The human digestive system begins with the mouth and contains well over 20 feet of tubes and organs through which food passes before it reaches the end of the line at the anus. Digestion begins in the mouth and continues through the stomach and most of the way through the small intestine. Anything that reaches the end of the small intestine and enters the large intestine is strictly waste material that the body could not digest.

Inside the large intestine are many different bacteria that are harmless to the human body as long as they stay inside the intestine that can be deadly if they are outside it. These bacteria further break the waste down as it passes through making it easier for the body to expel it in a smooth natural motion.

There is also a very delicate balance between solid matter and water in the large intestine. This balance is occasionally disrupted, resulting in either constipation or diarrhea. Constipation results when the balance leans too far toward the dry and diarrhea results when the balance leads toward too much water.

The purpose of laxatives is to relieve constipation by pulling water back into the bowel from surrounding tissues and softening the stool so that it can pass comfortably . Taking laxatives to lose weight can never work because there is no significant amount of weight to the contents of the large intestine. There can be up to maybe 5 pounds of waste and water in the intestine at any given time.

While a laxative can help expel this waste quickly, this weight is quickly replaced as food continues to move down the digestive tract and hunger and thirst cause the person to consume more food or water or both. The only way to achieve measurable results with weight loss is to change the way a person he is and the amount of exercise the person receives.

Laxatives function by stimulating the colon, increasing the frequency of peristaltic movements in the wall of the bowel and by increasing the amount of water present in the bowel. Neither of these functions has anything remotely to do with losing weight. In fact, if anything a person could gain weight from drinking more water to replace what is leeched from the other tissues to fill the bowel.

These drugs do not inhibit the absorption of nutrients from foods during digestion. Any part of what is consumed that can benefit the body in any way finds its way into the bloodstream and into the cells of the body. The only thing that is left over is waste material that the body can not use. The bowel, being of limited size, can not hold more than approximately five pounds of such waste matter.

While laxatives may hasten the expulsion of this waste material, along with a moderate amount of water, the total weight lost in the process will not be over six or seven pounds. In the process, the drugs cause dehydration, possible abdominal cramps, and other problems that are actually worse than carrying those five or six pounds around until they can be lost in the proper fashion.

People who use laxatives routinely as means to attempt to lose weight often find that their bowels will no longer work properly without them. This type of dependence on a drug is harmful to the body and the self esteem of the individual.

Other forms of physical illness often arise as a result of continued use of laxatives. In many ways, this condition is quite similar to the eating disorder known as bulimia, where a person eats all he/she desires, then forces himself/herself to vomit by mechanical or chemical means. Anyone who thinks that eating all one can hold, then forcing it out of the body rapidly through the use of laxative medications is fooling themselves.

This practice is unhealthy and useless in the battle against excess weight. It does not create any significant weight loss. Any weight lost in the process will be regained as soon as the person eats or drinks anything. It can lead to serious health problems. It is impossible to lose weight with laxatives, so it is best to find a more sensible approach to weight loss.

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.