All this hard work for what? My stomach ruins it!!!

nyla2120

I have to share my frustration! I have been working so hard on my body, my arms are thin & toned, my legs are solid & I have these crazy quads, my butt is kind of sad but I'm working on it. Anyway, the issue is my stomach! It's not that it's not toned or that I have fat there, it's that as soon as I eat I bloat up like I'm 3 months pregnant! Literally I'll wake up with a flat stomach, you can see definition & everything. But, by the time I get around to my second meal of the day I'm bloated up! It almost looks like my stomach doesn't belong on my body because it looks so out of place. My body fat % is like around 12, I work out 5-6 days a week including lifting heavy weights & cardio (I do a mix of HIIT & steady state) I don't eat a lot of carbs & my only dairy is a bowl of cottage cheese at night. Right now I'm trying to eat gluten free oatmeal which is my first meal of the day to see if that helps. I even talked to my Dr. & asked her if I could get tested to see if maybe I had any food allergies & she told me to eliminate dairy & gluten for a month & see if it helps. No idea why she couldn't just send me to get tested so at least I know. I've even been taking probiotics & digestive enzymes to see if that would take care of the issue but it hasn't. Has anyone else here had this issue? If so, were you able to find a solution? I'm so frustrated with this & I don't know what the answer is to fix it.

elisa123gal

Maybe you should go gluten free and see if that fixes it...

potluck965

Sounds like you definitely need to look for an allergy.

I think your doc suggested what they did to save you money and the possibility of false results that wouldn't necessarily help you.

Dairy and gluten allergies are considered pretty common.

Personally, I would try one and then the other. If you do both together you won't know which one until you add one back and find out.

TribeHokie

generally doctors advise a trial month of gluten/dairy free instead of running tests because it is cheaper and less time consuming for both you and them. Without knowing what all you eat on a regular basis, I will say that I've heard a lot of people who severely restrict calories (like sub 1200 or who save 80% of their daily calories for one meal) will bloat after they eat, even if it wasn't a large meal. Something to think about. If that isn't you though then I would second the "cut back gluten and dairy for a bit" recommendation to see if that helps.

*ETA: I should have mentioned, I am one of those people who would seriously restrict in the morning and afternoon. I got to the point where a 150 calorie breakfast and some water was ballooning me up a pants size every morning. Once I balanced my meal calories out better it went away.

CoderGal

The first thing that hits me is:
1. skewed perception
2. allergy, get it checked out.

Also, don't listen to the beach body coach, It's against the rules for her to even be suggesting what she's suggesting

nyla2120

Maybe you should go gluten free and see if that fixes it...

That's what I'm trying now. I don't know a lot about gluten, but I think the only thing I eat on a regular basisthat would have it is my oatmeal, which I just switched to gluten free literally today. Otherwise my diet consists of chicken, fish, green veggies, sweet potato with lunch only, nuts, egg whites, almond milk, cottage cheese at night & protein powder post workout.

nyla2120

The first thing that hits me is:
1. skewed perception
2. allergy, get it checked out.

Also, don't listen to the beach body coach, It's against the rules for her to even be suggesting what she's suggesting

Oh I'm totally ignoring her. I think I might skip over my general medicine Dr. & make an appt. with a gastroenterologist.

nyla2120

generally doctors advise a trial month of gluten/dairy free instead of running tests because it is cheaper and less time consuming for both you and them. Without knowing what all you eat on a regular basis, I will say that I've heard a lot of people who severely restrict calories (like sub 1200 or who save 80% of their daily calories for one meal) will bloat after they eat, even if it wasn't a large meal. Something to think about. If that isn't you though then I would second the "cut back gluten and dairy for a bit" recommendation to see if that helps.

*ETA: I should have mentioned, I am one of those people who would seriously restrict in the morning and afternoon. I got to the point where a 150 calorie breakfast and some water was ballooning me up a pants size every morning. Once I balanced my meal calories out better it went away.

This could be the issue, I've been following the MFP 1200 a day diet. I'm not sure how much to add to my calories so I won't be gaining, I still want to lose around 5-10 pounds. But I also am trying to get away from gluten & little to no dairy to see if that helps.

MinnieInMaine

As I understand it, there aren't very accurate tests for gluten intolerances. There is a test for celiac disease but just because it comes back negative doesn't mean you don't have a sensitivity. So I would have to agree with your doctor - try doing a gluten and dairy free diet for about a month then then slowly (one small portion, one meal per day) introduce dairy and gluten back into your diet to see how it effects you.

A friend of mine did this and discovered that she has a strong dairy interolerance. Gluten is not so much of a problem for her but she still avoids it most of the time.

Going dairy free can be a bit of a pain because many products have less than obvious ingredients but there are plenty of alternative products out there to get you through. The gluten free part should be a snap as it's such a big thing right now, even WalMart sells gluten free stuff!

nyla2120

As I understand it, there aren't very accurate tests for gluten intolerances. There is a test for celiac disease but just because it comes back negative doesn't mean you don't have a sensitivity. So I would have to agree with your doctor - try doing a gluten and dairy free diet for about a month then then slowly (one small portion, one meal per day) introduce dairy and gluten back into your diet to see how it effects you.

A friend of mine did this and discovered that she has a strong dairy interolerance. Gluten is not so much of a problem for her but she still avoids it most of the time.

Going dairy free can be a bit of a pain because many products have less than obvious ingredients but there are plenty of alternative products out there to get you through. The gluten free part should be a snap as it's such a big thing right now, even WalMart sells gluten free stuff!

This is great advice, I didn't know it was kind of tricky to test for, makes sense why my Dr. didn't just send me. I'm going to do some research to find out if there is gluten in anything that I eat regularly.

nyla2120

Sounds like you definitely need to look for an allergy.

I think your doc suggested what they did to save you money and the possibility of false results that wouldn't necessarily help you.

Dairy and gluten allergies are considered pretty common.

Personally, I would try one and then the other. If you do both together you won't know which one until you add one back and find out.

I'm going to try this, thank you.

CoderGal

Maybe you should go gluten free and see if that fixes it...

That's what I'm trying now. I don't know a lot about gluten, but I think the only thing I eat on a regular basisthat would have it is my oatmeal, which I just switched to gluten free literally today. Otherwise my diet consists of chicken, fish, green veggies, sweet potato with lunch only, nuts, egg whites, almond milk, cottage cheese at night & protein powder post workout.

Not sure why you felt the need to add you only eat sweet potato at lunch, but what type of almond milk and how often do you drink it? I love unsweetened almond stuffs, but one of the additives used in many is carrageenans when can cause some people to have stomach issues. I don't think they've conclusively said that it's killing us all or anything but there are a fair amount of scientists who seem to think it's a bad thing for gastrointestinal problems. Try replacing your calcium with a different source for a while (I'd suggest cow if you're not lactose intolerant) and see if that makes things feel better.

What type of protein powder? How much cals, protein, fat, carbs are you getting? Are you taking any vitamins? Getting all your micronutrients? This could be anything from a certain type of food, to a imbalanced diet (getting to much/not enough of something).

CoderGal

Sounds like you definitely need to look for an allergy.

I think your doc suggested what they did to save you money and the possibility of false results that wouldn't necessarily help you.

Dairy and gluten allergies are considered pretty common.

Personally, I would try one and then the other. If you do both together you won't know which one until you add one back and find out.

I'm going to try this, thank you.

One thing to keep in mind if you cut out dairy and that cuts your fats and calcium intake down by allot, make sure to replace those things with something else.

Same thing goes from gluten, I don't know about you but I'm terrible with iron, and a lot of cereals etc contain iron, which you'd be cutting out (I noticed you said you eat fish, which has iron).

A lot of people cut a food out and they think they're feeling better because of that specific food when it comes down to them getting something they needed or they stop getting something they were consuming to much of (soy for example, which is eaten in excessively by some without them even realizing it, or suddenly getting enough fat/protein because they cut excessive amounts of wheat out etc)

Iron_Feline

Wait, you're 12% body fat but still want to lose 5-10lbs?

fitmama95

One of my close friends had the exact same problem. She is a swimwear model so had to get it in check. Her issue was a gluten intolerance. She completely cut gluten out of her diet and that fixed it. But everyone is different. Checking with a specialist sounds like a good idea.

jessicamiller25

I had this issue for years and finally found out I was gluten intolerant. Now that I am G-free it is much better. The longer I go without gluten (about 3 years now) I find that I am more sensitive to things such as artificial sweetener, MSG, almonds and oats. Check your protein powder for gluten and artificial sweetener. I am currently in the trial and error phase of switching protein powder; they have been hurting (bloating) my stomach lately. Like others said, go gluten free for several days or weeks and see if you feel better. All of my blood test have come out negative but on a g-free diet I feel 10x more healthy. I have a niece with celiacs disease so I know it is in my family genes.

Iron_Feline

I'm just going to say that due to the workout schedule you have and the fact that you are so close to goal weight you probably aren't eating enought. This might also be throwing your body out of whack.

Just saying

pgmayer

.....avoid processed carbs as much as possible........

...... green leafy vegetables and healthy protein and fat sources are all you need to build muscle and burn fat.....

nyla2120

Maybe you should go gluten free and see if that fixes it...

That's what I'm trying now. I don't know a lot about gluten, but I think the only thing I eat on a regular basisthat would have it is my oatmeal, which I just switched to gluten free literally today. Otherwise my diet consists of chicken, fish, green veggies, sweet potato with lunch only, nuts, egg whites, almond milk, cottage cheese at night & protein powder post workout.

Not sure why you felt the need to add you only eat sweet potato at lunch, but what type of almond milk and how often do you drink it? I love unsweetened almond stuffs, but one of the additives used in many is carrageenans when can cause some people to have stomach issues. I don't think they've conclusively said that it's killing us all or anything but there are a fair amount of scientists who seem to think it's a bad thing for gastrointestinal problems. Try replacing your calcium with a different source for a while (I'd suggest cow if you're not lactose intolerant) and see if that makes things feel better.

What type of protein powder? How much cals, protein, fat, carbs are you getting? Are you taking any vitamins? Getting all your micronutrients? This could be anything from a certain type of food, to a imbalanced diet (getting to much/not enough of something).

My diet typically is like this:

6:00am Pre-workout snack of coffee with Stevia & almond milk, gluten free rice cake & I tablespoon of peanut butter.

7:30am Postwork out: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/3 cup egg whites & a Body Fortress protein shake with 4oz water & 4oz almond milk.

11:00am Lunch: 4oz chicken breast, 3oz. sweet potato, green veggies.

Mid day snack Snack: Tuna with cucumbers & sometimes a Quest protein bar

Dinner: White fish, green veggies & a handful of almonds.

Bedtime snack: 1/2 cup cottage cheese with a few almonds.

nyla2120

.....avoid processed carbs as much as possible........

...... green leafy vegetables and healthy protein and fat sources are all you need to build muscle and burn fat.....

I try to, I rarely eat any.

CoderGal

I had this issue for years and finally found out I was gluten intolerant. Now that I am G-free it is much better. The longer I go without gluten (about 3 years now) I find that I am more sensitive to things such as artificial sweetener, MSG, almonds and oats. Check your protein powder for gluten and artificial sweetener. I am currently in the trial and error phase of switching protein powder; they have been hurting (bloating) my stomach lately. Like others said, go gluten free for several days or weeks and see if you feel better. All of my blood test have come out negative but on a g-free diet I feel 10x more healthy. I have a niece with celiacs disease so I know it is in my family genes.

Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe I'm reading something funny. Just because you are related to someone doesn't mean you have it too. If a medical professional tested your blood and told you it was not a gluten intolerance, it's likely not a gluten intolerance (that's what it sounded like you were saying). Particularly if it has made you sensitive to other foods since you've gone without it. I'd consider that a problem. Personally, I wouldn't promote going gluten free on those premises.