Laxatives to Lose Weight

Laxatives are popularly known for their ability to help lose weight fast. In fact, they are also commonly believed to be better, faster and safer than dieting and other weight loss programs. The general notion about these laxatives is that they help lose weight. Usually, people with constipation issues take the help of laxatives to overcome passage of hard feces. Figure-conscious people take laxative pills after meals in order to lose weight. However, the question is 'do laxatives help lose weight'? Is it safe? The answer to this is a 'no'! Today, people will do anything to lose weight, even if it means ignorantly sabotaging their health. They will not stop to think twice, before relying on laxatives to look slimmer. Little do they realize that these laxatives are deleterious. For all those using laxatives to lose weight, ignorance is not bliss, and it's high time to wake up from one's slumber.

Laxatives and their Working

Laxatives are any food substances, chemical compounds or medicines, which when consumed stimulate bowel activity. Laxatives are not harmful substances, and are definitely not toxic. In fact, laxatives are prescribed by medical practitioners to patients suffering from constipation and bloating. In such cases, laxatives help stimulate bowel movements and facilitate easy passage of waste material out of the body. Laxatives are also used once in a while to cleanse the colon, which in turn improves the overall health of a person. Then why are laxatives a big 'No' for weight loss? This is because they do not reduce or discard ingested calories. Confused! Well, let's have a look at how laxatives actually work.

The prime role of a laxative, is to increase bowel activity. Food ingested is mostly absorbed in the small intestine and only water and mineral absorption takes place in the large intestine. What laxatives do is they target the large intestine and not the small intestine. They hasten elimination of undigested remains passed from the small intestine, before the large intestine can absorb water and minerals. This is why a person has to make several trips to the washroom, after taking laxatives, as the undigested matter is passed out with a lot of water. This leads to a case of diarrhea.

The popular laxative, Dieter's tea comprises various herbs which cause the bowels to become irritable and pass stool frequently, resulting in diarrhea. Diarrhea means loss of great amounts of body water, which is why people feel they have lost weight; not realizing all they have lost is water weight of the body. The water lost will be made up by the body within the next 48 hours, thus nullifying the body weight effect. However, frequent intake of laxatives can result in dehydration, as the body is not allowed to retain the water required.

People with eating disorders such as anorexia are seen to depend on these laxatives to lose weight. They pop laxatives after dinner and spend the rest of the next day running to the washroom, discarding all they ate. Later during the day, when they check their weight, they weigh lighter. However, they fail to stop to think what's actually happening inside their bodies. The truth is that by the time the food reaches the large intestine, the body has already absorbed all the calories present in the food. Because nutrient absorption takes place in the small intestine itself. The remaining minerals, water and unwanted food materials are then passed to the large intestine. Laxatives work on the large intestine. They prevent the large intestine from absorbing essential minerals and water content. Thus, the person experiences a form diarrhea, where feces are accompanied with large amounts of fluids. However, the unwanted calories have already been absorbed into the body by the small intestine. So, the purpose for which laxatives were consumed has not been fulfilled. We want the body to discard calories and not water and minerals. Thus, laxatives are not weight loss products.

Experienced Weight Loss after taking Laxative?

Those indulging in laxatives, will defend their case by saying they definitely lost weight after taking laxatives. The fact that one appears to weigh less on a weighing scale, cannot be debated upon. It is true that the weight value is lesser. However, let's understand the nature of the weight lost. The body weight reflected on the weighing scales is not solely the fat weight in our body. It also includes bone weight, water weight of our body, etc. In fact, if one is constipated, the weight displayed on the scale will be more. Thus, we see that various factors contribute to the weight figure displayed on the weighing scale.

Now, when a person takes laxatives, the calorie absorption taking place in the small intestine is in noway hindered. What gets hindered is water and mineral absorption in the large intestine. The body discards water and minerals. When one checks his or her weight on the weighing scale, it definitely weighs less! Why? Because water weight is lost from the body. One's face will also look thinner because of the lost water. Now, the body is designed in such a manner that it is sure to make up for the lost water weight when one begins to consume water normally, without intake of laxatives. So the joy of losing weight so quickly is as short as the gleam of a shooting star.

Side Effects of taking Laxatives to Lose Weight

If one is not bothered about losing the right kind of weight and still wants to go ahead with this weight loss method, let me put forth some of the pernicious effects chronic use of laxatives will have on the body. The different side effects are:

• Stomach cramps
• Chronic diarrhea
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Water retention
• Vomiting
• Dehydration
• Weakening and softening of bones (osteomalacia)
• Rectal bleeding
• Electrolyte disorder

The low potassium and electrolyte content caused as a side effect to intake of laxatives to lose weight can lead to heart attacks as well. Frequent intake of laxatives for a long time permanently alters the way the digestive system works. It has also been observed that constant laxative use causes severe chronic constipation and pain for long periods of time. People who have used laxatives constantly will testify how after a period of time, they were unable to have bowel movements without the use of laxatives. Overdose of laxatives leads to gastrointestinal tract damage, which is difficult to repair. This damage results in loss of essential minerals and fat from the body leading to weak bones. Long-term usage of laxatives can also lead to anal, colon and stomach cancer. While the end results of laxatives may fool you into thinking they are assisting in weight loss, long-term use of them will cause adverse effects to the body. Thus, people taking laxatives to lose weight should come out of their bubble and comprehend the fact that laxatives are not safe.

Having said all this, people frequently taking laxatives for weight loss should not stop taking laxatives abruptly, as they as conduce to several unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Talk to you medical practitioner and gradually wean off the use of laxatives. Also, beware of cheeky marketers, who are extremely cheeky and sell these laxatives under the name of bowel cleansing products. There won't be even a mention of the word laxative, thus one should be alert. Stay alert and do not fall prey to such scheming marketers. Weight watchers should lose the right weight in the right manner, by maintaining a proper diet and exercise routine.