should i take laxatives?

fabienEl
fabienEl Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hello for the past month or maybe less i started going to the toilet less (and i didnt go at all for 4 days in that month) and i used to poop 2-3 times a day and now its barely once and when i go to the toilet again i feel like there is something but nothing comes out
i wanna take laxatives but idk if its cz of constipation or just cz i wanna see the weight on the scale go down what should i do?

Replies

  • gpanda103
    gpanda103 Posts: 189 Member
    Less calories means you poop less, and if you have amped up your fiber intake a lot then your body may be struggling to process that. Make sure you are drinking enough water, if you are super concerned I would see a doctor and ask about intestinal blockage
  • gpanda103
    gpanda103 Posts: 189 Member
    Less calories means you poop less, and if you have amped up your fiber intake a lot then your body may be struggling to process that. Make sure you are drinking enough water, if you are super concerned I would see a doctor and ask about intestinal blockage
  • Unknown
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  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    I would go and ask the Doctor, especially as it seems like an ongoing issue.

    If you haven't changed anything else that could cause it, there may be something else going on that needs investigating. Its usually the case that the sooner things are picked up the easier they are to deal with. And of course a Doctor will be much better able to tell you if laxatives are appropriate than anyone on here.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    When you see the doctor, be sure to mention that seeing a lower number on the scales was something you were thinking about in connection with laxatives.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    fabienEl wrote: »
    gpanda103 wrote: »
    Less calories means you poop less, and if you have amped up your fiber intake a lot then your body may be struggling to process that. Make sure you are drinking enough water, if you are super concerned I would see a doctor and ask about intestinal blockage

    fiber and calories are the same i just amped up cardio

    That's just not true. It's like saying legumes and iron are the same. Or 50-year-old automobiles and passenger restraint systems are the same. Fiber provides calories, in generally less bioavailable amounts than other sources of calories, and it contains things that aren't calories.
  • bojaantje3822
    bojaantje3822 Posts: 257 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    fabienEl wrote: »
    gpanda103 wrote: »
    Less calories means you poop less, and if you have amped up your fiber intake a lot then your body may be struggling to process that. Make sure you are drinking enough water, if you are super concerned I would see a doctor and ask about intestinal blockage

    fiber and calories are the same i just amped up cardio

    That's just not true. It's like saying legumes and iron are the same. Or 50-year-old automobiles and passenger restraint systems are the same. Fiber provides calories, in generally less bioavailable amounts than other sources of calories, and it contains things that aren't calories.

    I'm 99% sure they meant their calories and fiber are unchanged from the numbers they were before (and therefore aren't likely the cause of the digestion issues), not that they think calories = fiber
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    bojaantje3822 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    fabienEl wrote: »
    gpanda103 wrote: »
    Less calories means you poop less, and if you have amped up your fiber intake a lot then your body may be struggling to process that. Make sure you are drinking enough water, if you are super concerned I would see a doctor and ask about intestinal blockage

    fiber and calories are the same i just amped up cardio

    That's just not true. It's like saying legumes and iron are the same. Or 50-year-old automobiles and passenger restraint systems are the same. Fiber provides calories, in generally less bioavailable amounts than other sources of calories, and it contains things that aren't calories.

    I'm 99% sure they meant their calories and fiber are unchanged from the numbers they were before (and therefore aren't likely the cause of the digestion issues), not that they think calories = fiber

    Ah. If that was what was meant, OP, just ignore this comment
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    If you are eating a low carb diet, you may get constipated because of a lack of fiber. If you aren't eating much fat, that can slow you down. If you aren't drinking enough water, you will also get stopped up. Try drinking more water and eating more fiber. If that doesn't work, go to a doctor.
  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 448 Member
    I only "go" maybe twice a week. Never have gone more. Dr. recommended Metamucil as a routine supplement, but no on laxatives. He was also not concerned with my less-than-daily schedule.
  • fatty2begone
    fatty2begone Posts: 249 Member
    I have IBS and my bathroom schedule is all over the board from constipated, regular, not regular, to immediate get yourself to the toilet or else....
    Better eating and more exercise has helped, but still not perfect.

    If you truly are concerned, Make an appointment with your doctor. You know your body better than any internet strangers.

    As someone with IBS, not sure why anyone would want to take laxatives for weight loss, or other then occasional need. Being tied to the bathroom at a moments notice is not fun.
  • nsk1951
    nsk1951 Posts: 1,304 Member
    NO ... don't take laxatives ... eat more fiber, drink more water, take a fiber supplement or a prebiotic, like Benefiber, every day.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    If you're not getting 25g of fiber daily (if female) or 35g (if male), eat more fiber-containing foods. Increase them slowly, because fast increases can make excretory problems worse.

    Alongside that, get enough water. You should be OK if your urine is pale yellow (not dark), kind of straw colored. Still, if you're getting less than 64 fl oz or so, couple of liters . . . gradually increase it, see if it helps. Try to spread it through the day, don't chug it all at once.

    A note for you: You mention increasing exercise. You mention water not changing. If you exercise more, you probably need more water (for sweat - even if subtle/unobvious; for muscle repair). No need to go crazy, but maybe gradually add some, see if it improves things. (This one was big, for me.)

    Alongside that, get enough fat from your food. This is a common pitfall among people trying to lose weight: Fats are calorie dense, there's a lot of "fat = bad" mythology, etc. People sometimes cut fats too far, get constipated as a result. You probably want around 0.35-0.45g of fat daily per pound of body weight, might get away with a bit less if severely overweight. Women are likely to do better toward the top of that range, men may be OK closer to the lower end.

    Consider adding MUFA/PUFA fat sources, like nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, because many people get too low a proportion of MUFAs/PUFAs. (MUFA/PUFA doesn't matter for digestive throughput AFAIK, it's just a good direction to go for other reasons, for a lot of people.) Similarly, adding fats that are high in Omega-3s (vs. Omega-6s) can be good in an overall nutritional sense, because most people have sub-ideal O-3/O-6 balance, too. That would be things like fatty cold-water fish, some nuts, etc.

    Beyond that, some people benefit from probiotic foods (live culture yogurt/kefir, raw sauerkraut or kimchi, kombucha, etc.). You mention that you're exercising, which is good, because that matters for some - sometimes middle-moving types of exercise are more helpful.

    Work on that kind of stuff, see if you can get an improvement. You want your output to be soft (not painful to push out, or feeling like you still have something in there you can't get out), but you don't want it to be so soft that it's liquid-y. Soft sausage shapes that are comfortable to pass are sort of the goal.

    I agree with folks who say it would be reasonable to talk with your doctor. Unless you're so blocked that you're uncomfortable, haven't gone in days, it's probably not a crisis. If you sense crisis symptoms, see a doctor more quickly.

    For sure, don't take laxatives for weight loss. I'd say, don't take laxatives at all until you've experimented with some of the above variables, unless you have an acute problem (feeling blocked, backed up, etc.) For sure, don't rely on them.
  • xrj22
    xrj22 Posts: 217 Member
    Don't worry about how much you are pooping. That will change as you change how much you eat, amount of fiber, the bactiera in your gut, etc. Your body will do what it needs to, and eventually everything that needs to come out will. The only reason to take laxatives is if you are having hard stools and you are uncomfortable because you need to strain to get them out. If you are having small, soft, stringy stools then pill laxatives won't help. You might try adding metamucil, or fiber to your diet. But really the only reason to do that is if your stools are uncomfortable. (I am spekaing from the perspective of yes/no laxative. Of course there are a lot of OTHER benefits to adding fiber to your diet if you currently don't have much fiber.

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