Are you not pooping daily? How to reverse chronic constipation to lose stomach fat!
Constipation is common, but not normal. Apart from making you feel miserable, bloated, and cranky, research is now showing that chronic constipation can lead to fat gain. Learn what you can do today to have daily bowel movements and kick stubborn fat to the curb. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it is estimated that approximately 2.5 million people - 40% of women and 8% of men - suffer from constipation. Although constipation is very common, it is not normal.
What is constipation?
Constipation is either the lack of daily bowel movements or the presence of hard, dry stools, which are very slow and sometimes painful to pass. Generally, constipation is defined as having less than three bowel movements per week. Even though every person is different, I consider a healthy bowel pathway with having 1-2 easy-to-pass bowel movements EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Signs and Symptoms of a Sluggish Bowel Pathway
Unable to have a daily bowel movement
Hard, dry stool
Need for manual strategies
Excess/ineffective straining
Sense of incomplete evacuation
Abdominal discomfort and pain
Feeling bloated
Common Root Causes of Constipation:
Little to No Fiber in the Diet
Dehydration
Sedentary Lifestyle
Stress
Medications (e.g.: history of laxative use)
Overgrowth of bad bacteria, parasites, yeast, fungi, or Candida
Hypothyroidism
The Constipation-Weight Gain Connection
Frequent constipation can make you feel as if you’ve gained a few pounds, especially around the stomach area. While it was previously thought that the accumulation of fecal weight only leads to short-term weight gain (which naturally decreases with normal bowel movements), evidence shows that chronic constipation can lead – directly and indirectly - to fat gain through multiple mechanisms.
Impaired Drainage
The bowels are on the bottom of the drainage funnel. We excrete toxins through our bowels, it is the body’s sewage system. The smooth and regular elimination of toxins is the foundation for a healthy body. If the body is unable to eliminate, poisonous substances get reabsorbed into our bloodstream and build up in the body. Recycled garbage leads to toxin buildup and increases inflammation. Excess toxicity gets stored in the fat cells to prevent any damage to surrounding organs and tissues. Additionally, long-term trouble with elimination can be the root cause of other symptoms and conditions – such as a leaky gut, gut dysbiosis, etc. - that are directly associated with an inability to lose weight.
Learn how to open blocked drainage pathways that may hinder weight loss here.
A weak bowel pathway negatively impairs every drainage pathway above (liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, etc.). It is a downward spiral, resulting in:
Further Impaired Detoxification -> High Toxic Body Burden -> Inflammation -> Weight Gain
Slowed Down Metabolism
Does a slow metabolism cause constipation or does constipation cause a slow metabolism? A common chicken and egg question! Digestion and absorption of food happen primarily in the intestines. Constipation – which is essentially poor digestion – slows down your metabolism. If your body can’t process food fast enough, it will naturally slow down the rate at which it burns calories – making you gain weight quicker. On the other hand, if we suffer from a slow metabolism – e.g. due to a sluggish thyroid – constipation can be one of its many manifestations.
Imbalanced Gut Bacteria
'All Disease Begins in the Gut' -what Hippocrates famously stated more than 2,000 years ago continues to be confirmed by modern research and science. Gut health and overall health are directly connected. After consumption, food passes through the gut to be broken down by our gut microbiome.
Today we know that certain strains of bacteria, such as Bacteroides, are more efficient in extracting nutrients from food. Bacteroides derive energy mainly from carbohydrates and proteins by fermentation providing nutrition and vitamins to the host and other intestinal microbes. The relative abundance of Bacteroides is generally associated with weight loss. But there is a fine line to it. Individuals who consume a surplus of calories are disadvantaged by a prosperity of gut bacteria that are effective at extracting energy, as this efficiency makes more calories available from the same amount of food. A Bacteroides-dominant individual absorbs more calories from eating the exact same food as an individual being non-dominant in Bacteroides – which is not problematic as long as the body can use those nutrients as energy-supplying fuel. Weight gain occurs if there are more calories consumed as burned, as now those Bacteroides are further extracting nutrients (and thus calories) from waste material in the colon. Add constipation to the picture and you’ll create a sure recipe for weight gain.
Pathogen Overgrowth
If undigested food stays in your stomach for too long, it stimulates the growth of pathogens such as parasites, bacteria, and fungi. Pathogenic overgrowth increases toxicity and inflammation in the gut, leading to rapid weight gain.
One example is SIBO – or small intestine bacterial overgrowth – which has been associated with weight gain due to multiple mechanisms:
Methane SIBO defines an overgrowth of organisms that produce methane as a byproduct. These methane gasses decrease gut motility resulting in the absorption of more calories.
Certain strains of negative microbiome produce harmful toxins, such as lipopolysaccharides. An overgrowth of LPS-producing bacteria promotes toxicity and inflammation in the gut, aka weight gain.
Estrogen is broken down in the liver in order to be eliminated through the GI tract. In the GI tract, estrogen interacts with a special subset of your microbiome: the estrobolome. The estrobolome is a unique microbiome within your gut microbiome. It is made up of a collection of bacteria with special genes that help metabolize estrogen to keep it at the correct level. The estrobolome produces an enzyme known as beta-glucuronidase which breaks down estrogen into its active forms, to be either excreted or reabsorbed into your circulation to do their work in your body. In the presence of SIBO, these enzymes can’t properly metabolize estrogens resulting in Estrogen Dominance. Estrogen Dominance is directly linked to obesity.
As always, it is important to address the root cause that leads to constipation in the first place, such as addressing diet, thyroid, gut flora, etc. Non-habit-forming supplements can be a great tool along the way, to support the bowels throughout this process. Download the PDF to learn about my favorite remedies to get immediate relief from constipation and lose stomach fat.
