I have seen bowel health improve in the majority of people who say goodbye to wheat.

But one observation I have not purposefully tracked is constipation. I have indeed seen constipation improve in many people, but it’s simply not part of the conversation in much of what I do. I hate talking about bowel movements.

But Wheat Belly Blog reader, Susan, left this fascinating comment about, yes, constipation:

I must say that coming across this information (wheat as we know it today – and it’s effects) has absolutely changed my life over the last 40 days.

I have suffered from extreme constipation for many years to the point that I would not eliminate for weeks. My stomach got bigger and bigger as I tried one diet after another, endlessly. Mostly fruit and liquid fads to loosen and discharge what was surely in there somewhere. Nothing really worked, though, except laxatives.

I did note than when I did eliminate – it was very hard and covered in “glue.” I assumed that to be because it was in there for so long. However, it got me thinking about gluten, so I googled on that subject and up came Wheat Belly.

Long story short, I eliminated wheat and as a result (beginning on the third day) I began eliminating more than I ate – daily. I don’t think I have to explain how that is a miracle to sombody who has been chronically bunged up for years. My hard, bulging lower stomach is getting softer and smaller by the day now. Weight dropped 20lbs in the first 20 days and now drops about 2 lbs each week.

The other miracle is that I am not manic and miserable, including confusion, short attention span, etc. I could correlate that to the elimination success, but I know it’s more than that. I feel now that the wheat was causing that as another symptom. My knee doesn’t get inflamed anymore either since the general bloating ended. I am simply thrilled to have discovered this information after decades of suffering needlessly. Who would have thought that bread (wheat), etc., could be THIS harmful when I was led to believe that whole grains were my constipation saviour.

Susan added an addendum: I figured I would aid in cutting through the buildup of “glue” in me by eating a whole grapefruit every morning. I feel that has helped in conjuction with the wheat-free diet.

Although this has worked spectacularly, I now plan a phase two which is to reduce other carbs and sugars as WheatBelly recommends. I can’t imagine how I can improve on my already amazing results, but I’m very excited about seeing how much better things could get.

Today was day 40 and I’m not sure how to say this so I’ll just say it plainly: I had a BM today that I (nor my husband) could believe. It seemed to be a section of my intestine. My husband is of the opinion that it is the inner lining. It was basically a wall of sticky mucous.

Two years ago, my doctor ordered a colonoscopy to see why I was chronically constipated. I was half awake for the procedure and I was sure he was going to comment on how much matter was in there. He reported nothing unusual. Later I asked him where the 1,000 meals could be then and he didn’t have an answer. Now I know. It’s been building up on the walls and I hope to see the rest in the near future. I should add that during about day 25 I had a slip where I ate a sandwich and a bagel. I immediately felt tired and miserable and then it took two full days to start eliminating again (yes – two days of constipation from just that). That was all the evidence I needed to know that wheat is certainly my bane.

Now when I see a protruded belly on a miserable person I feel like sharing my story because I know how miserable they feel. When people google constipation, WheatBelly should be the first thing that appears. God bless.

Wow. I can just feel Susan’s relief.