The runs

[InflatableBuddha]

I would have titled this thread "the shits", but I thought it might get flagged by a mod. Moving on...

I get the shits occasionally (maybe once a month or so). Yesterday, it was pretty bad. I had to stop 20 min into my evening run to drop one, again when I got home from the run, then twice more that evening. This was despite having bowel movements in the morning and afternoon, and just before running (mind you I still felt a bit bloated after each of those). I was not nauseous at all.

My diet has been fairly healthy for months (lots of whole grains and fiber, fruits and vegetables, protein from eggs, beans, and tofu, fish and chicken; little red meat; lots of dairy; lots of water; 2-3 cups of coffee per day).

I don't really alter my diet very much - perhaps mix up different protein sources and different types of vegetables on different days of the week, but it's pretty consistent.

However, on some days, I am just really bloated even after a bowel movement. I can usually tell (and this was the case yesterday) that if I don't have a really thorough shit before my run, I'll be in trouble. I still had a movement, but I was bloated after.

Am I taking in too much fiber or dairy? Is this a random stomach bug, or is it a sign of overtraining or training adaptation? Any other ideas as to what causes the shits?

 

[Kipper]

Diarrhea is a very general symptom. It can be caused by a number of things, but most frequently malabsorption of something.

1.) Are you lactose intolerant? All populations are to varying extents. Cut milk and all dairy products out for a week.
2.) Increasing your fiber intake all of the sudden can cause diarrhea. So can overloading on insoluble fibers (such as those found in whole grains), which tend to push things through very quickly.
3.) Caffeine is a GI stimulant. Try going a few days without caffeine of any sort and see if that helps.
4.) Exercise also stimulates GI movement.

Since you are finding yourself passing a lot of gas, it's probably a fiber or carbohydrate-related issue. My money's on lactose or dietary fiber. Sounds like you are on a fairly high-fiber diet. My advice would be to mix it up a bit. Increase the proportion of soluble fibers from F&V, or grains like oats, barley.

Oh, and a couple last things...try eating smaller meals, and separating fluids and food - i.e. don't drink during meals and drink between.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Least for me (and my runs) - if I have a heavy beer day/night, and/or don't eat very much or drink a lot of water, I get the runs.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Stress?

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: Kipper
Diarrhea is a very general symptom. It can be caused by a number of things, but most frequently malabsorption of something.

1.) Are you lactose intolerant? All populations are to varying extents. Cut milk and all dairy products out for a week.
2.) Increasing your fiber intake all of the sudden can cause diarrhea. So can overloading on insoluble fibers (such as those found in whole grains), which tend to push things through very quickly.
3.) Caffeine is a GI stimulant. Try going a few days without caffeine of any sort and see if that helps.
4.) Exercise also stimulates GI movement.

Since you are finding yourself passing a lot of gas, it's probably a fiber or carbohydrate-related issue. My money's on lactose or dietary fiber. Sounds like you are on a fairly high-fiber diet. My advice would be to mix it up a bit. Increase the proportion of soluble fibers from F&V, or grains like oats, barley.

Oh, and a couple last things...try eating smaller meals, and separating fluids and food - i.e. don't drink during meals and drink between.

Good tips, thanks.

As far as I know, I am not lactose intolerant. I have 2-3 glasses of milk and one cup of yogurt per day, and this only bothers me occasionally, as I said. Still, I would be willing to experiment with soy products. Are there good soy yogurts?

I'll try to limit the fiber, maybe try some oats instead.

I wish I could go without caffeine but I am addicted. I suck at work in the mornings without it. Mind you, my 2-3 cups is cut down from the 5-6 I used to drink. I'll see if I can wean myself down to one cup.

I definitely drink water between meals, but I could probably try smaller meals and not drinking at meals. The latter will be tough as that was a habit I grew up with.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Least for me (and my runs) - if I have a heavy beer day/night, and/or don't eat very much or drink a lot of water, I get the runs.

Ouch. I actually find that after a solid night of beers, I have a pretty solid dump the next morning. Really flushes out the system. Of course I have to replace fluids, too.

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Stress?

Stress is definitely a trigger, but I haven't felt overly stressed this week. Haven't slept particularly well this week though - that may have something to do with it.

 

[Kipper]

There is no reason to eliminate dairy from your diet if you don't know if you are lactose intolerant or not. A simple test of not eating dairy for 3-4 days will answer that question.

It's not like allergies, as well. There are varying degrees of tolerance. For example, I cannot stomach skim milk but I do fine with 1%. I can eat yogurt until the cows come home with no problems.

 

[slimjim2]

Yes I have to agree often lactose intolerance can be the cause of frequent bowel movements. I had some thing similiar till I stopped drinking milk. For me it usually happened in the morning after eating a bowl of porridge. Process of elimination might help just eliminate one by one till you figure out what causes it.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Least for me (and my runs) - if I have a heavy beer day/night, and/or don't eat very much or drink a lot of water, I get the runs.

Ouch. I actually find that after a solid night of beers, I have a pretty solid dump the next morning. Really flushes out the system. Of course I have to replace fluids, too.

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Stress?

Stress is definitely a trigger, but I haven't felt overly stressed this week. Haven't slept particularly well this week though - that may have something to do with it.

lol man I wish that were the case. Beer is the new fiber! I eat a solid diet of lots of green veggies, carbs, and protein...I think my body disagrees when I'm lacking 1 of the 3 of those. (And some fat too of course)

 

[Koing]

Caffeine and vitamin C will cause the sh!ts in enough dosages and less on an empty stomach...

Koing

 

[conorvansmack]

Immodium or OTC equivalent. Better living through chemistry.