The second layer of producing bowel movements involves your hormones and the adaptive protective shifts that can occur when the brain senses low resources in the form of calories or macronutrients.
Low caloric intake is a stressor on the body. When we are chronically undereating, our bodies experience a chronic stress response from the nervous system, which communicates to the body to conserve resources. When a stressor of low caloric intake is assessed, our hormones will shift the body’s focus away from vitality and toward protection. These hormonal shifts can result in symptoms of constipation, but they can also present as fatigue or low energy, hair loss, irregular menstrual cycles, fertility issues, low libido, sugar cravings, poor sleep, bloating, and weight gain.
If any combination of these symptoms is present for you, then this is your invitation to get curious about how much you are eating and whether that is part of your healing puzzle.