Gals,
I take Metamucil once a day--worked up to 1 teaspoon gradually. Also take the acacia fiber--1 teaspoon. I think the Metamucil helps regulate the bowel. I would like to try the wafers to use when I am away from home.
Cheryl

i take mine at lunch time.. 6 capsules EVERYDAY...sometimes i will switch for a few months and take them in the morning,depending on my gas!! ive never tried them 2 of 3 times a day, i would think youd do that only if you were constipated? i guess more wont hurt though...

I take Fybogel here in the UK, which is equivalent to the coarse-milled Metamucil in the USA, and I take equivalent to 6 teaspons every day. My transit time is naturally VERY slow and this is the only way, doctor approved, to get things going and I've gone from strength to strength.
I would like to postulate a slight problem I have with Metamucil "smooth-texture". I wanted to see the difference between how the coarser Psyllium husk and the smoother husk swells upon water contact in an allotted time. I found that Metamucil smooth tended to cause slight constipation with me, where-as the coarse UK Fybogel made me very soft.
When you add water to the UK Fybogel coarse husk, it swells so rapidly you must drink it with lightning speed. When I stir up Metamucil smooth, it takes alot longer to have any perceived swelling relataive to the Fybogel. The Metamucil dissolves much much better, or at least disguises itself well if it doesnt dissolve. After leaving these two mixtures in the same amount of water, side by side after 15 minutes, the Fybogel had turned incredibly bulky very quickly, where-as the Metamucil was still swelling....just taking a little longer.
The problem I believe is that I take much water with the bulk formers and I tend to urinate very quickly afterward, and with much frequency. If my stomach is subsequently bereft of water that has not been used to swell the Psyllium husk, then I get alot of dry, painful fiber 'clumps' in my stool. Thats how they look in the pan and for these reasons I believe it to be so.
I'll take some pictures of the test so you can see the difference. Does anyone have a picture of Metamucil coarse texture? I am coming to the USA to start a Ph.D soon, so I'll need a good replacement for the UK Fybogel that works for me.
Good luck all!
-Brendan

Brendan,
I am sure that you will be quite successful in your PhD program. What is your area of interest for grad school? I was quite impressed with your "dissertation" about the fiber!!
Cheryl

It is in Electronic engineering/applied mathematics for Telecommunication systems.
I've just finished my Masters and I'm taking a long break and enjoying every second of it!
:D

I have found too that I need a coarser fiber myself in order to benefit from it. You study is interesting-may be on to something there!

Brendan,
You are a very smart cookie! Your area of study sounds very complicated and difficult. I thought it might be mathematics given the formula you have on your profile. What is that formula for? I'm curious. By the way, I am glad that I am finally done with school having gone back for many years after getting my initial BA in history.
Cheryl

Okay here are the pictures.
I used one sachet of Fybogel and one teaspoon of Metamucil smooth sugar free Berry burst (which tastes pretty gross by the way). I mixed them both with equal quantities of water and left to sit for about 15 minutes or so. The difference is quite marked. Draw your own conclusions but all I know is that given that I urinate very quickly after such a large intake of water, this stuff constipates me up terribly!
The contenders:

The setup:

Fybogel, see how it is slightly coarser in texture (easily seen in the flesh).

Metamucil smooooth:

After rapid stir and 1 minute settling time....can you see the difference forming already? You must drink Fybogel VERY fast.

After 20 minutes in the sunlight to see the difference.

THE RESULTS
Metamucil:

Fybogel:

If I leave the Metamucil for a longer time I achieve the same effect as the Fybogel. What impact does this have on me? My system seems to drain what it deems as a large quantity of water within about 20-30 minutes or so, leaving not much water for the Metamucil to work with. This is a troublesome combination.
Does anyone have any tips on how to get this smooth Metamucil to do a great job?
Hope you enjoyed folks! (Sorry if its a bit of a thread hijack, but its all pertinent to the use of Psyllium husk as a fissure buster!)
-Brendan

cherylk wrote:Brendan,
What is that formula for?
Cheryl

The four equations in my avatar are equations that revolutionised everything, known as Maxwell's equations. James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist did alot of work on them, formulated aspects of them and then solved for a particular variable in that system of equations and then he made a great deduction that LIGHT was actually caused by an electromagnetic disturbance.
What does this mean for us? Without this pivotal work we would not know that we can transmit information wirelessly through a medium by means of electricity. Einstein was also a fan of this critical work. Without them modern day techology would be set back greatly.

Wow-what great footage there! Is there any reason (other than the taste and texture) that you want to stop using the fybogel if it works better? Just from the remnants I notice the fybogel looks like it would come out of the gut whereas the metamucil would be processed mostly as urine.
Does fybogel come in capsules that you can drink with a large glass of water so you dont have to chug it?
This is Oscar worthy for sure!