Sometimes people think that laxatives will help move their food through their body before the body absorbs any calories. So they may take laxatives after eating a big meal or binge eating. They think this helps lose weight or will stop them from gaining weight. This is not true.
Laxatives do not reduce body fat or promote long-term weight loss. Even at high doses, stimulant laxatives, which encourage the movement of stool through the digestive tract, have only a “ modest effect ” on calorie absorption.
Laxatives will not help you actually lose fat.
The weight loss is temporary and is not actually changing your body fat composition. “Very little to no fat can be lost [with laxatives],” Dr. Wider explains..
In severe cases, dehydration can lead to more serious complications. It's important to note that overusing laxatives can exacerbate dehydration. This can lead to a decrease in cell function, metabolic rate, and compromised brain function.
Common side effects are constipation, fluid retention, and temporary weight gain (Eating Disorders Review, 1999). Just as any weight loss from using laxatives is temporary; it is important to remember that this weight gain is temporary and is mainly due to increased fluid retention.
Laxatives don't stop your body from absorbing calories or from gaining weight. The food you eat goes through lots of processes before it reaches your bowel and becomes stool.
While laxatives can be used properly under medical guidance to relieve constipation or prepare for certain procedures, they do not cause fat loss or permanent weight reduction on their own. Laxatives only produce temporary loss of water and waste, not actual lowering of body fat or weight.
Does Going Often Mean I Have a Faster Metabolism? The answer is yes, no and maybe. Digestion and metabolism are not as closely correlated as many people think. Someone can have a fast metabolism and not go every day.
Myth: Using laxatives as a form of detox
Fact: Laxatives work by helping the body to draw out liquids from the intestinal walls, making the fecal matter softer and easier to pass. Laxatives are not capable of flushing our waste products or descaling intestinal walls.
While most people may experience “weight loss” after taking a laxative, this is a temporary process of the body losing water, not body fat³. This water loss can be almost always replenished when you drink something. To date, there is no convincing evidence to show that laxatives help with long-term weight loss.
During laxative withdrawal you may notice temporary weight gain, bloating or swelling of the feet and ankles. Don't panic - this is only temporary water retention whilst your body overcompensates for the dehydration caused by laxatives.
Stimulant laxatives can be taken by mouth or by suppository. When taken by mouth they work in about seven hours; by suppository they can work in about 30 minutes. These laxatives should never be used more than once every three days because they can cause your bowel to lose its ability to contract.
In the short-term, you will probably weigh a few hundred grams more if you are constipated because your bowel is full of digested food. Just remember that this is rather insignificant because it hardly impacts your overall body weight.
The truth is that laxatives do not stop your body from digesting food. They act on the large intestine, but most calories and fat are absorbed before they get to the large intestine. It is mostly water and minerals that are emptied from the body at this point. The “weight loss” is actually just a loss of water.
Laxatives help people empty their bowels and are common for constipation relief. Some laxatives work by softening stools, while others work by increasing the bulk of stools with additional fiber. They are generally used to relieve constipation.
While laxative abuse will not lead to long-term weight loss, it does cause huge changes to the body, namely, the inside of the body. To begin, individuals become dehydrated when excessively using laxatives.
When you have a bowel movement, your body also releases gas. The release of this gas reduces bloating and gives you the feeling that you have lost a little weight. Note, however, that the weight lost from using the bathroom is temporary because the digestive system constantly processes food.
Muscle mass: It takes more energy (calories) to build and maintain muscle than fat. People with more muscle mass often have faster metabolisms that burn more calories. Age: You lose muscle as you get older, which slows down the metabolism. Sex: Males tend to have faster metabolisms than females.
Acid-base abnormalities: Too much laxatives can cause an acid-base imbalance in the body, which is supposed to maintain the functions of all our vital organs. If the acid levels in the blood go up, you could suffer from headaches, lack of appetite, increased heart rate and fatigue.
Don't get into the habit of taking laxatives every day to ease your constipation because this can be harmful. In some cases, you may be prescribed a laxative to use regularly, but this should always be supervised by your GP or a gastroenterologist (a specialist in digestive conditions).