Are Healthy Bowel Movements Important for Weight Loss?

Are we really going to talk about poop? I’ve heard this question several times from my patients, and almost always, are they left surprised once they understand the reasons why we discuss healthy bowel movements in relation to their gut health and weight loss journey. 

If you are someone wishing to lead a more healthy lifestyle, then don’t disregard your bowel movements as merely a trip to the bathroom. They play a much larger role in your overall health than simply discarding waste from your body. 

Regular, healthy bowel movements are one of the main indicators of a well-functioning digestive system. This is the reason why you may feel discomfort, if you eat something that causes you to poop too much (i.e. diarrhea) or too little/not at all (i.e. constipation). Although everyone experiences irregular bowel movements once in a while, they can be troublesome when they occur frequently. In fact, unhealthy bowel movements can eventually become one of the reasons why we might have trouble maintaining a healthy body weight and thus, a healthy lifestyle.

Therefore, the connection between gut health and weight loss is stronger than you might think. In this post, we’re going to explore why keeping your digestive system in check is a key factor in shedding those extra pounds and feeling your best. Let's get into how a happy, healthy gut can help you achieve your fitness goals, and why it’s so important to keep things moving smoothly!

Why are Healthy Bowel Movements Important?

Regular and healthy bowel movements help your body eliminate waste efficiently, reduce bloating, and optimize nutrient absorption. In other words, pooping well can help your body get rid of waste on a regular basis, and it also helps ensure that your digestive system is working the way it should. 

Many healthful diets that encourage you to lose any excess weight will make sure to focus on the types of foods that increase your fiber intake and provide constipation relief. These helpful diets will also recommend that you avoid certain foods that may contribute to your constipation, in the first place. This is particularly done for making sure that your body is getting rid of any backed-up stool to help reset your gut or digestive system. 

In fact, certain kinds of fiber also help to feed your good gut bacteria that, in turn, produces something known as Butyrate. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that is produced through the fermentation of dietary fiber by bacteria in the colon. To put simply, it is created when your gut bacteria breaks down dietary fiber in the digestive system. 

Essentially, if you are able to improve the workings of your digestive system, then you are allowing your body to undergo some sort of a gut reset. This will specifically help when you introduce healthy food in your diet; your gut will help your body absorb all of those necessary nutrients and effectively discard any waste that might contribute to inflammation in the body.

As a result, healthy bowel movements will make sure that your body continues to soak up all of the essential nutrients without storing waste that can potentially be the cause of bloating, gas, and gut inflammation (a factor that contributes to weight gain).

What is a Healthy Bowel Movement?

So, what exactly is a regular, healthy bowel movement? When we talk about poop, it’s difficult to generalize what pooping well means for everyone. The reason for this is mainly linked to the fact that everyone is different; while it may be healthy for someone to poop twice everyday, it could also be healthy for another person to poop once a day, or even once every other day. A healthy range for bowel movements is usually between three times a day to three times a week.

In simpler terms, the frequency of bowel movements is not as important—unless you’re experiencing diarrhea or constipation—as the quality of them. For an individual to experience healthy bowel movements, it’s important that they are flushing out (pun intended!) their waste on some sort of a regular cycle. 

Along with this, the stool texture during this regularity should lie somewhere in the middle of the spectrum; it shouldn't be too soft, or too hard. Basically, it should be easy to pass stool without any discomfort, pain, or bleeding.

The best way to describe the quality of a healthy bowel movement is through the figure below. It called “The Bristol Stool Form Scale” or commonly referred to as the “Bristol Stool Chart,” which indicates the difference between stool consistencies and their meanings:

In general, type 3 and type 4 are considered to be good or healthy poop by medical practitioners. If you are someone who experiences irregular bowel movements, then you should consult your doctor to help you track your stool consistency.       

Your doctor might ask you to use a Bowel Movement/Stool Record that will not only help you identify your stool consistency, but also help determine your gut-transit time. Gut-transit time is basically the amount of time it takes for the food you consumed to be digested and passed as stool. Below is an example of a stool tracker that your practitioner might recommend:

It is important to remember that you will not always have the same type of stool consistency and gut-transit time, because there may be multiple factors affecting your digestive system on a day-to-day basis. But, the overall quality of your bowel movements should be in line with the healthy stool types (as listed above) and a consistent gut-transit time. 

Can Better Bowel Movements Help in Weight Loss?     

So, is pooping good for weight loss? There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the idea of regular bowel movements and its role in helping people lose weight. In fact, many of my patients come in asking a very similar question: Is pooping important for weight loss? The answer to this is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no.    

Even though there is no direct connection between regular bowel movements and losing weight, there is still a correlation between healthy bowel movements and weight loss. In simple words, healthy bowel movements indicate that you have a healthy gut, which in turn, helps you in your weight loss journey through many factors. This includes helping your body with proper nutrient absorption, providing you with more energy throughout the day to focus on your exercise routines, and even allowing you to have a more positive attitude towards your fitness goals, to name a few.     

So, if you’re wondering, “can pooping make you lose weight?” The simple answer is no, because pooping does not burn body fat or make you directly lose weight. Although healthy bowel movements are very important for your overall health, pooping more doesn’t mean that you will lose more weight.   

Healthy bowel movements, however, do ensure that your body is getting rid of waste and toxins on a regular basis, which is an important factor for improving your gut health and achieving your weight loss goals.   

Some fad diets may encourage you to poop more to lose more, but it’s important to adhere to these with caution. Persistent diarrhea (or going to poop too many times during the day) may cause a loss of essential nutrients from the body, and you could become severely dehydrated; this could potentially be life threatening.

So, make sure to follow healthful, balanced diets that encourage your body to revert to its natural way of following a healthy schedule of consuming helpful nutrients and discarding waste. This healthy schedule will work wonders in helping you lose weight and maintaining good overall health.

What Happens If You Don't Poop Everyday?

With all of this information about the benefits of healthy bowel movements, I know what you’re wondering: should you be pooping everyday? Or, what happens if you don’t have a bowel movement on a daily basis?

Well, healthy bowel movements follow a general rule: if you are eating well everyday, you may have to eliminate it every day. But, this isn’t necessarily true for everyone. As mentioned earlier, a regular schedule of bowel movements is different for every individual. Plus, things like travel, pregnancy, stress, illness, or even medication can have an occasional impact on your poop schedule.           

The concern occurs mainly when you don't have any regularity in your bowel movements, because this may cause a build-up of stool that can trigger digestive issues like gas, bloating, inflammation, or the production of toxins in the body.           

So, it’s not so much about pooping everyday that you should be concerned about as much as pooping on some sort of a regular basis.            

If you find yourself constantly complaining about having a hard time passing stool, or feeling constipated all the time, then you need to think about ways to help bring your digestive system back on track. This could involve anything from building a routine of going to the bathroom at a particular time during the day, following relaxation techniques, eating fiber-rich foods, or working with a registered dietitian to help you make specific dietary or lifestyle changes that will help you develop healthy bowel habits. 

Which Types of Foods Help with Healthy Bowel Movements?          

We talked a little about butyrate earlier, which is produced when dietary fiber is broken down by the gut bacteria. The name “butyrate” actually comes from butter, since it was originally isolated from—you guessed it—butter!           

Butyrate is produced in the gut by consuming more high-fiber foods that are rich in prebiotics (food for your gut’s bacteria) and polyphenols (a class of compounds found naturally in some plants that help in a variety of processes in the body including digestion).

Here is a recipe for Overnight Oats Four Ways that you can incorporate to help you get that necessary fiber in your diet. I recommend using Sprouted Rolled Oats instead of Instant Rolled Oats. Personally, I really like Sprouted Rolled Oats by One Degree, because they're organic and great to use in so many different recipes.

A few of the benefits (because there are so many that the list will fall short) of butyrate include providing a protective barrier for the gut, regulating immune health, healing the gut, reducing inflammation, and supporting weight loss. This is one of the things we talk about in our WOW (Winning Over Weight) Program: Ways to Feed Your Gut Bacteria Well!           

Along with all of the other benefits, butyrate can also promote regular bowel movements by stimulating the contraction of the intestinal muscles. Basically, it helps regulate the movement of food through the digestive tract and prevents issues such as constipation. It is naturally present in various foods, including butter, ghee, cheese, and some animal fats. So, it’s a good idea to include these foods in your diet, as long as you don’t have any dietary restrictions against them.   

Another option for healthy bowel movements is following a plant-based diet. Plant-based diets have a strong reputation of providing the body with essential nutrients, and simultaneously, helping with weight loss. This is because plant-based diets don’t include unhealthy saturated fats, which are known to promote weight gain and further, become one of the leading causes of heart disease.             

Here is a recipe for a Quinoa and Sweet Potato Jar Salad that you could prepare for a healthy lunch or snack option. This salad will not only provide you with the necessary energy to follow your weight loss regime throughout the day, but the loaded veggies and beans will also promote healthy bowel movements.            

So, try to include more plant-based options in your diet such as: fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. These foods are both high in fiber and healthy fats that make sure you’re having healthy (and easy) trips to the throne.

Conclusion       

Basically, your aim should be to include foods in your diet that make your trips to the bathroom natural and comfortable. And if you still continue to struggle with digestive issues on your weight loss journey, then talk to your medical practitioner or registered dietitian.              

These professionals will help you develop a dietary and lifestyle regime that prioritizes your health and wellness goals. In fact, they might be the only ones willing—and qualified—to not only talk about your poop, but also help you flush out any misinformation about it!             

Ready to start your weight loss journey that gets you results without sacrificing your health and wellness?             

Join the WOW (Winning Over Weight) waitlist today!            

Disclaimer: Although healthy bowel movements are very important for your gut health (and overall health), pooping more doesn't mean that you will lose more weight or fat from your body. Talk to your medical health professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes.