Lol, your teacher sounds amazing.
this post was submitted on 16 May 2026
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I live in northern Scandinavia and I poop probably 2–3 times a day, at set times. When I wake up, then some time usually shortly after lunch. Then maybe a bonus one after supper as well. But definitely 2 times a day. I had a cousin in law who lived in Florida, said she poops once a week or so. I couldn't believe it when she said that.
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I used to shit more like twice a day during grad school (probably because of all the junkfood like living off microwave burritos lol) but then I shifted to about once a day and was mildly concerned about it.
When I looked it up to see if it were symptomatic of low fiber or something else... color me surprised to find dozens of reddit posts talking about how people only shit once every 3-4 days. I was stunned.
Then I realized a lot of those posts were made by Americans, and it reminded me of someone in college who once reasoned that him living off McDonald's for three meals a day was "sustainable" because he counted calories religiously... not taking into account that he was essentially living off fiberless food whatsoever lmao
So basically...
American here. I don't shit. My digestive system is perfect and produces no waste.
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Bait
I am European and growing up I pooped 7 days a week. When I spent some time in the US, it dropped to 2 times a week. Must be something in the water...
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What the fuck?
No. Though to be fair, I don't live in the cold part of the US.
So sorry to hear that shitty education is not unique to us.
American here. I've always heard that you should see a doctor (or at least try upping your fiber intake) if you don't poop at least once a day on average.
As mentioned in other comments, the United States' climate ranges from tropical to arctic depending on location, so your teacher's explanation is nonsensical. Either your teacher was an idiot, a jokester, or you misinterpreted/misremembered what she said.
Why did I think I'd want to read these comments?
If Americans poop less, it is due to lower fiber content in their diets.
I live in Canada, so by this argument I should be packing my shit even more densely due to the cold. And yet by eating a diet that includes enough fruits and veggies I manage to take a dump every morning.
It's important to remember that teachers are on average less educated that the average citizen. My high school biology teacher told us boys with restless legs were just masturbating their anus in class....
After having worked IT in several schools over the last 20 years (both high schools and universities), I can honestly say that teachers are the most misinformed and least knowledgeable professionals I've ever worked with. Only principals are worse, and most I've met could probably be classified as mentally disabled.
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Anything from 3 times a day to once each 3 days should be considered normal/healthy unless there are reasons to expect other intervals.
FWIW between once every three days up to three times a day is considered medically normal. If you're consistently outside of this without obvious reason you should look into your digestive health.