okay well, this is kinda gross..?

Question

but, most people 'dispose of their waste'.. oh whatever. most people POOP at least once a day right? most of the time.

well my friend barely poops. she poops every 3 DAYS. is that normal??

Answer 1

i also have a friend who poops rarely. not everyonen poops every day. eating more fiber will help and exercise will help but don't take laxatives imho.

Answer 2

Its pretty normal for westerners. What determines how often we "poop" is largely down to what is known as "Gut Transit Time" (in other words the time taken from when food enters our mouths at one end until the unwanted waste from that food emerges at the other end).

In many primitive diets there is plenty of bulk and fibre ("roughage") which ensures a pretty rapid gut transit time - about 24 hours is normal. The classic example, often quoted, is the Kalahari Bushmen who still eat a basically hunter-gatherer diet of mainly roots and berries with occasional meat when they catch an animal. These people have a very rapid gut transit time - something which has been linked with the fact that appendicitis and bowel cancer is virtually unheard of in such people.

Our western diet is much more refined and purified, being more easily digested and containing much less fibre. This means that there is less bulk in the gut to push things through and everything tends to slow down, increasing gut transit time. This has several consequences:-
* as the food spends longer in the intestines it is more thoroughly digested. It is already more easily digested and the result is that we take more food into our bodies - a fact that may go some way to explain why so many westerners are obese.
* the food in the gut starts to ferment and rot, releasing toxins which may damage the gut and contribute to problems such as appendicitis and bowel cancer
* often the result is constipation or compaction of faeces (see my answer on colon cleansers http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsOmgywrOzGF50OVESApdLrsy6IX?qid=20060730084607AApESBZ).

In actual fact 3 days between poops is pretty good for a lot of westerners (and some people are naturally sluggish in this respect). Your friend should increase her intake of fruit and vegetables and fibre-containing products such as bran. And she might perhaps consider taking colon cleansing capsules to keep her gut moving in a healthy manner.

Answer 3

Everyone's "regularity" is different...for some people every 3 days is normal. However, your friend may have a problem such as Irritable Bowl Syndrome or Chronic Constipation that may not really effect her in any other way than making her go less often...If she's been talking about it like it bothers her I would tell her to tell her parents or doctor...If she just mentioned it, don't bring it up anymore...she's probably embarrassed...

Answer 4

No its not normal. We all should do it every time we eat.
If you look at babies and dogs, every time they eat they go. That's why so many people have colon and other problems.
I know a girl who goes only 1 time a week.
They sell colon cleaner maybe your friend needs some

Answer 5

Perfectly normal. It's common to have bowel movements a couple times a day to several times a week.

It could have to do with her diet, or it's just the way her plumbing works!

And how do you know this, anyway?!

Answer 6

could be.... depends on how much she eats.

poop is waste the body generates. If you don't eat much, the body won't go as much.

It could be a medical problem, too. Maybe she's constipated...not enough water in her body, so the waste doesn't leave the body as easilly.

Or she's just lying to you.

Answer 7

Some people are like that. I have a friend who goes maybe once a month. She got checked out and everything is fine. Maybe your friend doesn't eat as much fiber as you.

Answer 8

You should have THREE (3) bowl movements a day. She is NOT getting enough fiber.... Hello Diverticulitis and a colostomy!

Answer 9

It speaks to her dietary choices. We should evacuate our bowels daily. When we don't, we increase the likelihood of toxins building up in our colons. Maybe more fiber would be beneficial to her.

Answer 10

You're right this is a gross topic. But...it isn't normal. Does she eat properly?? And drink enough liquids???