Healthy Bowel Movements

With the increasing incidence of colon cancer, it is necessary for anyone worried about the health of their colon to know what is a healthy bowel movement. For many people, they judge a healthy bowel movement as one in which they have made for that day.
Even though it might seem peculiar or embarrassing to talk about bowel movements, they are important. For a long time it has been believed that the digestive system played a major role in the health of the person.
Therefore, whatever the person chooses to eat, would affect his or her digestion leading to some form of gastrointestinal illness - the surprising fact is that most people only have 1-3 bowel movements PER WEEK and consider this to be 'normal'. Yes, this might be normal for some, but it is not healthy.
Each time we eat, we should be poopin' out the previous meals we consumed. We should be pooping 3 times per day, and if we are not we probably have fecal matter that is 'stuck in our gut' and feeding back toxins to our system that we should be eliminating.
Therefore, it is simply not enough to consider that one bowel movement a day is a sign of a healthy bowel. Instead it is necessary to look at the frequency, color, odor, or the consistency associated with the stool.
The frequency of the stool is necessary to take note of especially is there is a concern that you might be constipated. Bowel movements can be as little as one a day to as many as three bowel movements depending on how “regular” the person might be. An increased frequency is not seen as a healthy bowel movement.
Another area to look at when considering bowel movements is the odor. If the odor accompanying your stool is plenty or has a very bad smell, then this is not the sign of a healthy bowel movement. A healthy bowel movement would not be covered by excess gas, and would not make the person embarrassed.
The color of the stool should also be thought about when discussing a healthy bowel movement. Usually stool is brown in color, if this color changes and becomes to pale, or too dark in color, then this is an indication that something is going on in the intestine.
The consistency is also important as if the stool is too soft or too hard, this will not be a sign of a healthy bowel movement. Instead a stool that is not to hard is key to removing wastes from the intestine, and should be considered a healthy bowel movement.

Back to the Basics

At it's most basic, losing weight is about burning more calories than you eat. That seems simple enough, but if were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem. Too often people take drastic measures to see results -- diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. Maybe you lose weight but what happens when you go off that diet or stop that crazy workout program? You gain it all back and more. The real secret to weight loss is to make small, lasting changes. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you learn more about your own metabolism

1. Calculate your activity level. For a week or so, keep an activity journal and use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. 
   
2. Keep track of how many calories you eat. For at least a week, enter and track your calories online (e.g., with Calorie Count) or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you eat each day.
3. Add it up. Take your BMR number and add your activity calories. Then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than your BMR + your activity calories, you're at risk for gaining weight.

Example:
Suzie BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories (1400 + 900= 2300). However, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she's eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain about a pound every 2-3 weeks.