skinny with belly fat/bloat

Apple_scruff
Apple_scruff Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 28 year old woman, 5'8, 137. Mostly trying to maintain, although I feel best at about 133. My body type is slender, and overall I feel good about my legs, arms, hips, but I have this belly bloat that I can't seem to get rid of. I eat well (mostly plants, sometimes salmon, lots of water), exercise 4-5 days a week with a mixture of cardio, weights and yoga, but I have this bloated belly that really bums me out! Any thoughts?

Replies

  • leahayliffe
    leahayliffe Posts: 16
    Ugh I have the exact same issue... What I've been told is that your abs are made in the kitchen... so I guess just try to avoid sugary foods and sodium. Also cardio is the key exercise to losing belly fat. Good luck!
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Hard to say with no pics or calorie/macro rundown.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Ugh I have the exact same issue... What I've been told is that your abs are made in the kitchen... so I guess just try to avoid sugary foods and sodium. Also cardio is the key exercise to losing belly fat. Good luck!

    Cardio is the key to cardiovascular health and endurance, not belly fat loss. Sugary foods dont affect belly fat. Sodium can cause water retention, which give the appearance of bloating, so yay for you!
  • leahayliffe
    leahayliffe Posts: 16
    Actually cardio is the main mode of exercise to shed belly fat. Toning and crunches will create muscle but wont show until the layer of fat is gone which is what cardio and eating clean help get rid of.
  • HRLaurie614
    HRLaurie614 Posts: 260 Member
    Have you been able to connect the bloat to certain foods? I'm trying to figure out if I have a reaction to corn (and possibly whole wheat).
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Actually cardio is the main mode of exercise to shed belly fat. Toning and crunches will create muscle but wont show until the layer of fat is gone which is what cardio and eating clean help get rid of.

    Inaccurate and inaccurate. You can get visible abs without doing a single hour of cardio.
  • susieoj
    susieoj Posts: 181
    I think you totally need to give more info, and to perhaps a trained professional instead of a fitness forum, right now from what you've said it could be many many different things causing bloat, some of which you should go to a doctor for - some types of gastrointestinal problems cause lower belly bloat and a doc would need to diagnose it, don't guess about it if you want to solve the problem, get checked out by an actual expert and if you rule out any actual medical issues...allergies ect... Then you could try to tone up or lose a bit more weight but if you're slim overall I doubt that weight loss per say is what you really need, remember that you can't actually choose to loose weight in just one problem area as much as we would all like to.
  • Ifly4free
    Ifly4free Posts: 203 Member
    I was having some major issues with gas/bloat. It was really bothersome and occurred no matter what I ate for the day. I decided to try Pearls Acidophilus pills. I take once a day. Oh my Gosh, what a huge difference in how I feel. It only occurs once in a great while and no where near the intensity/pain that I had in the past.
    I purchase mine from Amazon. Give it a try.
  • jackmarlic
    jackmarlic Posts: 3
    The only suggestion I would like to give you to loose fat is to choose foods that you find in the nature. Always choose fresh foods over canned or frozen foods.

    belly fat workouts
  • smelons
    smelons Posts: 450 Member
    If you eat a mainly plant diet, it could be gas causing the bloating. Look at the FODMAP diet food list: http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/
  • smelons
    smelons Posts: 450 Member
    I was having some major issues with gas/bloat. It was really bothersome and occurred no matter what I ate for the day. I decided to try Pearls Acidophilus pills. I take once a day. Oh my Gosh, what a huge difference in how I feel. It only occurs once in a great while and no where near the intensity/pain that I had in the past.
    I purchase mine from Amazon. Give it a try.

    Good point. I had terrible problems for years, but started taking probiotic supplements about 3 years ago. I get far fewer digestive issues now.
  • Cati321
    Cati321 Posts: 35
    I mostly cut out dairy and wheat and that helped a lot :) just test it if you haven't before, it's not that hard because there are soya products that are the same price, and then bring it back into your diet after a couple weeks - see if it makes any difference
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Hey I am 5'8' , weigh 128 most days and am a 55 year old woman. So - several things. Nothing bloats me like sugary sweets full of flour and sugar. I can swell up 7 pounds on one salty plate of Tex-Mex. All the walking, yoga, core training water drinking,etc can't stop the "food reaction swell". So I avoid those things, and then I have learned to just say no to clothes that fit tightly in that area. No need to wear a pup tent, I just make sure that my clothes are fitted to glide over that area rather than "stretch over it". It doesn't help if you are at the beach or in most workout gear, but since I generally weigh three more pounds by mid afternoon than I did first thing in the morning, it helps my self image not to be in too tight clothes.

    Another thing that helps is I work on posture every waking moment.

    If the swelling is persistent, see a doctor.
  • mikevandewetering
    mikevandewetering Posts: 155 Member
    Sounds like you are skinny fat (high body fat with low amount of lean body mass). You can do two things: first you can increase your lean body mass, or you can try to shredded the fat, which leaves your probably in anorexia mode.

    So the best bet is to increase your lean body mass (LBM) by lifting heavy weights, by increasing your LBM you will in the end burning more cals and shredded your fat more easly and look better in the end.

    So my tip is to start reverse dieting, by upping your cals with about 50 a week or so, mainly by upping carbs (and upping your amount of fat once in a while). You shouldn’t gain any weight when you do a proper reverse diet. Then go into a real minor surplus of 100-150 cals above your TDEE for atleast 6-12 months so you can increase your LBM while gaining zero or minimal amount of fat. Then after you can slowly cut the fat and you will look 10 times better.
  • jardimgirl
    jardimgirl Posts: 522 Member
    i hear both cardio and resistance training helps, but its nothing a good diet cant fix :)
  • sarahmoo12
    sarahmoo12 Posts: 756 Member
    might be intolerant to something like wheat or gluten making you bloat ?
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    If your belly bulge is caused by bloat and not by being skinny fat you may have problems digesting something. Try the elimination diet. I did and it turns out I'm mildly allergic to egg whites and I have problems digesting red meat. At least now when I have some of these I know what to expect in the following days.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Ugh I have the exact same issue... What I've been told is that your abs are made in the kitchen... so I guess just try to avoid sugary foods and sodium. Also cardio is the key exercise to losing belly fat. Good luck!

    You honestly don't have to avoid either to get a flat stomach and weight training is much more effective for providing a flat stomach than cardio is. The reason for this is weight training will help your body maintain your lean body mass. The more LBM you have, the leaner your will become. This is why women and men can gain muscle and be more slim than before.

    The problem that most women get into, is they tend to do a lot of cardio, get down to a low body weight and wonder why they still have fat. The issue isn't weight, it's body composition. This is why it's critical to maintain as much muscle as possible during weight loss if you want to look fit.

    If you are at a low weight and still have a tummy, then it's time for either a recomp (slow way but gain minimal fat) or a few bulk/cut cycles (a little harder for people psychologically if they are afraid to gain any fat).



    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/903628-one-year-of-barbells-and-ice-cream-my-story-so-far-pics
  • jackmarlic
    jackmarlic Posts: 3
    The only suggestion I would like to give you to loose fat is to choose foods that you find in the nature. Always choose fresh foods over canned or frozen foods.

    belly fat workouts
  • jackmarlic
    jackmarlic Posts: 3
    The only suggestion I would like to give you to loose fat is to choose foods that you find in the nature. Always choose fresh foods over canned or frozen foods.

    belly fat workouts

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