged fast now.
4:50 – chia seeds . 1 T dry chia seed pr hour for a few days til stool seems normal . then back down to 1 T per 3-4 hrs.
Would sprouted flax seed have the same effect as the chia seeds?
I ordered some chia just now. Heres hoping.
I have Crohns disease and no gall bladder…major calming of intestines since eating Keto and off all meds. However when I do 24-48 hour fast and begin eating again I have diarrhea about 30 minutes after first meal and diarrhea will continue for 3-4 hours. Its frustrating because I dont make it to the bathroom in time and am stuck for hours hanging out by the bathroom (literally!) until my bowels finally calm down. I always come off of fast with a small amount of food then work into my first meal but still doesnt help. Any suggestions? I dont want to give up my weekly fasting but I want to be able to leave the house after fast its over!! Thank you, Cindy
@cindy gonzales
I heard bone broth is very good after a fast, easy on the stomach.
@Trixie J Ferguson Thanks for the advice..Cant hurt to give this a try.
cindy gonzales, I am not an expert by any means but I’ve heard of people having the same trouble you are describing. One of the solutions they have found that helps them is to break their fast with a caloric drink like almond milk with heavy cream or something on that order and then wait 30 minutes before eating a small meal/snack. Then after another 30-45 minutes, they then resume their regular meals. It gives your body a chance to slowly wake up. I hope this helps you, your experience sounds dreadful.
Great information.
Can u do chia seeds while fasting?
Your skin looks amazing doc! Thank you for your time and sharing your knowledge with us.
Thank you Doc. I love learning from you and appreciate your generosity.
a dash of powdered magnesium citrate in my BP coffee will loosen you up.lol
What about flaxseed?
I take flaxseed for the constipations, on keto
Hi Doc! Always look forward to new vids, BUT, on a lot of your videos the volume is really really low, and you are a soft talker naturally, and this phone I do 99% of my internet on has a tiny speaker. Not complaining, but is there any way you can turn up the microphone sensitivity or whatever you are using to record or to process the videos? Usually though when you are chatting with the Type 1 lady (I think , forgot her name), the volume is great but on these videos I can barely hear ya even at max volume.
KUTGW
Thank you Dr. Boz for being so very generous with your time & knowledge ‼️♥️
Do magnesium supplements help for constipation? I hear so many people say low magnesium causes constipation.
@Johnny Penso I use mag transdermal spray now on any part of skin. Taken orally contributed to impossible situation for me!!!!!!!!!!!
Johnny Penso —
I like magnesium Taurate
Yes!!! Horribly for me, unfortunately. Both Magnesium Citrate 150 mg, and Magnesium Bisglycinate 200mg cause diarrhea for me. I mean its like taking a pee out of the wrong hole if you catch my drift. If you want to try it Id suggest starting with a smaller dose if that is possible. The citrate version is known to cause diarrhea but Id read that the Bisglycinate version was less likely but it didnt work for me. Im going to start taking one every two or three days instead of every day and maybe I can find an equillibrium.
FYI Dr. Boz. Be careful recommending Chia Seeds. I found this story about needing to go to the ER!
In a study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting, a 39 year-old man ended up in the emergency room after eating a tablespoon of dry chia seeds, then drinking a glass of water. Shortly after taking this, he noticed he was not able to swallow anything, even his own saliva. In the emergency room, doctors performed an endoscopy to see what, if anything, was causing the issue. They found a mass of congealed chia seeds completely obstructing the mans esophagus.
Also, in another comment, I just started reading your book!😀
ive been doing keto now since jan – so 6 months and try to be daily <5 g carbs... with carbs from veg or wheat grass powder. but am having the runs - and yes explosive. so taking lomotil aand psyllium to try to have a bulky/normal stool. this is getting v v bad! im in keto- and i woulda said fat-adapted. breath meter runs 1.0-.15 most of the time. use intermittent fasting on 16:8 or 18:6. help help help!!!
@Candy Grammel Wow. New to me. I am a nurse and first 5 years of my working life I was charge nurse in a skin clinic. Mind you many years ago. Mast cell and histamine complications difficult. I am fairly sure no testing here. I appreciate all this info you are making me aware of. I intend to research this. Thanks again.
@Dorset Boronia Mast cell issues (histamine) have a comorbidity with several auto-immune issues that I have. There is some testing that can be done but it requires someone to actually know how to do the testing. It is very sensitive. So I have figured it out by process of elimination. I bet most of the diarrhea folks with KETO have mast cell issues. The Culturelle seems to be working so far. I try to take one early to mid afternoon and then another just when eating dinner. I am mostly OMAD. I also am taking my digestive enzyme (no oxbile) and while eating I also take a Betaine HCL with Pepsin to help digest the protein. As we age we seem to need more stomach acid. I think the culturelle is the biggest help though. I notice an improvement in burping when I get the other two on board. If I had gone to my dr like Dr Boz recommends, she would have told me to stop Keto. I hope you find the right combination for you. I sure wish Dr Boz would comment on this particular issue and give her opinion of the relation with Mast cell issues.
@Candy Grammel How did you find out you were histamine allergic? Meant to ask.
@Candy Grammel So pleased you have been ok for several days. You might be able to go out. I am getting Culturelle from Amazon. In Australia we cant get a lot of things. The histamine is new info. For me. I see carnivore is high. Errr! My diarrhoea settled with meat only. But when I had some dairy, cream in coffee, hard cheese, it was back with a vengeance 4 hours later. I suspected as much. So that proves to me – dairy intolerance. So back to the dairy free probiotics. I hope you keep on the right track. I am fasting alternate days with bone broth.
@Dorset Boronia Try the Culturelle probiotic-Pro Well available at Target. I use the Health and Wellness type and get that thru Amazon. The others have the same strain but some add Vitamin C etc. It contains ONLY Lactobacillus Rhamnosus. That particular strain is great for histamine. I have used it before and now. Helping a great deal. No diarrhea for the last couple days. You can take them multiple times a day. Some probiotics actually have some strains that make histamine worse. Good luck. I also am pretty much carnivore. But I find that it is a high histamine diet. All aged meat, cheese, ferments etc are high histamine. We need healing of the gut for this to work easily. Ala the Culturelle while healing for me. I wish Dr Boz could address this.
Seems I always have a problem when I am traveling. CALM is my go to. Drinking more water helps.
Dr. Boz, which Milk of Magnesia do you prefer?
Teri Trombly – the calm magnesium replacement is awesome. The cheapest version is milk of magnesia… add a tablespoon to the water you sip on all day.
Sound way too Low !! 😢
I have microscopic colitis thoughts?
Thank you for the wonderful video? Iraqi in Germany
I had a colon resection ascending and partial transverse. Having constipation 😞
Didn’t this bowel message kill Andy Warhol?
just sayin… my daughter looked after old people as well for a few years, and she said worse than looking after old peoples dentures, was the people who still had their own teeth, they were nearly impossible to clean. so dentures when you get real old might be a good thing?
I am hitting 20-25 carbs a day and generally eat a large green salad every day if possible. My stool is softer and smoother on keto for 3 months now than it was for 15 years eating a so-called healthy diet with lots of fibre, whole grains, fruit etc.
Johnny Penso – it’s real!! Folks don’t think it’s possible until they experience it for themselves.
Start @4:50 minutes in