How to keep a stool diary your doctor can use

A stool diary is a short note each time you go: when, what it looked like, and anything that came with it. Two weeks of notes tell a doctor more than anything you can remember on the day.

By The family behind Stool Log · Reviewed 5 November 2026

Why keep one

Most of us can't say how many times we went last week, let alone whether the stools were harder on Tuesday. When a doctor asks "how often?" or "since when?", a diary turns a guess into an answer. US health experts suggest tracking your bowel movements and what your stools look like before a doctor's visit, so you can share it.¹

It also helps you. Patterns that are hard to notice day to day, such as harder stools on days you drank little, start to show after a week or two.²

What to write down each time

Keep each note short. These are the parts doctors and nurses ask about most:

• Date and time. The time shows your rhythm: when you usually go, and how long the gaps are.
• The Bristol type, 1 to 7. The Bristol stool chart sorts stools into seven types by shape and consistency, from separate hard lumps (type 1) to watery (type 7).³ A number is quicker to write and easier to compare than a description.
• Anything unusual about it. Blood, mucus, a colour that isn't brown, or a very bad smell.
• How it went. Straining, pain, needing to go urgently, or feeling you hadn't finished.²
• Minutes on the toilet, if you sat for a long time.

What to note on the side

You don't need to write everything you eat. Note the things you or your doctor want to check:

• Foods you suspect, such as dairy, spicy food or a big meal late at night.
• Water and other drinks, especially if you're working on drinking more.
• Medicines and supplements, with the dose and time, including laxatives, iron and fibre.
• Symptoms on their own: bloating, cramps, nausea, wind.
• Days you didn't go at all. Write "didn't go" so a blank day isn't mistaken for a forgotten one.

How long to keep it

Keep it for several days or weeks before your appointment.¹ Two weeks is a good start: long enough to show your usual pattern, short enough to keep up. If you're trying a change, such as a new medicine or more fibre, keep going for a similar stretch before and after so you can compare like with like.

Making it easy to keep up

The diaries that work are the ones that take seconds. A few habits help:

1. Log right after you go, not at the end of the day.
2. Keep the diary where you'll see it: the bathroom, your phone's Home Screen, or a printed sheet on the back of the door.
3. Set one evening reminder for days you forgot.
4. Don't aim for perfect. A missed note is fine; a pattern still shows.

If you prefer paper, print our one-week stool diary. It has a row for each visit with space for the type, pain and notes.

Bringing it to the appointment

A doctor has a few minutes, so a summary helps more than pages of notes. Before you go, count:

• How many stools a week, on average.
• How many were hard and how many loose, by type.
• The longest gap between stools.
• Anything that worried you, with its date.

Then bring the diary itself in case they want detail. Our guide to preparing for a GI appointment has a list of questions to bring too.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or nurse about your own symptoms.