Using laxatives for weight loss is a bad idea.Women love to look good. They spend a lot of time, money and effort on their bodies just to meet up with modern day demands of looking good. It is due to these pressures to have perfect bodies that lead many to trying out fad diets, slimming teas and slimming pills.
Many of these teas and pills have laxative effects that they are considered weight loss assets. But a new study found that 10.5 percent of women aged 23 to 25 have used laxatives to try to lose weight.
Laxatives, also known as purgatives are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary based on how they work and the side effects they have. Some laxatives combine more than one active ingredient. Laxatives may be oral or suppository in form.
Here are 5 reasons using laxatives for weight loss is a bad idea.
1. There’s not just one type of laxative
Products like Ex-Lax are designed to irritate and stimulate your bowel, but that’s just one of five methods that laxatives can use to get things moving. Other laxative forms include osmotic products (which prompt water to enter the colon through osmosis, softening faeces to make it easier to pass), bulking agents (which add fiber and bulk to poop to help you go), stool softeners (which pull water from your GI tract into your poop, making it slippery so it’s easier to use the bathroom), and enemas (which involve inserting fluid into the rectum, usually to relieve constipation).
2. There’s no laxative that will help you lose fat
If you try to use laxatives for weight loss, you may see the number on the scale go down, but it’s deceiving because it is actually water weight you are losing. You cannot lose enough fat with laxatives.
3. They are not designed for long-term use
Stimulant laxatives, which are the most common kind used for weight loss, are harsh to the body and shouldn’t be used for a long period of time. Your bowel can get used to them, leading to more constipation.
4. When used for long, laxatives can actually be dangerous
Long laxative use can have a negative impact on your health. It can irritate the lining of your bowel and cause all kinds of gastrointestinal issues. Osmotic laxatives can drop your blood pressure and even cause permanent kidney damage. Not only that, laxative abuse in general can also cause electrolyte and mineral imbalances and dehydration, which can lead to dizziness, fainting, blurry vision, and even death.
5. Laxatives make you gain more weight
When your body becomes dehydrated through using laxatives it will begin to store water so that it can survive. Better known as water retention, this will make you feel bloated and will actually increase your weight.
The truth is if you use laxatives to try to lose weight, you will actually end up weighing more. Avoid taking laxatives at all costs because not only will you end up heavier, but it could have a detrimental effect on your overall health.
Using laxatives is not a weight-loss method you want to try. It has harmful side effects, don’t do it.
