From your last question "fatter and feeling worse" and this one it seems like paleo is not making you feel very good at all. Perhaps you need to re-evaluate this path? I don't think anyone should continue to do something like this if it is making them miserable. I'm sure your vegetarian lifestyle was healthier than that of a lot of SAD people so if you are really fatter, sadder, slower and less able to poop on Paleo maybe go back to what you were doing before when you felt better.

Or if there are some really solid reasons that you want to be Paleo maybe you could ease into it a little slower. Maybe eat mostly what you used to eat as a vegetarian but take out grains and add in a little meat here and there.

I think everyone has to listen to their own body and if yours is telling you that paleo (or at least the version of paleo you are doing) then modify it till it feels right.

Oh and prunes work really well for me :)

When I'm stressed or anxious, I find my bowels completely freeze up on me in a panic, like a deer in headlights. I actually have to like, Lamaze-breathe on the loo before my body will let me go.

Do you have time to go poo? I know that sounds like a weird question, but one of the things that sometimes makes my bowels selfishly hoard my movements is the feeling that I won't be /permitted/ to go due to time constraints or some other exacerbating factor; it's like it's shoved on some back-burner of biological behaviors (yay for alliteration!).

I find that quiet time with green tea (promotes gentle peristalsis) helps wonders for that, sometimes combined with deliberate, meditative breathing, to ease things along.

Good luck. :)

I find that every time I go camping, my bowels get reallly slow for the first 4 days. It's actually really convenient when you are out in the woods, far from a bathroom. At home, I will move some solid material about twice per day, but once I hit the road, pitch the tent,hike all over the place, etc, really just the minute I hit the road, there will be no more bowel action for about 4 days. I never feel sick or uncomfortable thought, but have often wondered about it. My best guess is that all the physical activity and change of lifestyle causes my body to shift resources to other things like brain and muscles. I tend to push myself very hard on camping trips and go to sleep beat each night. I have wondered also about dehydration but often we camp in the winter when it's cold and there is no sweating so seems unlikely my need for water would be super high. Anyway, I'd say yes, it's very possible that lifestyle changes can effect body bowel movement to a large degree.

I actually know people who often go days without 'going.' I am not sure if I know for sure how healthy or not healthy this actually is. I know it is a kind of lore that this is supposed to be really bad for you, but for myself, if I don't feel uncomfortable, then personally I don't worry about if I have 'gone' recently or not. I figure it will come out when it's ready to come out. And it always does. I'd probably be more worried if I ever had any serious problems with that but I just haven't.

I had similar problems until I realized that paleo is supposed to be basically a vegetarian diet with meat and no grains. The majority of your food should still be vegetables, especially lots of leafy greens. I used to forget the veggies and just do meat and fat and low fiber veggies like sweet potatoes. I had lots of digestive issues until I focused on eating plenty of raw vegetables. My main focus now is on eating vegetables (many raw or fermented) and supplementing the veggies with meat and whatever fats I want. Spinach is my default since it goes in everything (eggs for breakfast, salad or greens for lunch or dinner).

Good luck

Jerky wrecks my stomach sometimes. It's too dry or something? Also coffee messes me up a lot. Try drinking a big bolus of fat like a can of coconut cream and see what happens...

You might also want to try a probiotic and lacto fermented vegetables. Having pickled carrots every day keeps me regular. I have a huge bucket of them in my fridge, I got the gallon from Real Pickles. Tasty and healthy!

Kaz makes some good points. I myself have experienced bowel movement (or lack thereof) issues in the past. As I advised to your earlier post, stay with the probiotics. I think you might need to eat a little more, especially the green leafy stuff and good fats like EVOO and perhaps some coconut. Coconut oil before bed always makes me go the next day, usually more than I prefer so I don't go that route unless I'm desperate.

My main answer is you are not only too pooped to poop but you are too stressed out as well. I'm not a science guy, but if you are anxious about it, it ain't going to happen. "Stage fright" can happen even if no one else is looking. Stop with all of the "remedies." Eat green leafies (much cooked spinach has been treating me well lately) and cover them in EVOO. Eat some meat. Nature will take over if you let it.