Your Poop Can Weigh Up To Four Pounds, But That Doesn't Mean You're Losing Weight
You’ve likely experienced a poop that can only be described as easy and productive. And after your trip to the bathroom, you emerge a new person and feel lighter and comfier in your jeans. But is that all in your head or does pooping help you lose weight?
Turns out that yes, pooping can affect weight loss, but it’s not significant enough to be used as a method to actually drop pounds, says Valerie Agyeman, RD, a dietitian and the host of The Flourishing Heights podcast.
After all, poop only weighs a quarter of a pound to a pound depending on a person’s body size and how often they poop, says Keri Glassman, RD, CDN, the founder and CEO of Nutritious Life. And it’s likely to be "on the higher end if you haven’t pooped for a few days," adds Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD, the author of The Pinterest Diet.
Instead of focusing on your weight, it's better to pay attention to the appearance of your stool, per Agyeman. It’ll tell you a lot about your health, like if you’re eating enough fiber, drinking enough water, or if there’s an underlying issue. (The odor holds some clues to your overall condition as well!) If you’re unsure, check out the Bristol stool chart to see if your poops are healthy, she recommends.
That said, your bowel movements can have an impact on your weight, and staying regular is crucial to you staying well. RDs break down all the numbers involved and how to keep things moving in your GI system so it doesn't get backed up (and cause you to worry about the scale).
Meet the experts: Valerie Agyeman, RD, is a dietitian and the host of The Flourishing Heights podcast. Keri Glassman, RD, CDN, is the founder and CEO of Nutritious Life. Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD, is the author of The Pinterest Diet.
Wait...how much does poop weigh?
Poop can weigh up to four pounds. If you’re thinking, “Four pounds, seriously?!” I get it...that’s not exactly a small amount if you're struggling to lose weight. But you have to remember that your poo is made up of some pretty heavy stuff: Specifically, it’s about 75 percent water, per UMass Memorial Healthcare, with the rest being bacteria, mucus, dead blood cells, and duh, food remains.
You have to think big picture here. Even four pounds isn't a significant amount of weight at the end of the day since the number on the scale will consistently swing up and down as your bowel movements do. In other words, when you’re backed up, your weight will increase a bit, and after you relieve yourself, it'll drop.
Either way, pooping won’t affect your weight in any huge way—even if it does feel like you just dropped 10 pounds. That amazing feeling is more about de-bloating than actual loss of body mass. Sorry!
But does pooping burn any calories?
Yep, but don't get too excited about this. "Pooping technically burns calories, just like any other essential daily functions like breathing and eating," Agyeman says. The amount of weight you lose when you poop "has nothing to do with losing fat or getting leaner," Glassman adds.
Tons of other factors affect how much you weigh, such as hormones, salt intake, and what medications you're on. The number of pounds "is simply not a measurement of what goes in and out of the body," Agyeman notes.
Okay, so tell me more about weight loss versus de-bloating.
Bloating is that awful, uncomfortable, full feeling that strikes when your digestive system has trapped air or gas inside it, and it can be downright painful, not to mention make you look puffy AF. Even though your stomach might appear bigger when you're bloated, bloating doesn't necessarily mean you've gained actual weight (in terms of body mass).
“Pooping can reduce bloating and help you fit more comfortably in your clothes so you feel smaller overall,” says Dulan. “It’s not like after you poop you should be saying, ‘This is my new weight!’”
If you're trying to track weight loss, Dulan suggests weighing yourself at similar times in the morning, sans clothes, to avoid letting your poops (or lack thereof) trick the scale. “If you have to go to the bathroom, go ahead because it will lower the scale a little bit," she says. "But if you don’t need to poop, don’t sit on the toilet trying to go so you weigh less. It won’t be a substantial difference."
Ah, so what affects my ability to poop?
While the direct connection between pooping and weight loss is minimal, there is one aspect of the link that you can use to your benefit: “Eating a diet that’s higher in fiber causes you to not only be more regular, but it can also help you lose weight,” says Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD, an NYC-based nutritionist.
How so? Stocking up on enough fiber throughout your day helps push food through your system to avoid constipation before it starts. “It actually stimulates your GI tract to promote movement,” says Zeitlin. Beyond that, a high-fiber diet may help ward off certain cancers, especially that of the colon, and help regulate blood sugar and reduce cholesterol, studies show.
And when it comes to your weight, fiber fills you up like few nutrients can. It “ is found in three things: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains," says Zeitlin. "If you’re incorporating fiber at every meal and snack, you’re making sure you’re eating one of these fabulous foods that promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. In addition, you’re probably removing other things that aren’t as great [from your diet]."
Speaking of things that aren't as great for your diet, here's how J.Lo and A-Rod pulled off a no-sugar challenge:
That said, don’t overdo it: Women should aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day, according to Zeitlin, because getting much more than that can not only lead to constipation but cause other GI distress symptoms too. Regularly consuming more than 70 grams of fiber may result in bloating, gas, diarrhea, cramps, and a decrease in appetite, according to Duke University. Eating too much fiber can also limit nutrient absorption and even cause intestinal blockages (that's pretty serious stuff).
To get a healthy amount of fiber every day, try having a cup of a high-fiber food as part of your breakfast, like a cup of berries with Greek yogurt (it's high in probiotics, which “promote healthy GI bacteria to help move things along,” says Zeitlin). You should also aim to eat two fistfuls of veggies at both lunch and dinner to keep your digestive system—and your weight—as regular as possible.
Oh, and don’t forget about all the other stuff you do all day that affects how often you poop (fiber is just one piece of the puzzle!). As WH previously reported, you might find yourself pooping less frequently if you:
Of course, the reverse of all these factors is true too; some medications can make you poop more often, as can your overall activity, hydration, and caffeine levels. It’s all one big balancing act.
So how do I find my "normal?"
If you’re hoping for an exact number of bowel movements that’s considered “healthy” or "normal," know that there is no one number because it varies from person to person. Anywhere from three times a day to once every three days is generally considered healthy, so as long as you fall somewhere along that spectrum (and aren’t experiencing anything painful or out of the ordinary), you’re good.
Now, if you are experiencing something painful or out of the ordinary, you should contact your doctor. Depending on the issue, he or she may refer you to a gastroenterologist. Having the following symptoms for any extended period of time (i.e., more than a few days) warrants a phone call or visit, according to Penn Medicine:
consistently off-colored poop (like pale, red, or black stool) or color changes not related to new dietary habits
sudden changes to the frequency of your bowel movements
bloody stool
severe abdominal pain while pooping
poop that floats (which can be a sign of infection)
poop that smells unusual or especially odorous
The bottom line: A slowdown in your regular bathroom habits may make you feel like you’ve gained weight, but that’s really not the case. A combination of bloating and discomfort—along with a couple extra pounds of poop—can make the situation seem more dire than it actually is.
You Might Also Like
