my bm's are fairly regular (1-2 per morning), though the consistency varies and shows poor digestion.
i don't play around though. if i'm not 100% clean by mid afternoon i take an enema. what/when i eat greatly affects my bm's. i try to eat the same things everyday at the same times (if appetite allows). i'm able to keep better track that way if something isn't working and my gut appreciates the regularity of things.
certain food combinations just don't work, even if eaten regularly, and a scattered diet almost always gives me constipation to some degree.
hard crap is old crap. the longer it stays in your gut, the more compacted it gets. when you have diarrhea after passing some hard crap, that is the newer stuff enjoying the movement out. have you done a thorough bowel cleanse?
exit time for food should not extend beyond 18 hours. thats a generous estimate. if you let it sit in you beyond that you are poisoning yourself.