# What's the longest you've gone without pooping? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164 "2004-04-15T14:03:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Paradoxical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Paradoxical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paradoxical)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/21 "2004-04-16T02:39:47Z")
Nine weeks? I call bullshit. You were either coming off a heroin spree, or you have a serious disease. ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/22 "2004-04-16T02:50:52Z")
I don’t think anyone pooped the first week of basic training, and many probably didn’t until 2 weeks in. I was at about a week and a half. You can tell by how quickly the TP started to move- it didn’t really start getting used up until the 3rd week. ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/23 "2004-04-16T02:57:45Z")
1 week at a Work Camp. I came home feeling massive bowel surges and i discharged two enormous gaggers within 3 hours. I never felt so much power before clogging the toilet twice in 1 day. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/24 "2004-04-16T03:04:14Z")
Five days a couple of weeks ago when I had the stomach flu-there was nothing solid in my body and everything liquid was coming out the front door, so even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/25 "2004-04-16T03:20:58Z")
I have a friend who has to start unzipping his pants before he even takes his first bite of a salad. His metabolism is almost audible, truly a crap-factory. he was quite horrified when I told him I went once every 3 days at most. Boy howdy will that Atkins program plug you up, it felt like someone spackled by corn-shoot closed (even with laxatives). I guess my record is somewhere around 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/26 "2004-04-16T04:11:35Z")
I think I’m getting old. This is neither disgusting or humorous to me as it might have once been, rather I’m just really interested. I’m thinking it would be fun to see the pics you get when you send a camera up my down slope. A few weeks ago I went to a restaurant and ate WAY too much mostly lettuce. I think it must have clogged up my stomach up since I barfed most of it up a few days later. I didn’t go any for those few days and felt awful. Anyway after I barfed I had a day of the squirts and then it took me about 4 or 5 days of regular eating until things started coming out that hole again. Although mostly I’m a once a day kind of person. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/27 "2004-04-16T04:27:33Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > **Jenaroph** , I speak without hyperbole when I say you have changed my life, and that this moment will be the subject of at least a chapter in my autobiography, if not a book of its own. > > [sub]OK, maybe a little hyperbole[/sub] Just glad to help. It’s always a joy to open people’s eyes to new and exciting information. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/28 "2004-04-16T06:40:16Z")
Since this is basically a poll, I’ll move it to [**In My Humble Opinion**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=12) for you. **Cajun Man** for the SDMB ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/29 "2004-04-16T07:35:18Z")
I go once a day on average, but have been known to vary from that routine. Generally, though, by the second day I start feeling some significant discomfort. The longest I’ve ever gone is about a week on two occasions. Once when I was on a small boat with six other people I’d never met before. I was still a very self-conscious teen and kept swinging between not feeling a need and not being able to relax enough to do the job when I did. The second time was in the hospital last year, when I finally had enough and asked for a bedpan after about a week. Only had to do that once, fortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/30 "2004-04-16T07:47:28Z")
On strenuous hiking trips, I can go three or four days, easy, before I have to pinch a loaf. Now that I’m getting pretty heavy into winter camping, I realise not having to hang my ass out in -35-deg.-F-with-a–60-wind-chill weather is a mighty big plus. I gotta feel for the ladies, who have to drop trou to even pee. I think the longest I’ve ever gone is six days. What’s weird is, I eat like crazy during these trips. One would think I’d snap off a twenty pound steamin’ log after that long, but it’s never bigger than normal size, despite the hightened consumption and extended duration since the last BM. Shows me how little I need the food I consume off the trail, as I usually average about a dump a day. ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/31 "2004-04-16T08:09:27Z")
I usually go 2-3 times a day. Coincidentally, the past few days, I went 58 hours without pooping. That’s the longest I can ever recall never having done it. I was definitely aware that I hadn’t, either, I just didn’t need to. I eat lots of fiber. ---
**Author:** ![YoudNeverGuess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a587f6/32.png) [@YoudNeverGuess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoudNeverGuess)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/32 "2004-04-16T11:44:31Z")
A friend of mine who’s a doctor said a good average guide is : ‘More than 3 times a day, or if you haven’t gone in more than 3 days, and you might have a problem’ Looks like some of you people might have problems 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/33 "2004-04-16T12:00:24Z")
> [@Thaumaturge](#): > > I don’t think anyone pooped the first week of basic training, and many probably didn’t until 2 weeks in. I was at about a week and a half. You can tell by how quickly the TP started to move- it didn’t really start getting used up until the 3rd week. Funny thing how a bathroom with no partitions can affect one’s rhythm. Just a room with toilets bolted to the wall. You can talk about baseball with your buddy or offer words of encouragement where needed. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/34 "2004-04-16T13:03:22Z")
At least once a day for me. I can’t remember ever not going at least once every 2 days. If things are sluggish, I take corrective measures. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/35 "2004-04-16T13:44:39Z")
> [@Dazzling White Diamonds](#): > > I just wanted to point out that the OP’er of this thread - **What’s the longest you’ve gone without pooping** - is named **Moody Bastard** , which I find to be quite appropriate. Was wondering if anyone would notice this. 😃 In other news, \*It’s a beau-tiful morn-ing… \* _bows_ ---
**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/36 "2004-04-16T15:25:49Z")
I’ve been at a feeding program for one of my children for 2 weeks, and for the first 3 days, she did not have a bowel movement. By day 3, the program folks were getting concerned and said if we got to day 4 and nothing, they’d ask the program doctors to suggest an intervention. Fortunately for her, she managed something. Then I got a padded child’s potty seat to go on the hotel toilet, and that helped her a lot. I think she was afraid (in part) to use the full-sized toilet. They were concerned that with the intestines full, there’d be no room for food and therefore no appetite. Also, they were concerned that the large intestine would get hyperextended, and therefore prone to chronic constipation (a real problem for some children). Anyway, it got better. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/37 "2004-04-16T17:09:32Z")
> [@](#): > > On strenuous hiking trips, I can go three or four days, easy, before I have to pinch a loaf. Now that I’m getting pretty heavy into winter camping, I realise not having to hang my ass out in -35-deg.-F-with-a–60-wind-chill weather is a mighty big plus. I gotta feel for the ladies, who have to drop trou to even pee. > > I think the longest I’ve ever gone is six days. What’s weird is, I eat like crazy during these trips. One would think I’d snap off a twenty pound steamin’ log after that long, but it’s never bigger than normal size, despite the hightened consumption and extended duration since the last BM. As a three times a day or more guy I used to dread that part of backpacking trips. Then I discovered a routine that worked. The day before leaving I would eat about 5 pounds of apples, and a gallon can of peanuts. I could usually hang on for 7-10 days, Unlike you however, when I finally say goodbye to the little guy, I basically need Morphine, a lamaze coach, and about an hour of me time, cause that sucker is a a big really solid mass. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/38 "2004-04-16T17:34:40Z")
When I was a kid I’d get so much exercise that I’d sprout the monkey tail only about once a week. But when I did, man, it looked like the pretzel machine got stuck on “Open”. Later, I was more frequent except for on this one Outward Bound trip. There’s not many good poopitats in the Rockies above 10,000 feet in March. Finally, after hiking for about 8 days, I crawled into an igloo we were abandoning and funked it up something fierce. As they hadn’t let us bring TP, I didn’t do the topo map any favors either. Nowadays though, with my exercise often limited to the keyboard, about twice a day I’ve gotta shit like I’ve never shat before. Seriously, you’d think I had a vendetta against porcelain. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/39 "2004-04-16T19:56:15Z")
You people are hilarious. “Sprout the monkey tail”? “Dirt snake”? I’ll have to write these down. 😉 I average about once a day. Sometimes more than once a day, sometimes I’ll skip a day (or two). But that’s the average. A while back I got constipated (I think I didn’t go for perhaps 5 days? I wasn’t keeping track), and it was miserable. I hadn’t been eating my salads and drinking enough water. That’ll teach me to never do that again. I notice that when I’m up in Yosemite (not hiking, just up there puttering around), that things want to “slip out” more easily. It’s something I have to watch for (not that I’ve ever had any accidents—not of the #2 kind). When I first arrive in Yosemite, I may feel the urge more frequently than I do in lower altitudes. For that reason, it’s best for me to stick close to the areas where public toilets are easy to find. At least at first. Weird how that is. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164/40 "2004-04-16T22:22:59Z")
\*Where has all the flour gone, long time passing? Where has all the flour gone, et long ago? Where has all the flour gone? Gone to poop cake everyone. Oh, when will it reach the end? Oh, when will it reach the end? \* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-youve-gone-without-pooping/240164.md?page=3)