Does Pooping Actually Affect Your Weight?

Almost everyone knows that they weigh less after a good poop. But how much does that effect overall or long-term body weight? Does pooping more often or simply more make you thinner or help you shed the pounds? Many people are looking for a definitive answer to these and other questions. Unfortunately, definitive answers are hard to come by here.

How Much does a Poop Weigh?

In general terms, the amount a person poops at any given time weighs between one and four pounds. For someone who is regular, the weight is lower. For someone managing chronic constipation or other intestinal issues, the weight can be toward the higher end of the spectrum when the constipation resolves itself. Variability is considerable. So following a poop, your weight will fluctuate, but after a day or two, the weight, along with the next poop, will return.

Does Regularity Influence Body Weight?

To a degree, being regular does have a greater impact on health and weight than individual poops. Endocrinologists, for example, often find that people who are regular have healthier metabolisms, which can in turn lead to having a healthier body weight or body mass index (BMI). But this raises the chicken and the egg question. Which came first – the regularity or the healthy metabolism?

Eating a High Fiber Diet

Dietary fiber has a huge impact on your health. First, it can help provide a higher degree of regularity. More importantly, however, fiber can reduce fat absorption and help you maintain excellent intestinal health through keeping the pipes clean and free of blockages or debris. Because of this, fiber also reduces the risk of colon cancer, not to mention lowering blood glucose levels and helping to prevent heart disease. A high soluble-fiber diet will also lower your cholesterol.

Big Picture

So while you may not be able to poop your way to a healthier weight today, you have the ability to improve the health of your GI tract and improve your overall health outlook through the use of dietary fiber. This is your best bet for long-term improvements to your health and weight, along with gaining improved regularity.