After 84 weeks of Oz (and losing 140 lbs), a bit of a retrospective about what I wish I'd done differently. To be truthful, not much. The on-ramp was as difficult for me as it has been for most of us. But I stuck it out. It eventually got better. However, I did suffer quite a lot from constipation for much of that time.
- I wish I'd been more proactive in discussing it with my doctor.
- I also wish I'd researched the "why" of constipation.
Now I know why merely bulking up on more fiber didn't work. TLDR: Miralax. (The "mira" in the name must stand for miracle, if it was for me to say. )
Why fiber didn't work.
Oz slows your gut movement. We all know this. And your intestines have only two jobs:
- contraction to move stuff along and
- absorption, sucking all the nutrients out of what is there. If nothing moves, your gut has time to suck harder on what remains, condensing and compacting it.
That gut function also includes absorbing all the water from your gut. Therefore, everything, including fiber, dries out and gets hard.
Why Miralax works.
Miralax, on the other hand, works differently. It combines with the water in the glass and water it finds in your intestines to create a molecule too large to be absorbed by the walls of your intestines.
Because the water is not absorbed, everything in your gut stays moist and soft. Regularity, predictability, and easy elimination returned within a few days. It was like being 20 years old again. Good luck on your journey in Oz.
(I am not a doctor, so I certainly am not your doctor. This is based on my own research and experience. I also have a lot of crackpot ideas. So take this all with a grain of salt.)