Most of my life my poos have been floaters, until recently. The past week I've been dropping sinkers like never before, and I was wondering if poo reflects life changes? I've moved to a new small apartment and now walk to classes everyday. The only change in my diet has been eating much less because of my tightened budget. Any thoughts?

Dear Mo,

Thank you for asking this important question. Poo is ABSOLUTELY reflective of life changes. Poo is extremely sensitive to your state of mind, and overall well-being. An example of this would be; getting out of a troublesome relationship with a real "pain in the ass" usually results in getting rid of other pains in the ass such as irritable bowel syndrome, and vice-versa.

As far as floaters and sinkers...well, the amount of gas in your system along with the type of foods that you eat play a part in whether your shit will sink or swim. High fat content in poop makes it float. Gas that is not farted out and is mixed in with the poop also will make it float.

Since your food intake has decreased, and your activity level has increased, your body is probably absorbing and using for energy more of the fat content that used to be passed out in your poop than before, and walking usually helps to let off alot of steam, resulting in poo that sinks.

Those are my thoughts on that.

Thanks for asking Motherload!

Motherload is a Certified Nurse Assistant as well as an IBS sufferer, which means she knows a lot about poop. Got a question for her? Ask it here. [1]