koala logs

I've been noticing ever since I took structured training since a month ago, my daily poop amount started getting less and less in volume. Just by looking at it, it looks less than 50 grams daily average. Otherwise, there's no sign of any health issues nor constipated from the looks and hardly makes any smell.

And then yesterday, I did the longest ride I this year, most of it in the mountains. I did not poop yesterday but I ate A LOT of food yesterday, before, during, and after the ride. That includes lots of carbs and meat. So I skipped a day of poop, ate incredible amount of food. I should be pooping a lot, right? Today (rest day) I pooped but still made less than 50 grams despite all the food I ate! Again, the stools show no sign of issues and not constipated. I even looked at the bathroom mirror and saw my tummy is totally flat like I have eaten nothing. So where did all those poop went? Is this normal to anyone quite physically active?

ZHVelo

How does one judge the weight of one's poop by looking at it? What is the frame of reference here

spelger

let's not have a frame of reference please. i don't really want to know what 50g of poop looks like. never weighed mine and likely never will.

koala logs

I last time I gave a stool sample for a medical test, I still remember the weight and the volume associated with the weight. Simply extrapolate according to the volume by visual inspection. It's not a lot.

Compared to the daily volume I did before cycling, the volume is at least 5x less. At least I don't make any mess on the toilet anymore!

ZHVelo

That is probably the only reasonable explanation of how you can tell.

Did you change your diet? I poop the same amount as I did before cycling as much as I do now.

nomadmax 

For me that's situation normal. When I put in big/hard days on the bike I don't have much volume the follow day. When I ran marathons and ultra marathons, that would last for up to three days. I always attributed it to less blood being in the intestines because of demand elsewhere during training or the event. I have absolutely no idea is that's true, but it's happened often enough that I don't worry about it or try to find the true cause.

koala logs

Diet's the same. But daily calories can vary a lot. On the day of big ride and recovery the day after, I eat a lot more compared to regular training days. But the stool volume and consistency remains roughly the same.

I've been searching the internet and can't seem to find any relevant articles. They do mention average daily weight of stool production of a healthy person is 500 grams. I think that's a lot more than I'm making per day.

pdlamb

Volume and, since most physiological items are about the density of water, weight or mass of poop likely depend on two factors. First is how much you drink during and shortly after exercise. When I head out for a century, I often forget to drink enough; but when I'm on tour, after a day or two I'm pouring water down my gullet and though a lot comes out as sweat, stool size recovers.

The second factor is fiber in your diet. Increasing your intake of granola, fruit, or adding a half dozen prunes daily, coupled with adequate fluid, should increase your stool volume within a few days.

koala logs

I do everything you said there. Hydration and fiber. It's been going for a month now, at the same time I started doing structured training. I'm pretty sure I'm not over-training. I have two rest days per week that is total rest, no cycling, no exercise on Sunday and Thursday, 4 days of indoor training, 1 hr per day, and >3hr outdoor ride on Saturday, followed by a rest day on Sunday. No sore legs and I get at least 8 hrs of sleep per day.

goose70

I defer to the training and poop experts, but I've learned that one can train hard but not feel overtrained from a legs standpoint, yet still have the body react in various adverse ways. The type of structured training you describe might not be hard for Peter Sagan, but if this combination of intensity and volume is new to you, particularly over this amount of time, then your body could indeed be stressed. Lack of blood flow to the digestive system seems like as good a culprit as anything. You also mentioned that you've been doing this structured training for at least a month. I'm not sure how old you are, but when I hit my late-40s, I found that putting in a recovery week every third week during structured training blocks really helped settle my whole body down and kept me functioning at a high level. Two rest days a week is often not enough if you're going hard the other days. Also, after three, 3-week sets, I try to take an entire week off. Again, I find that things normalize during that off week. Good luck.

Seattle Forrest

Are you the guy with the really bizarre diet?

koala logs

I'm in my early forties. If I do more than 3 days straight no exercise, I start to feel effects of "de-training" and feel weaker the next time I hit the saddle. The two rest / recovery days every Sunday and Thursday suits me perfectly.

My 1 hr training schedule per day is split into multiple sessions with rest periods in between. Stretching first thing in the morning and each session with easy / warm up, and hard intervals. I don't feel pain nor soreness in any part of my body nor fatigue, nausea, at any time of each training day or rest day and my legs feel fresh all the time. Nothing to hinder me doing other duties for the rest of the day like work and chores.

If I'm getting insufficient recovery / rest or pushing myself too hard, my lower back would be the first to complain and I'd feel lethargic for the rest of the day. Those days are well behind me and it's one of the main reasons I took on structured training.

koala logs

Average diet. Veggies, dairy, protein/meat, and carbs, the usual stuff. I snack on rolled oats with full fat milk and brown sugar. Just no coffee/caffeine for more than 1 year and no alcohol more than one month now. The only food supplement I take is vitamin C.

I have a flat belly with small 25-26" waist line (it varies depending on how hard the ride I make). I eat a lot like during and after a long and hard ride so I'm finding it somewhat of a mystery where all that matter or material is going.

ThermionicScott 

^ Clearly, the alcohol was keeping you regular.

koala logs

I consumed alcohol the most between my 20's and 30's. Social drinking mostly. Looking back, I now hate every mm of it. I had beer on occasions up to my 40's like a few glasses per week . Past 40, I scaled back significantly on alcohol intake and temporarily quitting last month. It's not a permanent quit from alcohol. I plan on enjoying beer again some time in the future, but only in very small amount.

Noonievut

I’ve had issues in this region before, and sometimes it’s worse when riding more. We’re all different of course, but inflammation, pelvic floor (tight muscles), nerves/spine (impacting bowels) may or may not be contributing factors. If the only thing your noticing is less poop, fine, but if any other issues begin or worsen than I would investigate further.

koala logs

No unusual change in my body weight either. It only seems like my body is making less poop. Just can't figure out where all the matter is going.

mschwett 

am I the only one having a beavis and butthead moment that your username is “koala logs” and you’re having an issue with the volume of your … er …. Logs?

k thx heading back to third grade now.

koala logs

Hah, an irony I have completely no idea until you pointed it out!

It's supposed be trees because Koalas live on trees but "logs" sounded more catchy than "trees".

ThermionicScott 

For some reason, I thought it was "koala legs" until just now. I guess I assumed he was commenting on his speed.