At Goal Weight- Noticing Belly Bulge

evergreenlakegirl

I'm 5'2 and after a year, I've lost 16 pounds and at my goal weight. In the spring, I decided to go pescatarian and I feel a lot better. The problem is I'm lazy about having food available in the house (I'm retired) and intermittent fast until about 1-2 pm in the afternoon. I'll have a healthy sandwich and sometimes eat dinner. Not many calories, but I'm not hungry. But.....lately, I've noticed my belly bulging. I haven't gained weight, so I don't understand why.

lorrpb

What is the measurement change for that area?

middlehaitch

It could be that you have lost surrounding fat so your belly looks as though it’s bulging.

It could actually be that it is the same size or smaller than before your 16 lbs loss.

It could be that your posture has changed.

It could be the way you bend if you look down to it.

It could be gas.

It could be food digesting.

It could be any number of things. Take measurements/photos and make notes of the changes.

As an aside, and out of concern, are you eating enough? A sandwich and sometimes dinner would be seriously underfuelling for me.
(Retired, maintaining, 5’1).

Cheers, h.

evergreenlakegirl

Thank you middlehaitch....guess it could be a number of things....I'll keep an eye on it...I'm thinking its the carbs....cheese.....excess cauliflower.....
I realize I'm not eating enough....but I'm not hungry...except at that 1-2pm mark....before or after not much. If I feel like I should eat, I'll have peanut butter on toast with banana. Also, I like hummus in between if I think I need the calories.

middlehaitch

I get the not hungry, sort of.
I find I like a good 4-5 hr between meals, and I’m not a snacker.

I found to get good nutrition and hit my protein goal (important when we are older for muscle and bone retention), I had to reintroduce breakfast.

I hadn’t eaten breakfast, by choice, the whole of my adult life, but just to get my protein and fats in,without overfilling myself and needing a little rest to digest, it had to come back into my life.

It’s only about 350-400 cals, but gets 25-30g protein (a bar) and 2-4 servings of fruit and veg. Not a filling meal, but fits my cal and nutritional goals.

My lunch is usually yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, or tuna, with fruit, veg, and maybe crackers or a slice toast. Again 400 ish cals and not filling, but lots of protein, some fats and fits my cal and nutritional goals.

My dinner, could be your lunch, is a full and varied meal of about 600 cals.

I also have a supper, (small meal before bed) that varies between sweet and savoury. The cals on this vary wildly as it can sometimes be a catch-up feed for extra exertion during the day.

Find ways that you can comfortably fit your calorie and nutritional needs in. You may have to re examine your eating schedule to do this.

As a fellow retiree, I am very conscious of making sure I am well fuelled with good nutrition (not perfect by any means as a glass of wine is always enjoyed) as lethargy can come on so fast.

Take care of yourself.

Cheers, h.

Cahgetsfit

Cauliflower (and every single other cruciferous vegetable now) has decided to bloat me in my older age. I used to be able to eat it as much as I wanted, now I look at it and it makes me bloat to 5 months pregnant.

I doubt the culprit is "evil carbs", but it could be cauliflower.

I also think perhaps you need to eat more.

And also agree with the post above re all the things like looking down at yourself and all that.

evergreenlakegirl

you gave me a lot to think about.....I know I'm not getting enough macro or micro nutrients the way that I eat. When I know I'm going out to play golf I have to force myself to eat something in the morning; the bites are slow. After reading your post, I thought I could break down the food into small portions and eat over the course of an hour. Funny because I use to eat large quantities of food- The Hungry Man Breakfast at my local cafe, which was 2 eggs, pancakes, bacon, toast with butter, and home fries. Yikes! I don't even know how I put that much food in my belly at one time- ha....my friend use to look at me like I was crazy.

evergreenlakegirl

lorrpb- Actually I haven't checked. My pants fit the same, but "before" my ribs would show more, and would concave.

Womona

If your belly is bulging very recently, but you changed your eating habits 5 months ago, a trip to the doctor may be in order. You could be retaining fluid in your abdomen due to any number of issues (liver, etc). Also decreased appetite is common in seniors, but again, if it’s pretty new, it’s a change that warrants a trip to the doctor. Good luck!

Luke_rabbit

Womona wrote: »

If your belly is bulging very recently, but you changed your eating habits 5 months ago, a trip to the doctor may be in order. You could be retaining fluid in your abdomen due to any number of issues (liver, etc). Also decreased appetite is common in seniors, but again, if it’s pretty new, it’s a change that warrants a trip to the doctor. Good luck!

I completely agree with this! Low appetite and abdominal bloating could be nothing or something that needs a doctor to diagnosis. Make an appointment.

erinam92

I don't have any advice regarding the bulging belly but have you considered having your food delivered? Most supermarkets deliver these days and some offer free delivery. It takes the hassle out of shopping and will mean there is more food readily available.

Also if you're finding it difficult to eat your calories you could always drink them. It's a good way of getting extra calories without having to force yourself to eat when you're not hungry.