Saturday, March 23, 2024

Does Being Constipated Make You Gain Weight

Must read

Real Talk: Does Pooping Affect Weight Loss

4 Ways Constipation Can Cause Weight Gain

Or am I fooling myself?

Anyone who has ever hit the bathroom at Target or Barnes & Noble to emerge a new person has probably wondered whether pooping actually affects weight loss.

It’s a fair question. A nice, productive poop can make you feel lighter and leaner and more comfortable in your jeans. Being “stuck” makes you feel…the opposite. But is that lighter feeling after pooping real? Turns out, it can bebut only a bit, says Mitzi Dulan, RD, author of . Its actually fairly simple,” she says. “Depending on your size and how regular you are, your poop can vary from one to four pounds. Its likely to be on the higher end if you havent pooped for a few days.”

Effects Of Constipation On Anxiety And Depression

Mood and anxiety disorders have long been scientific bedfellows with constipation and other gastrointestinal disorders . And while constipation is often thought to be the symptom, recent neuroscientific research has begun to show the importance of intestinal flora in the development of brain symptoms . So, theres even more reason you might be feeling low if you cant go to the loo. And it’s these kinds of side effects of constipation that people aren’t often aware of that make a huge difference to our everyday lives.

Constipation: When To Call Your Doctor

Most of the time, healthy changes to your diet and exercise habits will smooth out any digestive woes. But if you’ve tried these tips for 3 weeks and haven’t noticed a change, talk with your doctor. They may suggest that you take a laxative for a few days to help retrain your system. You should also call your doctor right away if you notice blood in your stool, have belly pain, or lose weight without trying.

Show Sources

Recommended Reading: Is Turmeric Good For Leaky Gut

Also Read: How To Deal With Hypothyroidism

Disturbed Metabolic System a barrier to weight loss:

Any sort of toxic inflammation in the bowel can affect the metabolic process and it will further weaken the intestinal wall. Moreover, the weak intestinal wall makes it difficult to digest food materials, minerals, proteins and fats and let their nutrients pass-through into the bloodstream. The effects of constipation make the immune system lose its strength, which is not a good sign for weight-loss enthusiasts. Such systemic inflammation can also affect the functions of other organs and thereby hampering the overall health. Therefore, constipation makes it conducive in which obesity and hormonal disorder are encouraged.

Constipation Resists Insulin Production:

Systemic inflammation suppresses insulin production so that the conversion of calories into energy is reduced and our body begins to accumulate fat. Since insulin regulates our blood sugar level, its ideal production is essential to make hormonal balance in the body. The less production of insulin promotes the accumulation of fat, resulting in the fat belly and weight gain. An overweight body further creates inflammation and creates more fat. An effective constipation treatment is vital to maintaining hormonal balance.

Constipation Reduces Appetite:

How Ibs Causes Weight Gain

Gut Health and Weight Gain Is There a Correlation?

Weight change from IBS is likelier to result in weight loss. For irritable bowel syndrome patients, this could be caused by the inefficient nutrient absorption from food and urgent bowel movements that can come right after eating. The discomfort may be associated with food, which could prevent patients from eating.

While uncommon, IBS patients can also experience weight gain which involves a few factors. These include:

Don’t Miss: Can Diet Soda Cause Diarrhea

Summary: Side Effects Of Constipation

In summary, the side of effects of constipation include:

  • Fatigue

  • Brittle nails and thinning hair

  • Poor immunity

  • Hosseinzadeh, S. T., Poorsaadati, S., Radkani, B., & Forootan, M. . Psychological disorders in patients with chronic constipation. Gastroenterology and Hepatology From Bed to Bench, 4, 159163

  • Evrensel, A., & Ceylan, M. E. . The Gut-Brain Axis: The Missing Link in Depression. Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, 13, 239244

  • Galland, L. . The Gut Microbiome and the Brain. Journal of Medicinal Food, 17, 12611272

  • Constipation And Weight Gain

    The link between constipation and weight gain is complicated. Perhaps, constipation may not necessarily cause people to gain weight specifically. But when you are stopped up or havent been able to have normal bowel movements, you feel as if youve gained a few pounds, especially around the middle. This weight gain is not because of accumulated fat or calories youve consumed, but rather swelling caused by feces retention.

    Keeping your intestine clean by eliminating that excess waste in the form of feces regularly is part of healthy living. This enables you to flush toxins and harmful elements out of your body, which may otherwise lead to serious health problems. When your digestive tract is healthy and running smoothly, those extra pounds on the scale disappear and your tummy looks flat too. Read: 5 foods that can get rid of bloated bellies

    Constipation may not boost weigh gain as many people think so, but there are a range of factors which play a key role in digestive health and may also affect metabolism and weight control. This implies that our intestinal health can also contribute to weight gain to some extent.

    But when you are constipated or dealing with a stomach upset, the last thing you could possibly do is to eat anything that is only going to make things worse. Although there is very little published research on diets associated with constipation, you may want to avoid certain foods when you are constipated. Here are some of them:

    White flour

    Fried foods

    Alcohol

    You May Like: How To Make Coconut Yogurt Without Probiotics

    When Should I Call My Doctor

    • has diarrhea and is younger than 6 months of age.
    • is often constipated.
    • has bloody or black stool.
    • is toilet trained, but starts to lose some control of their bowel and has accidents in their underwear.
    • has diarrhea and a fever with a temperature higher than 38.5°C .
    • has signs of dehydration .
    • is not gaining weight.

    Reasons Your Weight Fluctuates

    Can constipation cause weight gain? Are you full of poop?

    Cynthia Sass is a registered dietitian nutritionist and three-time New York Times best-selling author. Cynthia has consulted for five professional sports teams in the NBA, MLB, and NHL, and has privately counseled Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy winners, CEOs, and pro athletes in numerous sports. In addition to master’s degrees in both Nutrition Science and Public Health, Cynthia is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and certified plant-based professional cook, with formal training in mindfulness meditation. In addition to her private practice, Cynthia currently consults for UCLA’s executive health program and is a frequently quoted media expert and writer. She has written for Health, Shape, Eating Well, and many other publications, and has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Rachael Ray Show, and many other national TV programs.

    • Pin
    • Email

    Your weight as a number is incredibly fickle. It can rise and fall from day to day, even hour to hour, and shifts in body fat are rarely the culprit. When you step on the scale you’re not just measuring muscle and fat. That number also represents the weight of your bones, organs, bodily fluids, glycogen and the waste inside your digestive tract that you haven’t yet eliminated. Given all of these variables, here are three common reasons you may see a bump up on the scale, even while you’re losing body fat:

    You Ate a Little Too Much Sodium

    You’re Constipated

    You’re Storing More Carbs

    Recommended Reading: Does Caffeine Make You Bloated

    Fodmap Diet And Other Food Recommendations

    Food is a known trigger of IBS. This makes it difficult for IBS patients to find suitable meal choices while maintaining their weight. The problem is that some foods which contribute to weight loss can lead to symptom flare-up. These foods include:

    • Legumes: Beans are a great source of protein and fiber, but could prove problematic for IBS patients. Beans can lead to an increase in stool bulk, leading to worse episodes of constipation.
    • Dairy: Foods high in fat including dairy are typically not recommended for IBS patients. Its because dairy products such as milk and most types of cheese contain lactase. This enzyme may be lacking in IBS patients, leading to indigestion and diarrhea.
    • Gluten: Wheat and rye are often recommended to people hoping to lose weight because these components are hard to digest, which can keep a person full longer. On the other hand, IBS patients can be more sensitive to gluten compared to healthy individuals, leading to abdominal cramps and discomfort.

    Although these foods tend to produce negative effects in general IBS cases, not all individuals will respond the same way. Before banning certain foods from your diet, we recommend keeping a food diary so you can keep track of the effects foods have on your gastrointestinal system.

    Can Digestive Health Conditions Make It Hard To Lose Weight

    Though most digestive health conditions cause weight loss, a few can lead to weight gain or bloating.

    Shutterstock

    Everyday Health: It makes sense that there are connections between digestive health and weight loss because some digestive conditions cause people to unintentionally lose weight. Are there any digestive health conditions that actually make it more difficult to lose weight?

    While most gastrointestinal conditions are associated with weight loss, a notable exception includes severe liver disease and liver cirrhosis. In severe liver disease, patients can look very thin but gain weight because the liver normally makes an important protein known as albumin. As liver disease progresses, it can no longer make much albumin. Since albumin keeps water and other liquids in the bloodstream, its loss results in leaking of fluid from the blood to the belly and legs, causing these parts of the body to increase in size, sometimes by a lot. Even though advanced liver patients appear very ill along with thin faces and arms, they actually gain weight due to the fluid in the legs and abdomen. While weight gain is rare, some patients with duodenal ulcers receive relief by eating more to neutralize the acid made by their stomach, although this appetite rarely leads to weight gain.

    Kenneth Brown, MD

    Also Check: Can Leaky Gut Cause Heart Palpitations

    Side Effects Of Constipation: Top 10 You Need To Know

    Constipation isnt something we often talk about, unless you hang around with me… But given it affects up to 25% of the population it means a lot of us are suffering in silence . And while most people think of constipation as just an annoying symptom, it can also be the root cause of other symptoms and conditions, including fatigue, weight gain, low mood, and many more. Here are the top 10 side effects of constipation on the body that I see almost everyday.

    But before we get in too deep, let me just say that this blog post isnt for you if you ate a crappy diet for three days and got bunged up. It happens, and can be easily fixed by cleaning up the diet and a little exercise to help move things along. This blog post is for that special someone with a chronic case of constipation, the kind that has been following you around for months or even years. I know this special someone because SHE WAS ME, chronically constipated and constantly feeling bloated, toxic and really tired because of it. If that sounds familiar, then Im here to tell you that constipation is a HUGE health risk, and to hammer home exactly why you need to clear it out ASAP.

    Here is a summary of what we are going to cover: > What exactly is constipation? > How chronic constipation can wreak havoc with your health > 10 side effects of constipation > How to find strategies to clear constipation that will work for you

    How Much Weight Can You Gain From Constipation

    How Much Weight Can I Lose With Intermittent Fasting?

    Constipation and weight gain can actually go hand-in-hand in some cases. 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.09-Jul-2020

    Weight Gain and constipation

    • According to the above calculation, you should gain 18 kg of weight in 3 months. Before that happens, your tummy will burst. To be clear, you may have some short term weight gain due to severe constipation. However, it doesnt mean that you are getting fatter.

    Recommended Reading: Can Prenatal Vitamins Cause Diarrhea

    Read Also: Is Diarrhea A Sign Of Early Pregnancy

    Ease Constipation With Exercise

    Exercise not only keeps you fit, it may help you stay regular. It can help food move more quickly through your colon. It’s not always easy to find time to be active, but try these tips:

    • Start exercising about 20 minutes, 3 days a week, and build up to at least 30 minutes on five or more days of the week. Always check with your doctor before you start any type of fitness plan.
    • Short on time? Break up activity throughout the day — three 10-minute walks count as much as one 30-minute workout.

    Effects Of Constipation On Brittle Nails And Thinning Hair

    Nutritional deficiencies can affect the growth of both hair and nails . And as we know, a lack of healthy flora in the gut can also decrease the absorption of many nutrients essential for energy and growth . Excess toxins being reabsorbed into the bloodstream doesnt help your beauty regime, leaving you at risk of brittle nails and thinning hair. This might not seem as bad as some of the other side effects of constipation but it can and does have an impact on our overall health and wellbeing.

    You May Like: Can Eggs Give You Heartburn

    How Much Can Poop Add To Your Weight

    You can lose weight from pooping, but itâs very, very slight. Most stool weighs about 100 grams or 0.25 pounds. This can vary based on a personâs size and bathroom frequency. That said, poop is made up of about 75% water, so going to the bathroom gives off a little bit of water weight, says Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD.

    What Causes Constipation When Dieting

    All About Fat – Why You’re so Good at Gaining Weight

    Constipation can result from a combination of many things. “There are many overlapping factors, including diet, exercise, GI motility and even mood,” says Dr. Cohn. “And the microbiome, otherwise known as the bacterial ecosystem in your gut, is intertwined with all of the above. If you’re trying to lose weight, all of these things are likely to be altered and cause at least a temporary change in your baseline bowel habits.”

    How you’ve changed your diet in an attempt to lose weight could also be a factor. If your new eating plan has less fiber because you’re cutting out good-for-you but high-carb whole grains, has more protein or involves fasting, your regularity could be impacted.

    Recommended Reading: Is It Normal To Bloat During Ovulation

    How Does Your Stomach Feel When Constipated

    Constipated patients may feel tightness in their abdomen, or a sharp, cramping pain deep in their gut. They may also feel full all the timeas if they’ve just eaten a large mealeven when they haven’t eaten for several hours. Patients may also feel gassy, but passing gas does not relieve discomfort.

    How Can You Avoid Constipation

    Try these steps to help your body adjust to your new diet and help you avoid or conquer your constipation:

    But keep this in mind: Lifestyle changes are the best way to prevent or manage constipation. If you start depending on the use of a laxative to relieve constipation, talk to your doctor.

    Read more:Struggling to Poop? Here are 5 Foods That Cause Constipation

    Don’t Miss: Can Leaky Gut Cause Hormone Imbalance

    What Are Some Causes Of Constipation And Fatigue

    Dehydration and nutritional issues may cause constipation and fatigue.

    Medications are also a factor. Constipation is a common side effect of opioid pain medications and certain treatments for cancer. These treatments can also make you feel fatigued.

    A number of medical conditions can cause both of these symptoms, such as:

    • anxiety

    How Are Constipation And Weight Gain Linked

    What health problems does being constipated bring?

    Having infrequent bowel movements does not cause weight gain, but there’s definitely a connection between the two.

    That’s because the most common constipation culprits â poor hydration, poor diet and lack of exercise â can also lead to weight gain. These behaviors slow your metabolism and lead to excess body fat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    “Proper nutrition is so important because it allows our bodies to be the most efficient, which means more regularity and more energy,” Casey Chapman, MD, gastroenterologist at Baton Rouge General’s Crohn’s & Colitis Center, tells LIVESTRONG.com. “More energy means we can be more active and, in turn, burn even more calories. Look at it as a positive feedback loop.”

    Recommended Reading: What To Eat To Relieve Heartburn

    What Is Toddlers Diarrhea

    Toddlers diarrhea usually starts between the ages of 6 and 30 months and will go away by the time your child is about 5 years old. Children with toddlers diarrhea may have 2 to 6 watery stools each day, but otherwise seem well and gain weight normally.

    The exact cause of toddlers diarrhea isnt known, but it may be because some food moves more quickly through your childs colon .

    • Your toddler may drink too many sweetened drinks, such as juice or sports drinks, which can cause loose stool.
    • It may also be caused by a lack of fibre in your childs diet or by eating foods that are too low in fat.

    If your toddler has loose, watery stools often:

    • Stop offering juice and give water instead. Juice has sugar that can make the diarrhea worse.
    • Offer more food with fibre, such as whole grain cereals, fruits and vegetables.

    If the diarrhea continues, talk to your doctor at your next regular visit.

    More articles

    Popular Articles