Yesterday I ate:-
10ml lactulose
2 weetabix
Grapes
Peach
Salad
cuppa chicken soup
mashed potato
Peas
Carrots
Cauliflower
Broccoli
White fish
Muller rice and I added 4 tea spoons of applesauce
1 x movicol
Cups of tea
Lots of water
Sometimes I can't tell if the stool is soft or hard, but it was painful coming out, although it passes without any strain.  Sometimes I think it's the size, quite big, and not necessarily how hard it is.  But this morning I think it was a bit firm.  Please help, what am I doing wrong with my diet?  Could it be the potatoes?  If so what is the alternate?

Hi Carolineandy;
Your suspicions may be correct about the potatoes (very starchy). Also your spot-on about the size of the bm that can affect us also besides the hardness.
Actually in your list many people substitute mashed cauliflower for potatoes as a very tasty alternative.
Also there are a few other things that may help. Taking in more water, more soluble fiber, more exercise, less salt, all these things will tend to aid in getting that food through your intestines before they have a chance in bulking up too much.
Even your weetabix may be playing a role in the size of your stools along with the potatoes, as too much of even whole grain wheat sure would make me more prone to constipation and or large stools.
But perhaps just cutting back on one may do the trick. Try it and see. And if your really struggling to control this I would even look at my tea intake (not knowing what kind of tea your taking).
Over all, looks like your diet is quite healthy but just may need a little tweaking along with non dietary practices to get those stool at an optimal consistency.
hope this helps...

Thank you that is helpful, I never thought of substituting potato with cauliflower.  If I cut my weetabix down, how about adding some prunes and figs with honey, would that help?
Also I don't understand the difference between soluable and insoluble fibre and how it affects stools.
Thanks for your help.

Miralax (Movicol) and lots of water are not enough for me without a fiber supplement. For me, at least, a tablespoon of ground flax seed on my morning cereal makes a huge difference (slick stools, easy to pass). I also take Metamucil but have been too timid to try cutting back on this.

I'm a bit scared of weetabix.... It really swells up when liquid is added, and if left for a bit goes solid. I would def cut down and only have one with added fruit.
OMB
Ps google insoluble and soluble fibre and it should come up with lists.

Now66 wrote:Miralax (Movicol) and lots of water are not enough for me without a fiber supplement. For me, at least, a tablespoon of ground flax seed on my morning cereal makes a huge difference (slick stools, easy to pass). I also take Metamucil but have been too timid to try cutting back on this.

but a fibre supplement doesn't bulk you up?

owmybum wrote:I'm a bit scared of weetabix.... It really swells up when liquid is added, and if left for a bit goes solid. I would def cut down and only have one with added fruit.
OMB
Ps google insoluble and soluble fibre and it should come up with lists.

What would be a better alternative to Weetabix, is porridge any better? I thought Weetabix was good because it has fibre in it. There is so much I need to learn.

From the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002136.htm
"Soluble fiber attracts water and turns to gel during digestion. This slows digestion. 
Soluble fiber is found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables. It is also found in psyllium, a common fiber supplement. Some types of soluble fiber may help lower cholesterol, but the effect on heart disease is not known.
Insoluble fiber is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains. It adds bulk to the stool and appears to help food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines."
I think the part about attracting water is important. A soft stool is a wet stool. So get lots of soluble fibre and drink lots of water to ensure the stool does get wet.
The insoluble fibre might seem like a bad guy (adding bulk -  ), but helping food to pass more quickly through the intestine, that's good. The faster the food moves, the less water extracted by the colon.
As always, it's a balance of soluble and insoluble that's important.
As for me, I eat oatmeal/porridge every morning because I think that slippery (almost slimy) texture is great for soft BMs. And mine are very soft. I add fruit like a cut up peach or pear, or dried cranberries. Anything to make it more interesting.

Scientist2516 wrote:From the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002136.htm
"Soluble fiber attracts water and turns to gel during digestion. This slows digestion. 
Soluble fiber is found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables. It is also found in psyllium, a common fiber supplement. Some types of soluble fiber may help lower cholesterol, but the effect on heart disease is not known.
Insoluble fiber is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains. It adds bulk to the stool and appears to help food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines."
I think the part about attracting water is important. A soft stool is a wet stool. So get lots of soluble fibre and drink lots of water to ensure the stool does get wet.
The insoluble fibre might seem like a bad guy (adding bulk -  ), but helping food to pass more quickly through the intestine, that's good. The faster the food moves, the less water extracted by the colon.
As always, it's a balance of soluble and insoluble that's important.
As for me, I eat oatmeal/porridge every morning because I think that slippery (almost slimy) texture is great for soft BMs. And mine are very soft. I add fruit like a cut up peach or pear, or dried cranberries. Anything to make it more interesting.

Thank you, I understand a bit more now.  I am going to try the boiled banana, with porridge, prunes, figs and honey.  I want to get the balance right and not end up going more than twice per day.  As for fibre supplements, perhaps I should try Benefiber?  I have some psyllium husk but am afraid to use it as I took 1g last year and whilst it seemed to make my stools easy to pass but it also gave me indigestion for three weeks and you need to drink a lot of water because it can cause a blockage.  Thank you for the information.

Fiber does not seem to "bulk" me up.
Actually I used only Metamucil before I knew anything about this AF. That alone was wonderful but the effect was short lived. Hence, on to Miralax and ground flax seed.