So bloated all the time!

Hi everyone

I was wondering if anyone had any tips to help with bloating? I seem to get bloated after every single meal, no matter what I eat or how much I eat. And if it's a bigger meal like dinner (I don't eat huge amounts!) I look pregnant!

Over the past couple of weeks I've made a few changes, drinking more water, eating a probiotic yoghurt daily, trying to eat less carbs. I don't drink fizzy drinks or chew gum.

I've had two children so I'm sure the skin etc round my tummy is more stretchy!

Any new tips I can try would be much appreciate! :)

Thanks

Replies

  • Sometimes when your body holds water it is because of your heart. For some people it's also normal to retain water. When I have large elevation jumps, going from 11,000 feet above sea level to sea level I retain a lot of water after I eat. After a couple of days at sea level I'm back to normal with no retention. If you're not traveling, then this would not apply at all.
  • lovelaughrun
    lovelaughrun Posts: 45 Member
    I recently gave up dairy and most fruit. Apples used to bloat me and give me stomach pains. I stick to berries and bananas (mainly on the days I exercise). I was always bloated - ALWAYS!. A few days off the dairy and apples and the bloating was gone. I'd always suffered bloating and thought that's how it was for me but a little research and my symptoms matched those of dairy intolerance. I feel amazing too. I do take a dairy free probiotic and calcium supplement. I stick to unsweetened almond milk, coconut yoghurt for a treat and just said goodbye to cheese and butter/spreads.
    Also, cutting back on sugars help bloating as does eating smaller amounts after 3pm. I've been told by my trainer that's when your body starts to wind down and doesn't need as much food (unless you do evening exercise of course).
    This is just what's worked for me. Hope that helps :)
  • gowrirao81
    gowrirao81 Posts: 139 Member
    How is your sodium intake? I always get bloat-ey after eating too much salty food ..
  • sweetchildomine
    sweetchildomine Posts: 872 Member
    I used to get bloated ALL THE TIME until I cut gluten out of my diet. Now, I'm not saying that EVERYONE should cut out gluten. I'm just saying that I personally am sensitive to it and it's becoming a problem for more people these days. Try cutting it out for a week and see if anything changes.
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
    It sounds like a food sensitivity and I'd recommend doing some food eliminations to determine what it is. One person mentioned gluten, and for some it's any wheat at all. For some people like my eldest child, it's dairy. Just try eliminating one possibility at a time, see how you do without it for a week. If re-introducing causes a problem that you hadn't experienced during the week, you've got the culprit.
  • xmel123x
    xmel123x Posts: 63
    Hhmmm thats got me thinking... I wonder if I AM intollerant to something. Something to investigate further I think.

    This is a very long standing problem, I've been like this for as long as I can remember. In fact thinking about it I'm not just bloated after meals, its most of the time! In fact the only time I'm not is first thing in a morning! I also get quite gassy a lot and suffer from trapped wind (nice thought for you there haha).

    I'm not travelling and I don't eat much salty food or put salt in my cooking.
  • OriginalKatie
    OriginalKatie Posts: 119 Member
    Go to your doctor and see a dietician to work it out. Start a food diary that notes what you've eaten and what bloats you. I used to have this problem - went to a dietician, did a couple of hydrogen/methane breath tests, and discovered that I have fructose and lactose intolerance. So now I actually follow the "low FODMAP diet", which eliminates certain fruits, vegies, wheat, honey, which are high in fructose and other sugars. If I do eat foods that are high in fructose or fructans etc, or have dairy that is not lactose free, I get bloating and pain immediately. Also I recommend having a probiotic medication - they have TONNES more bacteria than just a tub of yogurt.
  • xmel123x
    xmel123x Posts: 63
    I've just had a quick search around the internet for places near me that do food allergy testing. I found a place that is very reasonably priced (£45), but I'm not sure how effective their method of testing is, does anyone know anything about this...

    "The test is non-invasive - we do not take blood, scratch or inject your skin. The equipment used is a machine known as a Mora RM 10S, which has a rod connected to it that you hold in one hand. We then gently touch the ends of your fingers or toes with a stylus, which measures your body's energetic response to various foods and substances that are placed into the machine."
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Hhmmm thats got me thinking... I wonder if I AM intollerant to something. Something to investigate further I think.

    This is a very long standing problem, I've been like this for as long as I can remember. In fact thinking about it I'm not just bloated after meals, its most of the time! In fact the only time I'm not is first thing in a morning! I also get quite gassy a lot and suffer from trapped wind (nice thought for you there haha).

    I'm not travelling and I don't eat much salty food or put salt in my cooking.
    you may not be *adding* salt to your cooking, but you may stil be eating foods that are high in sodium (take out? convenience? canned goods?)

    Are you logging everything? then start takign a look at what youa re eating, and start taking off food groups, one at a time, try to isolate what can be causing this - bread? pasta? dairy? certain fruits? large fresh salads?
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    I've just had a quick search around the internet for places near me that do food allergy testing. I found a place that is very reasonably priced (£45), but I'm not sure how effective their method of testing is, does anyone know anything about this...

    "The test is non-invasive - we do not take blood, scratch or inject your skin. The equipment used is a machine known as a Mora RM 10S, which has a rod connected to it that you hold in one hand. We then gently touch the ends of your fingers or toes with a stylus, which measures your body's energetic response to various foods and substances that are placed into the machine."

    I wouldn't recommend this. The only form of allergy testing that is reliable is either the skin scratch test or a blood test.
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
    Sometimes food sensitivities don't show up as allergies. By all means, go ahead with allergy testing, but the food elimination is still a good idea. and most of the time it's either wheat/gluten or dairy. sometimes both. yeast can be a problem as well.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    Hhmmm thats got me thinking... I wonder if I AM intollerant to something. Something to investigate further I think.

    This is a very long standing problem, I've been like this for as long as I can remember. In fact thinking about it I'm not just bloated after meals, its most of the time! In fact the only time I'm not is first thing in a morning! I also get quite gassy a lot and suffer from trapped wind (nice thought for you there haha).

    I'm not travelling and I don't eat much salty food or put salt in my cooking.


    If you ever eat out or eat prepared food you're eating salty food. I know I have a salt sensitivity
  • toxicat
    toxicat Posts: 79
    This was totally me! I stopped eating sugar, dairy, grains, and processed foods. Eat a lot of fruits and veggies, and watch your salt intake. Drink a lot of water! Keep up with the probiotics. Start eliminating things slowly and you'll find the culprit.
  • coppertop_4
    coppertop_4 Posts: 258 Member
    I recently gave up dairy and most fruit. Apples used to bloat me and give me stomach pains. I stick to berries and bananas (mainly on the days I exercise). I was always bloated - ALWAYS!. A few days off the dairy and apples and the bloating was gone. I'd always suffered bloating and thought that's how it was for me but a little research and my symptoms matched those of dairy intolerance. I feel amazing too. I do take a dairy free probiotic and calcium supplement. I stick to unsweetened almond milk, coconut yoghurt for a treat and just said goodbye to cheese and butter/spreads.
    Also, cutting back on sugars help bloating as does eating smaller amounts after 3pm. I've been told by my trainer that's when your body starts to wind down and doesn't need as much food (unless you do evening exercise of course).
    This is just what's worked for me. Hope that helps :)

    apples and yogurt were my causes too! When I'd eat them and a salad and some water.... I was miserable!

    I still eat them, but not around the same time of day and not with salads and water!
  • windstar57
    windstar57 Posts: 41 Member
    I just got back from the second doctor for my bloating…didn't think it was food until I got off of wheat totally and went gluten free…felt better for about a month. Now I'm in agony and bloated constantly…I am eating a lot of yogurt and fruits…seems everything bothers me. My son had the breath testing for lactose/dairy and was intolerant. So, I,too, will be taking a look at my diet to see if a food is making me uncomfortably bloated too.

    Good luck in your journey and thanks for all the info from others on this forum...
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
    Bloated????
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    i'm lactose intolerant and hyper sensitive to wheat, but i'm not allergic to either, so not sure how useful an allergy test would be.

    why not try cutting ALL dairy out for a few days and see how it goes? keep in mind that many prepared foods include butter or cream, so read labels and make sure that you're not eating yogurt, cheese, milk or butter, or eating hidden dairy in sauces, soups, cake, etc. after a few days, if you're still bloating the same way, add your dairy back and try again by removing another food or food component. the hardest will be to try removing all gluten (which is in some unexpected places), but hopefully removing only dairy or only wheat will do it.