Laxatives for weight loss? Absolutely not: Deborah Dellucci explains why

We often hear about the use of laxatives to lose weight, but does this practice really work or not? Or maybe it's even dangerous?

We asked Deborah Dellucci, health and wellness expert for salutesegreta.com , what she thinks about it, and her answer was a firm and absolute NO: here's why.

Do laxatives make you lose weight?

So do laxatives make you lose weight or is it a hoax?

Deborah Dellucci explained to us that the answer is the second: laxatives DO NOT make you lose weight , but they are often passed off as an effective slimming method because, using them constantly, they actually make you lose weight.

"But be careful: losing weight and slimming are not synonymous as we often think!", the editor of SaluteSegreta warns us, "Losing weight means eliminating body fat, while losing weight simply means reducing your weight, losing a part that can be made up of fat, but also of liquids, muscles or faeces”.

And this is precisely the point to underline: laxatives make you lose weight because they promote evacuation, therefore the expulsion of faeces, but they have no slimming power, therefore the ability to reduce body fat.

By constantly taking laxatives, weight tends to drop very quickly, but this happens because large quantities of feces and liquids are eliminated .

In practice, using laxatives to lose weight, you will have a semblance of weight loss due to the number on the scale which tends to go down, but the amount of fat present in your body will not decrease at all: the weight lost is simply represented by the faeces and liquids you have eliminated, nothing more.

Plus, the weight you lose with laxatives comes back just as quickly as it goes away . With the laxative you have simply eliminated the faeces and many liquids: therefore your weight will return to its initial one ( if not even greater ) as soon as you drink or eat something.

“You can also do an experiment if you want,” explains Deborah Dellucci. “Try to weigh yourself and write down your weight, then drink a half liter bottle of water and weigh yourself again: let's bet that your weight will be about 500 g higher than the initial one? It doesn't mean that you gained weight in 10 minutes by drinking water: it simply means that the weight of the water you just drank has added to your weight. Then, after you pee, try weighing yourself again and you'll see that you'll weigh less: you haven't lost weight, you've simply eliminated some liquids. Here, with laxatives it works the same way : the weight loss is momentary and is due to the expulsion of faeces and liquids, but you will regain weight as soon as you drink a glass of water. You didn't lose weight thanks to the laxative: you simply went to the bathroom! ”.

Another reason why laxatives are used to lose weight is that, by accelerating intestinal transit, laxatives would be able to prevent the absorption of nutrients such as fats and sugars and to prevent the body from gaining weight. "This is also false", explains Dellucci, "or rather: yes, laxatives reduce the absorption of nutrients, but this action is not decisive for weight loss and can even create serious health problems because, in addition to slowing down of fats and carbohydrates, they also prevent the correct absorption of micronutrients such as mineral salts or vitamins, which are very important for health".

Finally, the fact that laxatives favor the elimination of liquids suggests that they also lead to a reduction of cellulite and water retention. Also in this case, we are faced with fake news: the body, feeling in danger due to the strong loss of liquids due to the increase in evacuations, will begin to store even more water and liquids in the tissues in order to stock them up. So not only will cellulite and orange peel skin not disappear, but water retention, swelling and, consequently, weight will also increase .

In short, laxatives to lose weight DO NOT work: body fat remains unchanged and the weight returns to the original one in a few hours.

And there's more: using laxatives to lose weight you even risk unpleasant consequences for your body . We explain which ones.

Laxatives for Weight Loss: They're Actually Dangerous!

"Those who recommend laxatives for weight loss obviously don't think about the short- and long-term consequences that these can create," says a worried Deborah Dellucci of SaluteSegreta.

First, the abuse of laxatives can lead to short-term consequences such as diarrhea, flatulence and abdominal pain .

With constant and unmotivated use, the consequences become even more serious: let's talk about:

• dizziness and headache;
• fatigue and exhaustion;
• muscle weakness;
• dehydration;
• water retention;
• electrolyte imbalance due to decreased absorption of minerals and vitamins;
• dependence on laxatives: the body will no longer communicate the need to defecate and will become less and less sensitive to laxatives, requiring ever greater quantities to be able to evacuate;
• even permanent damage to the liver, kidneys, intestines and pancreas;
• alterations of the intestinal bacterial flora;
• injuries to the rectum and colon;
• occurrence of eating disorders.

"And the worst aspect of all this is the lightness with which laxatives for weight loss are recommended", confides the editor of salutesegreta.com. “On social networks, there are not only influencers, but even personal trainers and nutrition professionals who recommend laxatives for slimming purposes. Madness!".

Safe weight loss: are there any useful alternatives?

In short, laxatives for weight loss not only don't work, but they are also harmful in the short term and dangerous in the long term .

But are there alternatives to lose weight safely ?

“Sure!”, explains Deborah Dellucci, “First of all, as everyone already knows, healthy eating and physical activity are necessary. Unfortunately, there are no miraculous remedies for losing weight without eating better and moving around a bit : diet and sport are essential, and I often talk about them on the SaluteSegreta blog. To really lose weight, i.e. burn body fat, you must necessarily enter a caloric deficit, i.e. take in fewer calories than you take in. And, to speed up this process and above all not to find yourself thin but flabby, you need to play sports, in order to promote muscle development and body toning.

In addition to a lifestyle improvement, I often recommend weight loss supplements , and have reviewed tons of them on the blog. As I said, they certainly don't work miracles, but I find them really helpful for those who are embarking on a path to lose weight , because they relieve the sense of appetite by helping us to eat less and optimize the metabolism so that we burn more calories.

In this way, the supplements speed up the effects of diet and physical activity and, seeing the first results immediately, you will feel more motivated to continue with your weight loss journey! In addition, some supplements contain deflating, energizing, anti-stress ingredients…basically, everything you need to counteract the small side effects of the diet, such as the feeling of low energy, hunger pangs due to sudden caloric reduction, nervous hunger and so on”.

Finally, concludes Deborah Dellucci, we must not let ourselves be conditioned solely and exclusively by weight . “For the same volume, muscle mass weighs more than fat mass, just as a kilo of muscle occupies less than half the volume of a kilo of fat. This means two women, both 1.70 m tall and both weighing 60 kg, could have very different physiques: one could be lean, toned and slender, the other heavier and with some fat around to the thighs and belly: simply, the weight of the former is mainly composed of muscle mass, while that of the latter contains more fat mass.

So, during your slimming journey, it could happen that your weight remains unchanged on the scale: don't let yourself get discouraged, because you could simply have replaced part of the fat with muscles ! There are other factors to evaluate: how are the clothes, what are the body measurements and, of course, the image you see reflected in the mirror!”

When should laxatives be used?

Laxatives don't work for weight loss and have many long-term side effects, but that doesn't mean they're evil. On the contrary: for those suffering from acute or chronic constipation, or perhaps from irritable colon with constipation, they represent an important aid in unblocking the situation and promoting normal intestinal mobility .

Times and methods of use, however, must be agreed with your trusted doctor or pharmacist, especially if you choose irritating and stimulating laxatives, which act by irritating the intestine and stimulating its contractions. In general, we always recommend using laxatives that work in a natural way, increasing the mass of the faeces by attracting water or lubricating them in order to simplify their expulsion. The main thing is not to use them for weight loss!

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