Check before you flush

Nobody wants this talk. But it's a free daily report on your food, water, stress and gut, and it takes four seconds to read.

The seven types

Doctors really do use a chart like this. Left is too hard, right is too loose, and the middle is where you want to live.

Why the shape changes

Mostly it comes down to speed. The last stretch of your gut pulls water out as things pass through, usually over about half a day to a day. How long it sits there decides what arrives.

What it's actually made of

Not mostly food. By the time it gets this far, nearly all of the useful part of your meal is already in you.

Four things to notice

One glance. You're not sending it to a lab. And one odd day means nothing; you're looking for what's usual for you.

How long it should take

Quick, and no real effort. If it's a project, that's information.

Six things it could be telling you

When it's off for more than a day or two, it's usually one of these. Start with the first two.

Things people wonder about

All normal. All have a reason.

Long runsHard, bouncy exercise pulls blood away from the gut and shakes everything along. Runners have a name for the result. Easy movement does the opposite and keeps things regular.

The days before a periodThe same chemical signals that make the uterus contract also reach the gut next door. Things move faster and looser for a day or two.

Desk days and road tripsLong sitting slows the squeezing that moves things along. A walk is a real fix here, and it works the same day.

Float or sinkEither is fine. A floater has more gas in it, made by gut bacteria doing their job. It does not mean more fat, whatever you've heard. Ian: "Floaters. Busy bacteria. Nothing more."

When to skip the reading and call the doctor

No jokes in this part.

Blood, or black and tar-like. A colour you can't trace to something you ate, especially red or black.
Pale, white or clay-coloured. The brown comes from bile, so losing it is worth a check of the liver and gallbladder.
A change that sticks. Looser, harder, or much more or less often than your normal, lasting more than a couple of weeks.
Anything that comes with it. Real pain, fever, or weight loss you can't explain.
This page is coaching, not a diagnosis. If you tried the fixes above and nothing moved, that's also a reason to go.