TMI? Probably…

Apologies up front if this is TMI. Or if you get squeamish reading about body functions. (Actually, if that’s the case, maybe you should skip this post and just go here instead).

…still here?

Alright. There have been a few posts around the healthy/diet blogosphere over the past few months talking about bathroom events. Not “holding your friend’s hair back after she partied a little too hard” or even “spontaneous, we-couldn’t-control-ourselves hookups” events. More the “natural next step after eating and digestion” events. Poos and wees – as my friend (who is actually 25, not 5, despite the kiddy terms) would say.

Real plush dolls "Pee" and "Poo"

Luckily, I haven’t really had any real problems in that realm – especially since starting this blog and being conscious about what I’m eating. I usually wake up in the morning and visit the loo before my poor bladder explodes. (I try not to drink much in the hours that lead up to bedtime, but I usually have some fruits and at least 1/2 glass of water). Then I wander around, shower, get ready and visit the loo again before heading off to work.

Being the odd girl I am, I try to time my liquid consumption at work around the fact that I’ll have a 30-45 minute walk home; drinking the majority of my pot of green tea and a glass of water before lunch and sipping what’s left in the afternoon. With all that liquid going through me, I probably use the loo at least 3-4 time per day while at the office.

Now, I’ve noticed that recently I’ve been needing to “do a 2” again around lunch. And sometimes even a third time later in the day. I don’t think it’s unhealthy (I distinctly remember my doctor telling me, years ago, that “normal” is anywhere from 3 times a day to once every 3 days) or anything, it’s just not routine. I’m chalking it up to the increased amounts of fresh fruits and veggies, and possibly the green tea?

Anyhoo… the reason I’m even posting about all of this in the first place is because earlier this afternoon I had a sudden, rather painful stomach cramp. It got worse. And worse. And then “get to the loo” worse. Post-loo and I’m feeling great again… but what caused that sudden digestional uproar? I have no clue what I ate know exactly what I ate (thanks MyFitnessPal!) and I haven’t had a single thing today that I haven’t had at least once in the past few days without incident.

Gillian McKeith

And anytime I have any sort of remotely out-of-the-ordinary issues in that area, I immediately think of Gillian McKeith (above) and her “You are what you eat” TV show. In it, in case you have never seen an episode, she analyzes the participant’s poo to find out more about their diet, digestion and overall health. Basic lesson: It should be easy to pass, shaped like a smooth sausage and have a minimal odour. (You can check out what you poo means here. Anytime it doesn’t match that idyllic description, I immediately trace back all the things I’ve eaten to find the culprit. This time, for the first time, nothing stood out.

So? Well, nothing, I suppose. I’m feeling normal now. I guess if I get another sudden, random gastronomical attack I’ll worry – especially if it’s within the next 24 hours. Otherwise, I’m hoping to go back to my regularly scheduled loo visits.

Do you use your toilet trips as part of you analysis of overall health?