Unhealthy gut
johnd4076
Posts: 181 Member
I’m wondering if you have an unhealthy gut, could that stop you from losing weight?
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Replies
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There may be a relationship but it's hard to know what, exactly, it is. This might be interesting to you: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877812000051 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4816244/
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Thanks Maxxitt...will give it a read
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My bet is going to be on an unhealthy mindset, like trying to blame all sorts of things instead of accepting "I'm eating too much".5
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What do you mean by unhealthy gut? If you actually have a medical issue with your gut, it can lead to nutrient malabsorption and the like, and if you're chronically constipated that can reflect on the scale, but if you're wondering about one of those naturopath diagnosed "unhealthy gut" things that's not recognised by modern medicine, then I'd have to agree with @kommodevaran and say that its much more likely to be an adherence issue.4
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kommodevaran wrote: »My bet is going to be on an unhealthy mindset, like trying to blame all sorts of things instead of accepting "I'm eating too much".
I think sometimes you just need to be told the truth, you could be right. Sometimes you just look for all type of excuses rather than what’s staring you in the face
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This is so weird... I was literally doing a search in the forums right this second on this issue because of a conversation I had this morning. Mind you, my search was prompted by my assumption- and what I expected to find was- that that the idea is basically woo. But I will share the gist of the conversation: A friend who maintains a healthy BMI but had put on a few pounds the last few years has been trying to lose them. She has utilized MFP for calorie counting, and I know her to be very disciplined & exact, so I have no reason to question her accuracy or consistency. She had not been able to budge any weight. She also has a variety of digestive issues, and for one of those, began taking a type of digestive enzyme. She's been taking it for a few months and reported to me today that her digestive issues have virtually disappeared and as a side benefit, she had lost 8 lbs.
My assumption is that, something else in her routine or diet has changed that is causing her to take in fewer calories or burn more. According to her, it's just the opposite, because she had gotten to the point that eating almost anything made her feel ill.
Rather than saying anything, I decided to do some research first. I'll follow the thread, though having read that first (very involved) study that was posted, it sounds like a very complicated area of study and there likely is no concrete answer to be had yet.
*Edited to better reflect my lack of specific knowledge of my friend's issues, but it throws some of the replies out of whack
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This is so weird... I was literally doing a search in the forums right this second on this issue because of a conversation I had this morning. Mind you, my search was prompted by my assumption- and what I expected to find was- that that the idea is basically woo. But I will share the gist of the conversation: A friend who maintains a healthy BMI but had put on a few pounds the last few years has been trying to lose them. She has utilized MFP for calorie counting, and I know her to be very disciplined & exact, so I have no reason to question her accuracy or consistency. She had not been able to budge any weight. She also has a variety of digestive issues, and for a separate issue, began taking a type of digestive enzyme that is supposed to aid in the breakdown of carbohydrates (she eats a plant-based diet). She's been taking it for a few months and reported to me today that her digestive issues have virtually disappeared and as a side benefit, she had lost 8 lbs.
My assumption is that, something else in her routine or diet has changed that is causing her to take in fewer calories or burn more. According to her, it's just the opposite, because she had gotten to the point that eating almost anything made her feel ill.
Rather than saying anything, I decided to do some research first. I'll follow the thread, though having read that first (very involved) study that was posted, it sounds like a very complicated area of study and there likely is no concrete answer to be had yet.
I read a fair bit but if I’m honest it went way over my head
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This is so weird... I was literally doing a search in the forums right this second on this issue because of a conversation I had this morning. Mind you, my search was prompted by my assumption- and what I expected to find was- that that the idea is basically woo. But I will share the gist of the conversation: A friend who maintains a healthy BMI but had put on a few pounds the last few years has been trying to lose them. She has utilized MFP for calorie counting, and I know her to be very disciplined & exact, so I have no reason to question her accuracy or consistency. She had not been able to budge any weight. She also has a variety of digestive issues, and for a separate issue, began taking a type of digestive enzyme that is supposed to aid in the breakdown of carbohydrates (she eats a plant-based diet). She's been taking it for a few months and reported to me today that her digestive issues have virtually disappeared and as a side benefit, she had lost 8 lbs.
My assumption is that, something else in her routine or diet has changed that is causing her to take in fewer calories or burn more. According to her, it's just the opposite, because she had gotten to the point that eating almost anything made her feel ill.
Rather than saying anything, I decided to do some research first. I'll follow the thread, though having read that first (very involved) study that was posted, it sounds like a very complicated area of study and there likely is no concrete answer to be had yet.
I read a fair bit but if I’m honest it went way over my head
Me too But I did get out of it that there is some evidence there that links microorganisms in the gut, health, & obesity (but in no clear way). 0 -
This is so weird... I was literally doing a search in the forums right this second on this issue because of a conversation I had this morning. Mind you, my search was prompted by my assumption- and what I expected to find was- that that the idea is basically woo. But I will share the gist of the conversation: A friend who maintains a healthy BMI but had put on a few pounds the last few years has been trying to lose them. She has utilized MFP for calorie counting, and I know her to be very disciplined & exact, so I have no reason to question her accuracy or consistency. She had not been able to budge any weight. She also has a variety of digestive issues, and for a separate issue, began taking a type of digestive enzyme that is supposed to aid in the breakdown of carbohydrates (she eats a plant-based diet). She's been taking it for a few months and reported to me today that her digestive issues have virtually disappeared and as a side benefit, she had lost 8 lbs.
My assumption is that, something else in her routine or diet has changed that is causing her to take in fewer calories or burn more. According to her, it's just the opposite, because she had gotten to the point that eating almost anything made her feel ill.
Rather than saying anything, I decided to do some research first. I'll follow the thread, though having read that first (very involved) study that was posted, it sounds like a very complicated area of study and there likely is no concrete answer to be had yet.
But if your friend could not digest carbs properly she'd poop them out again without getting the calories out of them. Thus taking those enzymes would increase her calorie intake, not the other way around.
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And for what it's worth, my friend mentioned this to me because she knows I am still working on my weight loss and have also been prone to intestinal issues. However, I know in my case when I track carefully, accurately, and consistently that I lose weight. If I have a problem with microorganisms, it's not preventing me from losing weight at this point 0
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^ Exactly. People who blame various gut/digestive issues for weight gain disregard basic physiology. If you’re unable to digest/metabolize nutrients, that would mean they’re passing through and you’re not getting all the nutrients/calories from them. Less calories does not equate to weight gain.This is so weird... I was literally doing a search in the forums right this second on this issue because of a conversation I had this morning. Mind you, my search was prompted by my assumption- and what I expected to find was- that that the idea is basically woo. But I will share the gist of the conversation: A friend who maintains a healthy BMI but had put on a few pounds the last few years has been trying to lose them. She has utilized MFP for calorie counting, and I know her to be very disciplined & exact, so I have no reason to question her accuracy or consistency. She had not been able to budge any weight. She also has a variety of digestive issues, and for a separate issue, began taking a type of digestive enzyme that is supposed to aid in the breakdown of carbohydrates (she eats a plant-based diet). She's been taking it for a few months and reported to me today that her digestive issues have virtually disappeared and as a side benefit, she had lost 8 lbs.
My assumption is that, something else in her routine or diet has changed that is causing her to take in fewer calories or burn more. According to her, it's just the opposite, because she had gotten to the point that eating almost anything made her feel ill.
Rather than saying anything, I decided to do some research first. I'll follow the thread, though having read that first (very involved) study that was posted, it sounds like a very complicated area of study and there likely is no concrete answer to be had yet.
But if your friend could not digest carbs properly she'd poop them out again without getting the calories out of them. Thus taking those enzymes would increase her calorie intake, not the other way around.
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And for what it's worth, my friend mentioned this to me because she knows I am still working on my weight loss and have also been prone to intestinal issues. However, I know in my case when I track carefully, accurately, and consistently that I lose weight. If I have a problem with microorganisms, it's not preventing me from losing weight at this point
I can almost guarantee that your friend perhaps might have been accurate and logged/weighed food in the past, but has since let it lapse/taken a different approach which has resulted in her eating more than she thinks.
its the same thing where people swear their friends can eat anything but stay skinny. You dont know their habits behind closed doors.0 -
This is so weird... I was literally doing a search in the forums right this second on this issue because of a conversation I had this morning. Mind you, my search was prompted by my assumption- and what I expected to find was- that that the idea is basically woo. But I will share the gist of the conversation: A friend who maintains a healthy BMI but had put on a few pounds the last few years has been trying to lose them. She has utilized MFP for calorie counting, and I know her to be very disciplined & exact, so I have no reason to question her accuracy or consistency. She had not been able to budge any weight. She also has a variety of digestive issues, and for a separate issue, began taking a type of digestive enzyme that is supposed to aid in the breakdown of carbohydrates (she eats a plant-based diet). She's been taking it for a few months and reported to me today that her digestive issues have virtually disappeared and as a side benefit, she had lost 8 lbs.
My assumption is that, something else in her routine or diet has changed that is causing her to take in fewer calories or burn more. According to her, it's just the opposite, because she had gotten to the point that eating almost anything made her feel ill.
Rather than saying anything, I decided to do some research first. I'll follow the thread, though having read that first (very involved) study that was posted, it sounds like a very complicated area of study and there likely is no concrete answer to be had yet.
But if your friend could not digest carbs properly she'd poop them out again without getting the calories out of them. Thus taking those enzymes would increase her calorie intake, not the other way around.
My thought was perhaps that her intestinal issues had been resulting in water retention, and if she has achieved some better balance of gut flora, perhaps she has shed the water weight. But I won't lie here... I have basically no idea what I'm talking about I'd love to hear what anyone with actual knowledge on the subject has to say. 0 -
This is so weird... I was literally doing a search in the forums right this second on this issue because of a conversation I had this morning. Mind you, my search was prompted by my assumption- and what I expected to find was- that that the idea is basically woo. But I will share the gist of the conversation: A friend who maintains a healthy BMI but had put on a few pounds the last few years has been trying to lose them. She has utilized MFP for calorie counting, and I know her to be very disciplined & exact, so I have no reason to question her accuracy or consistency. She had not been able to budge any weight. She also has a variety of digestive issues, and for a separate issue, began taking a type of digestive enzyme that is supposed to aid in the breakdown of carbohydrates (she eats a plant-based diet). She's been taking it for a few months and reported to me today that her digestive issues have virtually disappeared and as a side benefit, she had lost 8 lbs.
My assumption is that, something else in her routine or diet has changed that is causing her to take in fewer calories or burn more. According to her, it's just the opposite, because she had gotten to the point that eating almost anything made her feel ill.
Rather than saying anything, I decided to do some research first. I'll follow the thread, though having read that first (very involved) study that was posted, it sounds like a very complicated area of study and there likely is no concrete answer to be had yet.
But if your friend could not digest carbs properly she'd poop them out again without getting the calories out of them. Thus taking those enzymes would increase her calorie intake, not the other way around.
I should point out, I don't know specifically what exact symptoms/issues she might have been having. Just that she was having discomfort after eating that she expressed as "trouble with digestion". But it's not my intent to make the thread about her... I'd just like to know about the topic, if such information is available.0 -
I've read about fecal transplant research with mice--maybe you can Google these--if mice are given feces from a fat mice they gain weight, if given feces from thin mice will lose weight. There was a recent large scale study in India that showed that most Lactobacillus strains do not colonize in the intestines except for L Planterum. This study was conducted to prevent Septicemia in infants and elderly. An L Planterum probiotic was effective enough to stop the study early since cases of Septicemia plummeted in the group that received L Planterum so that it was unethical to continue with a control group that did not receive L Planterum. Medline and Medscape are free medical research websites that will email you when a research study in your area of interest has been published.2
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I'm not trying to debunk the gut microbiome theories, since the science is so preliminary but already so interesting.
However, I do want to add a consideration to the mix of what could be contributing to slow weight gain among people suffering uncomfortable digestive woes: When we don't feel well, it's not unusual to feel fatigued. Pain/discomfort is fatiguing; conditions that affect nutrient absorption can also cause fatigue. Fatigue can reduce daily life activity without our being fully conscious of it, thus reduce TDEE (via NEAT).
Since very fidgety people have been shown to burn more calories (up to low hundreds) more daily than placid ones, it seems plausible to me that chronically feeling ill could incline one toward very slow weight gain.
Of course, anyone conscious of this potential could take steps to counter it, if they have the will/energy.
OP, people vary in their daily calorie burn, even if the same size/age/activity level, for reasons that aren't always obvious. Calculators like MFP's assume average burn, when they give you a calorie goal.
Some people burn less than that estimate; some burn more; some (many/most) are darned close to the average. All of them can lose weight the same way: Get a sensible, sustainable calorie goal. Follow it consistently, logging meticulously and honestly, for 4-6 weeks. Adjust calorie goal up or down based on actual loss results.
Even if you have unhelpful gut bugs, it's likely that that same, boring, old-fashioned, not-always-easy process can work for you, too.
Best wishes!
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