Tony:

Tree-climbing is a great workout.  You'll wonder how you did it so easily as a child.

And yes, the inspiration is intentional.  Logic often isn't enough to keep us doing the right thing.

Alice:

First, there is always a period of adjustment when changing diet, in part because your gut flora takes time to adapt to the new food you're feeding it.

Second, do things completely grind to a halt, or are you just pooping less?  Since paleo foods are so nutritionally dense, they are absorbed much better than grain products, and you'll generate less poop.  For example, each gram of wheat bran you eat will cause your body to excrete almost six grams of poop.  (In other words, it's causing you to not absorb other foods you're eating!) 

We're taught that something's wrong if we don't leave a giant log in the toilet every morning, but this is just a legacy of 19th century religious fundamentalism (more here).

That being said, if you're becoming legitimately constipated (hard, painful poop, not just infrequent poop), then you might consider a low-residue diet: cut any vegetables high in indigestible fiber, eat plenty of fat, and drink a bit of coffee to help move things along.  Frankly, if you've got IBS and are trying to heal the damage, indigestible fiber is a counterproductive irritant.

Hope this helps! Let us know how you do.

JS

Alice:

The clarification helps: if 'soluble fiber' gives you massive cramping, it's because you've got a degree of gut dysbiosis...bacteria that produce lots of gas instead of lots of acid.  (Soluble fiber is fermented by colon bacteria, insoluble fiber is simply passed.)  Watch this presentation for more information:

I would also look into FODMAPs, which are various types of soluble fiber.  Are you OK with onions and broccoli/cabbage/cruciferous vegetables, or do those get you too?  It's quite possible to have problems with certain types but not with others.

It sounds like you've become dependent on some amount of insoluble fiber in order to poop...that happens to some people.  You don't want to have to take it forever...but you might want to try a small amount of psyllium husk to replace the fiber you're used to getting from whole grains.  You should be able to slowly wean yourself off of it over time.

JS

Rosie:

I'm glad I can be of help. It's nice not to feel hungry all the time, isn't it?

The vegetarians are partially correct that the SAD (Standard American Diet) is unhealthy: where they go wrong is in claiming that the meat is the unhealthy part.

L Hutch:

I'm sure you'll see improvements!  Make sure to eat plenty of eggs, occasional liver if you can, and fatty fish a couple times a week, along with fatty muscle meats.  And since you're nutritionally depleted, you may want to supplement things like selenium, copper, zinc, iodine, etc.  A good multivitamin (One-a-day or generic equivalent) plus some iodine may be a good idea, as is magnesium citrate (if you tolerate it) or malate (if you don't).

I wish you the best on your journey!  Feel free to stop in and give progress reports or ask questions.

JS

Scotlyn:

There is an important difference between bonking and boinking. 

First, I enjoy boinking much more than I enjoy bonking.

Second, I don't often find myself boinking during long, intense efforts.  Boinking is a long, intense effort -- at least if you do it right 🙂

JS