That’s because laxatives do nothing to reduce the food, and therefore calories, you consume. What they do is stimulate the bowels, often resulting in painful cramps and having to go to the bathroom a lot more often. Because of these cramps, fecal matter is often excreted under force. But most of what is expelled is water, not fat. It might seem like someone has lost two or three pounds using laxatives, but as soon as they quit taking them, they put back on the weight as soon as they’re hydrated again. You’re not losing fat, you’re losing water. Which is NOT a good thing.
Not only that, overuse of laxatives can cause some serious health issues on its own. One might not be able to have a regular bowel movement without the help of a laxative. Moreover, repeated bowel movements with force and wiping can lead to tearing in the rectum. This area is naturally an infection hazard. A person might not even be able to get through normal routines if he/she becomes too dehydrated and weak. This is not something you want to go through, trust me.
There have been many who claim that using laxatives will help with weight loss or fat loss. These people don’t know what they are talking about. Sure, you can lose weight, but what you’re after is losing fat. Not water.
In reality, using laxatives to lose weight is an eating disorder along the same lines as bulimia or anorexia. The biggest difference is that bulimics use purgatives, not laxatives, to make them vomit up the food they eat and force any that stays down out of the system by a laxative action while the use of laxatives is slightly milder and does not usually involve vomiting.
There are those people who may say that using laxatives is a fast way to lose weight. Abusing laxatives, or any other substance, is an unhealthy way to achieve anything, and the people who claim that laxatives are a fast way to shed weight are only making a potential harmful myth. Do yourself a favor and don’t fall into the trap of believing that losing weight with laxatives is the best way. There are far better ways commercially available.