jkr2020788
ER-RN
I'm sure there are alot of new members on this forum who are on cycle and questioning whether their diet is sufficent enough for growth. I am assembling this with the best of my medical knowledge, but keep in mind, I am no doctor or nutritionalist, simply a nurse.
Undetailed recap of foods path from mouth to toilet
Fecal matter is the end of ingested food's journey. As it travels through your digestive tract, it goes through a lot. Multiple enzyemes start to break down food as soon as you put it in your mouth. As it travels to your stomach, it is "churned", for lack of a better word, which helps it get digested. Water really helps at this point, as it helps liquify the food. At this point, the food moves to the intestine. From the stomach to the intestine, the gallbladder and pancreas secrete enzymes to help further break down the food. Once the food hits the intestine, it starts getting absorbed. After about 30 feet of intestine, the "food" is release through the rectum and is now "poop". This poop can tell us alot about our intake.
So what can poop tell me?
Size, shape, color, consistancy, smell, frequency, and buoyancy can all tell a lot about your diet.
Size/shape- You definitely do not want little pellets. If you have these, you may be not eating enough, esp if coupled with low frequency bowel movements. Also, you may not be eating enough fiber. Fiber will absorp some water and make the fecal matter bigger.
Color- we all know the normal color of our bowel movements. If you see a different color, you should investigate why. (aside from delicious snow cone ingestions or other colorful foods). A high frequency of green poop and your intestine may be moving to fast, which will lead to descreased absorption of muscle building nutrients. (also can be caused by leafy green vegatables). Yellow stool- this one is common with gallbladder problems. If you have yellow poop, and it's your gallbladder, you MAY not be breaking down food as well as you should, which leads to bad absorption. White- White hints at liver problems, and those of you who are taking PHs, watch out for this one. If you see this, get your liver tested (unless you are taking antacids). Dark red-Black- Diets high in meat may have this. Also it could mean a few bad things. GI bleed, being the worst case scenario. As Im sure you know, AAS increase Red Blood Cell counts. If it gets too high, your body may break down more RBCs and excrete them through fecal matter. If you see this, it is advisable to get bloodwork done.
Consistancy- Everyone knows diarrhea is bad. Number 1, you are not getting proper nutrient absorption. Number 2, You may wind up under-hydrated. Find out what is causing the loose stool. If it persists for more than a day, I suggest seeing your primary doctor or getting some imodium. If your poop is too hard, Usually it boils down to not drinking enough water. If you are not drinking enough water, you will not get optimal nutrient absorption in the blood, and hard stool is a good first sign that you are not drinking enough water. (also explore fiber)
Frequency- Depending on your goals, this can change. For a bulking diet, I would say that having 2-3 well-formed stools/ day is not uncommon if you are eating enough calories. Most people who are not bulking deficate once per day, but if you ever go 3 days without having a BM, you are offically constipated. At this point review your diet/ water intake. If you are having pain asscoaited with this, seek medical attention as you may have a clogged bowel. (with clogged bowel, you may have a SMALL amount of diarrhea.)
Buoyancy- Some people overlook this. If your poop is floating, you are eating too many fats. Also poop can float because of an excess in fiber intake (thanks for the reminder sadpanda) If your poop sinks, it is high in protein.
I understand many people know alot of this information, but for those of you who are just starting, this is a good starting point for you. This is not a "say all be all", but more of suggestions of things to look for.
Undetailed recap of foods path from mouth to toilet
Fecal matter is the end of ingested food's journey. As it travels through your digestive tract, it goes through a lot. Multiple enzyemes start to break down food as soon as you put it in your mouth. As it travels to your stomach, it is "churned", for lack of a better word, which helps it get digested. Water really helps at this point, as it helps liquify the food. At this point, the food moves to the intestine. From the stomach to the intestine, the gallbladder and pancreas secrete enzymes to help further break down the food. Once the food hits the intestine, it starts getting absorbed. After about 30 feet of intestine, the "food" is release through the rectum and is now "poop". This poop can tell us alot about our intake.
So what can poop tell me?
Size, shape, color, consistancy, smell, frequency, and buoyancy can all tell a lot about your diet.
Size/shape- You definitely do not want little pellets. If you have these, you may be not eating enough, esp if coupled with low frequency bowel movements. Also, you may not be eating enough fiber. Fiber will absorp some water and make the fecal matter bigger.
Color- we all know the normal color of our bowel movements. If you see a different color, you should investigate why. (aside from delicious snow cone ingestions or other colorful foods). A high frequency of green poop and your intestine may be moving to fast, which will lead to descreased absorption of muscle building nutrients. (also can be caused by leafy green vegatables). Yellow stool- this one is common with gallbladder problems. If you have yellow poop, and it's your gallbladder, you MAY not be breaking down food as well as you should, which leads to bad absorption. White- White hints at liver problems, and those of you who are taking PHs, watch out for this one. If you see this, get your liver tested (unless you are taking antacids). Dark red-Black- Diets high in meat may have this. Also it could mean a few bad things. GI bleed, being the worst case scenario. As Im sure you know, AAS increase Red Blood Cell counts. If it gets too high, your body may break down more RBCs and excrete them through fecal matter. If you see this, it is advisable to get bloodwork done.
Consistancy- Everyone knows diarrhea is bad. Number 1, you are not getting proper nutrient absorption. Number 2, You may wind up under-hydrated. Find out what is causing the loose stool. If it persists for more than a day, I suggest seeing your primary doctor or getting some imodium. If your poop is too hard, Usually it boils down to not drinking enough water. If you are not drinking enough water, you will not get optimal nutrient absorption in the blood, and hard stool is a good first sign that you are not drinking enough water. (also explore fiber)
Frequency- Depending on your goals, this can change. For a bulking diet, I would say that having 2-3 well-formed stools/ day is not uncommon if you are eating enough calories. Most people who are not bulking deficate once per day, but if you ever go 3 days without having a BM, you are offically constipated. At this point review your diet/ water intake. If you are having pain asscoaited with this, seek medical attention as you may have a clogged bowel. (with clogged bowel, you may have a SMALL amount of diarrhea.)
Buoyancy- Some people overlook this. If your poop is floating, you are eating too many fats. Also poop can float because of an excess in fiber intake (thanks for the reminder sadpanda) If your poop sinks, it is high in protein.
I understand many people know alot of this information, but for those of you who are just starting, this is a good starting point for you. This is not a "say all be all", but more of suggestions of things to look for.
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