Food babies and bloating

Hishtagat

Hey ladies!

I'm currently preparing for a mid-winter bulk, but I find myself concerned about a tiny detail. Is there anything that can reliably stop (or decrease) the abdomen swelling due to the sheer volume of food and waste? I was thinking about using very calorie-dense foods simply to decrease the amount of the actual food, but I'm unsure how much that will help.

I know this question might sound strange and arbitrary, but for better or worse I'm in a very looks-centric line of work and being all puffy, sluggish and bloated can actually genuinely impact my income, heh. >.<

3laine75

Probably stay away from stuff that's high in sodium. Unfortunately, bloat, seems to go hand in hand with bulking, for me anyway. Normal fluctuations will make it impossible for me to know if I've gained/maintained/lost on a week to week basis (I've been up and down between 142 and 145 this week), I'll need to get an average at the end of the month.

I'm sure it can be done without the bloat but it's probably more of a specialist thing, I'd see if you can find anything about it on bodybuilding.com or suchlike. I think it might be a thing that physique contestants/fitness models/ bodybuilders will know more about.

It tends to be powerlifters or hobbyists (haha that's me) that hang around here although there are notable exceptions, usmcmp, for example.

You could try the, small meals often approach?

Fujiberry

I was bloated 80% of the time when I was bulking. It's just the way it is. :P

HMVOL7409

It's not a physique thing; it's a reality of bulking.

Hishtagat

And there is no way to decrease it, at all? Well, *kitten*, that complicates things.

I'm a very small person (5', 102~ lbs) and, 'scuse the imagery, filled up bowels really show on my frame. >_<

nellyett

Trial and error....stick with your usual amounts of fiber, etc. and add in coconut oil, avocado, peanut butter, full fat dairy instead of lower fat versions....things like that. This will get your calories up without adding much more food overall.

sardelsa

For me, small frequent meals help rather than cramming food in all at once. For some, the bloat lessens with time as your body gets used to the increased cals.

3laine75

HMVOL7409 wrote: »

It's not a physique thing; it's a reality of bulking.

Haha that's good to know. In the back of my head, I've been thinking I could do a lot better if I had the discipline to bulk (and cut) 'clean', as seen on the suggested diets in bodybuilding.com etc.

It's a relief to know it happens to everyone - away to have my icecream, guilt free

Hishtagat

nellyett wrote: »

Trial and error....stick with your usual amounts of fiber, etc. and add in coconut oil, avocado, peanut butter, full fat dairy instead of lower fat versions....things like that. This will get your calories up without adding much more food overall.

That's pretty much what I've been considering, good to know I'm on to something here.

SilentDrapeRunners

I think it depends person to person. For me, too much sodium makes me extremely bloated (and feeling crappy in general). When I did my first bulk I was shooting for a 2 lb gain per month and I felt more bloated (especially towards the end). Mainly cause it was just way more food (and I hadn't really figured out the sodium thing yet). Now I'm shooting for a 1 lb gain per month and I don't feel quite as bloated. I also supplement with potassium, so I think that helps.

Skyeziepyzie

im currently bulking and using an IIFYM approach I think managing my fibre in take is a big part of it and I havnt experienced too much bloating

jackielou867

Bloating a big issue for me and I'm not even bulking at the moment. Found a really interesting article on food combining which suggests certain food groups should not be eaten together because of differences in the way they are digested. I am giving it a try and it helpful to a point. Also dairy seems a problem for me, and sugar, and coffee after food, so yay me bin the ice cream and bring on the peanut butter and a really big spoon :-)