How Much Weight Do You Lose After Going To The Bathroom?

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Have you ever weighed yourself before and after going to the bathroom?

Of course you have! We've all felt the need to satisfy our curiosity in the hopes that we'll be pleasantly surprised by our effortless, 5-minute weight loss. 

But are your scales lying, or did you really just drop 4 pounds?!

Probably not. Typical home scales are not hugely reliable in terms of accuracy or repeatability, and can have a general measurement error of +/- 2 pounds. 

So how much do people truly lose in the bathroom?

A group of British researchers collected data on the matter, finding that feces weigh between 2.5 ounces and 1 pound on average globally, but only 3 and 4.2 ounces among Western populations (where fiber intake is much smaller). 

More surprising was the discovery of how much gas we carry around inside: scientists found that throughout the day, we can accumulate up to 3.3 pounds! You know what they say... Better out than in!

So while you may notice that your belly's a little flatter after going to the bathroom, you haven't really lost weight — you've just expelled any debris your body didn't use as energy (or calories). 

It's ok though, you can still feel proud the next time you get rid of excess baggage. 

Want to know how lose weight for good? Here are 6 reasons you're still not losing weight.

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