Does Pooping A Lot Help You Lose Weight

You’ve likely experienced a poop that can only be described as easy and productive. And after your trip to the bathroom, you emerge a new person and feel lighter and comfier in your jeans. But is that all in your head or does pooping help you lose weight?

Affect weight loss, but it’s not significant nor should it be used as a method for weight loss, says Valerie Agyeman, RD, a dietitian and the host of

After all, poop only weighs a quarter of a pound to a pound depending on a person’s body size and how often they poop, says Keri Glassman, RD, CDN, the founder and CEO of Nutritious Life. And it’s likely to be on the higher end if you haven’t pooped for a few days, adds Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD, the author of

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Instead of focusing on your weight, it's better to pay attention to the appearance of your stool, per Agyeman. It’ll tell you a lot about your health, like if you’re eating enough fiber, drinking enough water, or if there’s an underlying issue. (The odor holds some clues to your overall condition as well!) If you’re unsure, check out the Bristol stool chart to see if your poops are healthy, she recommends.

That said, your bowel movements can have an impact on your weight, and staying regular is crucial to you staying well. RDs break down all the numbers involved and how to keep things moving in your GI system so it doesn't get backed up (and cause you to worry about the scale).

, seriously?!” I get it...that’s not exactly a small amount if you're struggling to lose weight. But you have to remember that your poo is made up of some pretty heavy stuff: Specifically, it’s about 75 percent water, per UMass Memorial Healthcare, with the rest being bacteria, mucus, dead blood cells, and duh, food remains.

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Here. Even four pounds isn't a significant amount of weight at the end of the day since the number on the scale will consistently swing up and down as your bowel movements do. In other words, when you’re backed up, your weight will increase a bit, and after you relieve yourself, it'll drop.

Yep, but don't get too excited about this. Pooping technically burns calories, just like any other essential daily functions like breathing and eating, Agyeman says. The amount of weight you lose when you poop has nothing to do with losing fat or getting leaner, Glassman adds.

Tons of other factors affect how much you weigh, such as hormones, salt intake, and what medications you're on. The number of pounds is simply not a measurement of what goes in and out of the body, Agyeman notes.

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Bloating is that awful, uncomfortable, full feeling that strikes when your digestive system has trapped air or gas inside it, and it can be downright painful, not to mention make you look puffy AF. Even though your stomach might appear bigger when you're bloated, bloating doesn't necessarily mean you've gained actual weight (in terms of body mass).

“Pooping can reduce bloating and help you fit more comfortably in your clothes so you feel smaller overall, ” says Dulan. “It’s not like after you poop you should be saying, ‘This is my new weight!’”

If you're trying to track weight loss, Dulan suggests weighing yourself at similar times in the morning, sans clothes, to avoid letting your poops (or lack thereof) trick the scale. “If you have to go to the bathroom, go ahead because it will lower the scale a little bit, she says. But if you don’t need to poop, don’t sit on the toilet trying to go so you weigh less. It won’t be a substantial difference.

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While the direct connection between pooping and weight loss is minimal, there is one aspect of the link that you can use to your benefit: “Eating a diet that’s higher in fiber causes you to not only be more regular, but it can also help you lose weight, ” says Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD, an NYC-based nutritionist.

How so? Stocking up on enough fiber throughout your day helps push food through your system to avoid constipation before it starts. “It actually stimulates your GI tract to promote movement, ” says Zeitlin. Beyond that, a high-fiber diet may help ward off certain cancers, especially that of the colon, and help regulate blood sugar and reduce cholesterol, studies show.

And when it comes to your weight, fiber fills you up like few nutrients can. It “ is found in three things: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, says Zeitlin. If you’re incorporating fiber at every meal and snack, you’re making sure you’re eating one of these fabulous foods that promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. In addition, you’re probably removing other things that aren’t as great [from your diet].

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That said, don’t overdo it: Women should aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day, according to Zeitlin, because getting much more than that can not only lead to constipation but cause other GI distress symptoms too. Regularly consuming more than 70 grams of fiber may result in bloating, gas, diarrhea, cramps, and a decrease in appetite, according to Duke University. Eating too much fiber can also limit nutrient absorption and even cause intestinal blockages (that's pretty serious stuff).

Amount of fiber every day, try having a cup of a high-fiber food as part of your breakfast, like a cup of berries with Greek yogurt (it's high in probiotics, which “promote healthy GI bacteria to help move things along, ” says Zeitlin). You should also aim to eat two fistfuls of veggies at both lunch and dinner to keep your digestive system—and your weight—as regular as possible.

Oh, and don’t forget about all the other stuff you do all day that affects how often you poop (fiber is just one piece of the puzzle!). As

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Of course, the reverse of all these factors is true too; some medications can make you poop more often, as can your overall activity, hydration, and caffeine levels. It’s all one big balancing act.

If you’re hoping for an exact number of bowel movements that’s considered “healthy” or normal, know that there is no one number because it varies from person to person. Anywhere from three times a day to once every three days is generally considered healthy, so as long as you fall somewhere along that spectrum (and aren’t experiencing anything painful or out of the ordinary), you’re good.

Experiencing something painful or out of the ordinary, you should contact your doctor. Depending on the issue, he or she may refer you to a gastroenterologist. Having the following symptoms for any extended period of time (i.e., more than a few days) warrants a phone call or visit, according to Penn Medicine:

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Like you’ve gained weight, but that’s really not the case. A combination of bloating and discomfort—along with a couple extra pounds of poop—can make the situation seem more dire than it actually is.

Sarah Bradley is a freelancer writer from Connecticut, where she lives with her husband and three sons. Her reported features and personal essays on parenting and women's health have appeared at On Parenting from The Washington Post, Real Simple, Women's Health, The Writer, Today's Parent, and Romper, among others. In her so-called free time, Sarah is an amateur baker, homeschooler, and aspiring novelist.

. When she’s not writing about all things pop culture, health, beauty, and fashion, she loves hitting leg day at the gym, shopping at Trader Joe’s, and watching whichever hockey game is on TV. Her work has also appeared in

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The first thing to say is that if you have any concerns about your poo or anything unexpected you’ve seen in a bowel movement, get off this page – you know, after you’ve bookmarked it to come back to later – and seek