Mushy and watery/liquid: Mushy stool is usually made up of very soft pieces that fall apart when they hit the water. This may be due to poor lifestyle/diet change, higher stress than what the body is used to or an intestinal disorder. It can also happen when there is a change in exercise routine.
Separate lumps
In other words, this type of stool often signals that you're constipated. If this is commonly what you see in the toilet—and you aren't suffering from another illness that comes with this side effect—you may have a gastrointestinal condition called chronic idiopathic constipation, or CIC.
If a week passes without you passing healthy-looking stool, you should speak with a doctor. Even if you're taking a number-two every day, hard or broken-apart poop is a sign that your diet is probably too low in fiber or water, which can lead to all sorts of gastrointestinal (GI) tract issues, Sheth says.
Stools that float are most often due to poor absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) or too much gas (flatulence). Food passes from the stomach into the small intestine. In the small intestine all nutrient absorption occurs. Whatever has not been absorbed by the small intestine passes into the colon.
Hard, dry stools are the result of the colon absorbing too much water. Normally, as food moves through the colon (also known as the large intestine) the colon absorbs water while forming stool (waste products).
If you have IBS with diarrhea, you will have frequent, loose, watery stools. You may have an urgent need to have a bowel movement, which may be hard to control. If you have IBS with constipation, you will have a hard time passing stool, as well as fewer bowel movements.
Healthy Poop Should Sink in the Toilet
Floating stools are often an indication of high fat content, which can be a sign of malabsorption, a condition in which you can't absorb enough fat and other nutrients from the food you're ingesting, reports Mount Sinai.
In people with chronic pancreatitis, the pancreas may not function normally, leading to difficulty processing fat in the diet (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). This can cause loose, greasy, foul-smelling stools that are difficult to flush. This can lead to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, including weight loss.
Foods high in fiber include beans, nuts, vegetables and fruits. Poops that are well-formed and easy to pass (Types 3 and 4) are the ideal kinds of poop. Poops that are entirely liquid or have too much liquid (Types 5, 6 and 7) indicate diarrhea or urgency.
It's normal and healthy to have a bowel movement anywhere between three times a week to three times a day. If you're producing soft, well-formed logs that aren't hard to push out, your bowels are probably in good shape.
Many people report experiencing more yellow stools as a symptom of anxiety. Anxiety does not specifically affect the color of stool, but it can affect how food moves through the digestive tract. There are several ways that anxiety affects digestion, increasing the risk of yellow feces.
Common causes of fecal incontinence include diarrhea, constipation, and muscle or nerve damage. The muscle or nerve damage may be associated with aging or with giving birth.
If you eat a high-fiber diet with a lot of vegetables and fruits, you may get floating stools because digesting high-fiber foods releases more air during digestion. This leads to air or gas being trapped in the stool, making it float in the toilet bowl.
People with acute pancreatitis often look ill and have a fever, nausea, vomiting, and sweating. Other symptoms that may occur with this disease include: Clay-colored stools. Bloating and fullness.
People with diabetes may experience frequent diarrhea — loose, watery stools that happen at least three times a day. You may have fecal incontinence as well, especially at night.
First, let's be clear: There is no rule about the number of bowel movements a person should have each day. Some people poop several times a day. Others go every few days. “Normal” is something that each person must decide for themselves.
The vagus nerve essentially creates a two-way street of communication from the brain to the gut. When it's stimulated, as it is during a poop, the vagus nerve can lower a person's blood pressure and heart rate, which leaves us feeling relaxed and with a sense of “poo-phoria”.
A diet that is low in fiber or fluids increases the chance of constipation. As a result, the stool can be less bulky and shrinks in size, taking on a stringy appearance. Chronic constipation often leads to blockages that develop in the colon, leading to the passage of thin, stringy stools.
9. You're constipated. Having a bowel movement at least every other day is considered normal. Strict diets, skipping meals and restricting fluids can lead to constipation which can add 2 to 6 pounds to the scale.