Belly fat ...

Hi. Just out of interest, do you track your macros, and consistently in a calorie deficit?

Remember that we are our own worst critics. And, women understandably feel pressure to look a certain way. You can't change the natural shape of your body (without surgery). And, maybe there are people in your life who don't think you should! (If not, find some!)

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

Bloating can means different things. It could be fat, but it could also be due to digestive issues. Some foods make me super gassy and bloated, but it has nothing to do with my weight/body composition.

Yeah, it kinda depends on what you mean by "bloating": Water retention? Gassiness? Constipation? Change in belly size over the course of a day (when, what conditions)? Change from one day to the next, or week to the next?

It's common for women (who aren't fully in menopause yet) to have some pretty major changes in water retention over the course of their monthly cycle . . . that's kind of what a healthy female body does, much as it irritates us sometimes. If constipation's in the picture, getting enough fiber, fat, water, and exercise are the basics, but there are other things that can help in a smaller subset of cases where those aren't the issue. If the changes are within a day, sometimes it's just about how an individual body processes food and how it shows on the body as it moves through our system.

And so forth.

I'd also add that sometimes posture can emphasize what amount of belly fat we do have, making it more noticeable or prominent. One posture issue, called "anterior pelvic tilt" is (I think) a little more common now because some women try to emphasize their booty, but it can happen for other reasons. The other is that head-forward, neck-forward, rounded-shoulders posture that many of us have from sitting in front of computers or hunching over phones/tablets. Both of those push abdominal fat forward and compress it into a smaller vertical height (so it pokes out further). So, exercises aimed at improving those posture problems can help appearance.

We might be able to say something more useful if you give more details, or are willing to post photos.

newzane15 wrote: »

Hi,
When doing Weighted ab exercises concentrate on inhaling and exhaling properly. It's also one of the reason for bloating. Divide your large meals into four or five smaller meals. Add plenty of fibre rich foods like whole wheat bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables. Chew thoroughly and drink around 2 to 3 litres of water daily. It helps in digestion.

Really? Got any evidence that actually proves that? Like a scientific link?

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I don't have a uterus or any science to back me up, but I bloat with excess sugar or salt. It's crazy how volatile too. Friday AM weigh in can be 165lbs. Spend the weekend eating fast food and snacking and Monday comes in around 172lbs. 24 hours of tracked eating and water, 167lbs, and 48 hours later I'm back to 165lbs. For me the bloating happens in the britches, especially the thigh area.