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

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  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
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    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).

    I listed my diet & protein powder just now.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
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    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

    That's possible. There are so many reasons that could be causing it. I feel like it's going to take me forever to figure it out.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    12% bodyfat?
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
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    12% bodyfat?

    Last time I checked at the gym.
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
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    I have been having a similar problem, but it is completely sporadic! I can be fine for a week or two, then all the sudden I eat something, and I bloat up like a balloon. I usually get sick from it too. I have been trying to isolate the issue, but it is so random! I think it may have something to do with seeds (sesame, poppy, flax), but I can't tell for sure. Good luck!
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
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    I have been having a similar problem, but it is completely sporadic! I can be fine for a week or two, then all the sudden I eat something, and I bloat up like a balloon. I usually get sick from it too. I have been trying to isolate the issue, but it is so random! I think it may have something to do with seeds (sesame, poppy, flax), but I can't tell for sure. Good luck!

    Thank you, I can tell this is going to be a long journey figuring this out.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    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.
    Body fortress, is that a soy protein? Either way it shouldn't be a problem, since it's not present excessively.

    I don't know what that day typically ends up on cal/carb/protein/fat wise, but I noticed everything you listed there is rather lean other then the nuts. One of the main reasons people eat vegetables is to absorb their nutrients. That's fairly hard to do without fat present (since most of them are fat soluble). It's nice that you're getting a variety of protein sources but I would also imagine you're missing out on a fair bit of nutrients with the lack of fruit and non green vegetables. You may be able to fix your problem by adding a vitamin and a avocado to the above.
  • jonilynn70
    jonilynn70 Posts: 145 Member
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    I'd take 12% body fat and a bloated stomach any day! LOL.
  • RebeccaHite
    RebeccaHite Posts: 187 Member
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    It's all in your head...12% body fat is so lean for a woman should be 15-25....your so lean as soon as you eat it may appear that way but it's food not fat...Thats sounds like a way a anorexia person thinks seriously...when I was 17yrs old I thought I was fat (110lbs)because of my curves then when I had kids and drank alot and realized back then I was not fat and the new me was.Sometimes in in your head honestly ask around for others opinions.I have never been happy with my body for one reason or another...We are our worst critic sometimes please don't let it get to you...you're Beautiful.
  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
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    Make sure you're getting all of your vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. Some deficiencies can cause bloating and water retention, and the same holds true with toxicity. My advice would be to see a nutritionist or dietician and have them look into what you're eating so that you're taking care of your body.

    Otherwise, doll, the only thing that comes to mind is that you're hypercritical and look fantastic. Either way, I wish you the best!
  • igottaworkout
    igottaworkout Posts: 298 Member
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    I had horrible bloating because of pregnancy (I know not the same thing!) but what helped me was drinking peppermint tea (unsweetened). I just brewed a small pot with two teabags and drank that throughout the day instead of water. The bloat went away within two days. Peppermint tea is really good in aiding digestion and cutting the bloat. If that doesn't help it could still be that you have an allergy or intolerance.. I would try the tea first though :)
  • Melissa11412
    Melissa11412 Posts: 145 Member
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    It's all in your head...12% body fat is so lean for a woman should be 15-25....your so lean as soon as you eat it may appear that way but it's food not fat...Thats sounds like a way a anorexia person thinks seriously...when I was 17yrs old I thought I was fat (110lbs)because of my curves then when I had kids and drank alot and realized back then I was not fat and the new me was.Sometimes in in your head honestly ask around for others opinions.I have never been happy with my body for one reason or another...We are our worst critic sometimes please don't let it get to you...you're Beautiful.

    this is what i thought as well, i'm afraid. I actually did hit 12% bf one time (i've been weight training since the early 90's), heavy training, mix in HIIT/cardio etc) eating lean and my stomach would still pooch out after eating. i think that's what our stomachs do when it's busy holding what we just ate. my stomach would look lean as hell in the morning but let me eat something and relax my stomach....hey i got a little snack baby in there :noway:

    i sure would take that 12% again LOL but it was too hard to maintain and i'm old these days ha
  • WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr
    WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr Posts: 2,150 Member
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    OP: Best I can suggest for you with going gluten free (and dairy free) is read labels, read labels, read labels.

    I know this sounds kinda silly, but let me put it this way since you mentioned that you have cottage cheese at night and this happened to me with cottage cheese after I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy (epi pen kind of allergy), did you read the label to check it for wheat? I would have cottage cheese daily (nice quick protein filled breakfast with some fresh fruit- total yum!) and couldn't figure out why I was still having an allergic reaction....until I read the label, the brand of cottage cheese I bought contained modified food starch (ie wheat) after that, I learned all the terminology that can be used on packaging for wheat and also learned that I needed to start reading labels on EVERYTHING for content not just for calories/fat/sugar/ect.

    Now that being said, I also have to say this: read the label every time you buy it because the manufacturer can change their recipe any time they want and they don't have to tell you, all they have to do is change it on the label when they change the production line, the other thing is that FDA regulations state that if an item contains less that 2% wheat/gluten for the entire package, it can be labeled gluten free.
  • aNewYear123
    aNewYear123 Posts: 279 Member
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    Getting tested for these two allergies is not like getting tested for other allergies.

    Tests for gluten allergies involve an endoscope and biopsy:
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis

    Tests for milk allergies are often not accurate:
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/milk-allergy/DS01008/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis

    If your main symptom is bloating and not anemia or malnutrition (which a gluten allergy can result in due to lack of ability to absorb your food) simply cutting these out of your diet is probably the best test.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    Options
    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.
    Body fortress, is that a soy protein? Either way it shouldn't be a problem, since it's not present excessively.

    I don't know what that day typically ends up on cal/carb/protein/fat wise, but I noticed everything you listed there is rather lean other then the nuts. One of the main reasons people eat vegetables is to absorb their nutrients. That's fairly hard to do without fat present (since most of them are fat soluble). It's nice that you're getting a variety of protein sources but I would also imagine you're missing out on a fair bit of nutrients with the lack of fruit and non green vegetables. You may be able to fix your problem by adding a vitamin and a avocado to the above.

    It's a Whey Isolate protein.Sorry, I didn't mention I take multivitamins, probiotics, digestive enzymes as well. I would have no issues with adding some fruit in there. I have my macros set to 25% carbs, 35% fat & 40% protein. I eat 1200-1300 calories a day.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    Options
    It's all in your head...12% body fat is so lean for a woman should be 15-25....your so lean as soon as you eat it may appear that way but it's food not fat...Thats sounds like a way a anorexia person thinks seriously...when I was 17yrs old I thought I was fat (110lbs)because of my curves then when I had kids and drank alot and realized back then I was not fat and the new me was.Sometimes in in your head honestly ask around for others opinions.I have never been happy with my body for one reason or another...We are our worst critic sometimes please don't let it get to you...you're Beautiful.

    Thank you for your sweet words. That's why I mentioned that I am pretty lean, because I know it's not fat that's making my stomach like this, it's something I'm eating.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    Options
    I had horrible bloating because of pregnancy (I know not the same thing!) but what helped me was drinking peppermint tea (unsweetened). I just brewed a small pot with two teabags and drank that throughout the day instead of water. The bloat went away within two days. Peppermint tea is really good in aiding digestion and cutting the bloat. If that doesn't help it could still be that you have an allergy or intolerance.. I would try the tea first though :)

    Thank you! I love tea actually! I'll give this a try :smile:
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    Options
    Getting tested for these two allergies is not like getting tested for other allergies.

    Tests for gluten allergies involve an endoscope and biopsy:
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis

    Tests for milk allergies are often not accurate:
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/milk-allergy/DS01008/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis

    If your main symptom is bloating and not anemia or malnutrition (which a gluten allergy can result in due to lack of ability to absorb your food) simply cutting these out of your diet is probably the best test.

    I'm going to go over all the labels of food I eat regularly, as well as Google search for information on them & see if there is gluten/dairy in a lot of stuff I eat that I don't even realize. Thanks for the advice.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
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    .....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.....

    not if shes eating at a deficit.

    ETA: are you eating at a deficit, OP?

    ETAA: just sw youre eating 1200-1300 cals a day...have you figured out your TDEE? for someone working out as much as you are, i think perhaps you need to up your intake.
  • nyla2120
    nyla2120 Posts: 370 Member
    Options
    OP: Best I can suggest for you with going gluten free (and dairy free) is read labels, read labels, read labels.

    I know this sounds kinda silly, but let me put it this way since you mentioned that you have cottage cheese at night and this happened to me with cottage cheese after I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy (epi pen kind of allergy), did you read the label to check it for wheat? I would have cottage cheese daily (nice quick protein filled breakfast with some fresh fruit- total yum!) and couldn't figure out why I was still having an allergic reaction....until I read the label, the brand of cottage cheese I bought contained modified food starch (ie wheat) after that, I learned all the terminology that can be used on packaging for wheat and also learned that I needed to start reading labels on EVERYTHING for content not just for calories/fat/sugar/ect.

    Now that being said, I also have to say this: read the label every time you buy it because the manufacturer can change their recipe any time they want and they don't have to tell you, all they have to do is change it on the label when they change the production line, the other thing is that FDA regulations state that if an item contains less that 2% wheat/gluten for the entire package, it can be labeled gluten free.

    This isn't silly at all & I'm going to look into the ingredients in everything I eat now. Thanks :smile:

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