Dr. Brown here, creator of **Atrantil and Re:flux.** If fiber makes your constipation worse, that is a clue.

Constipation is not always a fiber problem. Very often, it is a motility problem.

Fiber adds bulk. Motility moves that bulk.

So if your gut is already moving slowly, adding more fiber can make you feel more bloated, more pressurized, and more stuck.

The pattern I look for

You may be dealing with slow motility if:

• fiber makes you feel worse
• gas feels trapped
• you feel bloated or tight after meals
• stool feels hard or incomplete
• you strain but still do not feel empty
• “healthy” foods make you feel more backed up

One reason this happens is methane.

Certain gut microbes can produce methane gas, and methane is associated with slower movement through the colon. That is why some people feel worse after adding beans, onions, garlic, fiber powders, or other “gut healthy” foods.

They are not just adding fiber.

They may be feeding fermentation in a gut that is already moving too slowly.

What I would do first

1. Stop forcing fiber

If fiber makes you worse, back down. Do not keep adding bulk to a traffic jam.

2. Hydrate before you bulk