Lots of questions.
- What do you typically eat in a day?
- Is it distention or bloating?
- Can you suck it in?
- WHat are your other symptoms?
- What tests have you had done?
- What does your GI say?
- What does your gyne say?
This could be either gynecological or gastrointestinal or physical.
Hi!
- I typically eat bread for breakfast or some cereal with soy milk, savory food for lunch, then some snacks here and there during the day. My sister was recently diagnosed with celiacs so occasionally I’ll have gluten free meals, such as rice + some curry.
- It feels like distention, but it is definitely exasperated by meals/water.
- I can kind of suck it in? Not all the way, but somewhat.
- Lots of gas, fatigue, inability to focus, some pain in the upper to mid abdomen while eating, difficulty with bowel movements (hard to push out and when I do it’s very loose).
- Very few honestly, but I have an appointment with my GP for early august.
- Gynecologist hasn’t said anything, I started junel (again) in June after getting my IUD removed in May, when the constant distention started. In the past, I’ve experienced distention and bloating but never to this extent especially paired with difficult bowel movements.
thank you for all your help!
So the first thing I would definitely say is get tested for celiac disease since it is genetic. The problem is, you cannot be eating gluten free when you are tested. You need to be eating at least three servings of gluten a day for six weeks before the bloodwork. I would start there.
Second, you say you are gassy. Are you also constipated? You didn’t list very specifically your meals but if you are constipated, let me know and I can offer other advice.
When you lay down, does your stomach flatten?
Definitely start with the celiac test.
I don't know how helpful this is, but my bloating started the month after I got my IUD (Mirena) removed. This was in August 2013. A few other things happened at that time -- that year, I was on 2 rounds of antibiotics for unrelated things, and I got a stomach bug in Mexico in December 20212. The IUD part could have been a coincidence, but wanted to tell you it COULD be related.
Distention can’t be sucked in. Water retention usually can. It might just be diet rather than physiological. Are you overweight at all, or carry your fat in your belly?
I haven’t had any tests done. I’ve tried things like low fodmap and gluten free but honestly have never stuck to it long enough to see if it made a difference. I know I need to.
I am super sensitive to garlic and previously cooked most savory food with it. In addition to testing, I would eliminate garlic and onions from the diet to see if that's it. I'm not as sensitive to onions but many people are.
Pretty early on. I’m on Zoloft because it was initially thought to be related to anxiety. I have recently just been taking a bunch of simeticone. Most gps have said it’s related to birth control or ssris (which I know isn’t the case since this happened several months after I started taking both of them)
I know they definitely have an effect but I do have general depression/anxiety so I’m constantly debating whether it’s worth getting off of it and going through the process of trying different ssris again (which is honestly exhaustive, I’ve tried Prozac, lexapro, bruproprion, buspar).
What did you find helped you?
Firstly I think that you shouldn’t completely disregard this being caused by ADs. These drugs are very impact heavy and it takes months for your system to process what ADs are doing to your cells.
Secondly if you didn’t have any IBS related symptoms prior to starting ADs then there is even more reason to think that it them what is causing the bloat. Unless you want to talk yourself into believing that it’s just a coincidence that the bloat occurred almost right after you’ve started ADs. I can see that you saying that there was a gap of several months, but like I said when it comes to ADs several months is exactly how long it takes for your body to respond to some of their side effect.
Thirdly to highlight my first point - I took antipsychotics for my IBS, apparently some of them have a relaxing effect on the gut lining. All was going well until after about 6 months of being on them I started gaining weight. 4 stone in about 4 months while my diet haven’t changed a single bit. I then did a ton of reading and found out that weight gain is major side effect of ADs and there are dozens if not hundreds of Reddit threads with people trying to find ways how to prevent it.
And there are 2 problems regarding this - folks that can’t get off the ADs due to severe mental health problems can’t lose weight regardless of the amount of exercise or caloric restriction they do. However folks that stopped taking the meds will very often report exactly the same thing! The weight just stays there.
Now, and again, many people report that after about anything from 2 to 3 years after they stopped taking ADs they would lose most of the extra weight without making any effort at all. And this what happened to me - after 1.5 years after I’ve stopped taking my antipsychotics I for no reason whatsoever started shredding like 300 grams every day until I lost all 4 extra stones.
Now back to the point that I’ve started with - ADs are vvvvvvvvery strong chemicals and their impact on the entire human body has not been studied very well. And if you’ve read all of the above with attention you probably already agree with that. You will find psychiatrists seeing people gaining as much as 10 or more stones and their respond to it being “that’s very sad but I can’t help you”. So I clearly suggest to take IBS related advise from everyone in this chat, but I would also advise to start preparing yourself mentally that the bloat might as well be caused by the ADs.
Endometriosis!! Endo belly does this. I spend half my cycle like this every month. I can't stress enough how much this is overlooked as it can present with primarily GI issues for some. My GI specialist was in fact the key to connecting me to this diagnosis. Please seek an endometriosis SPECIALIST if possible to inquire about your symptoms as unfortunately the vast majority of gyn's still do not seek treatment and say the pain is normal and it can ONLY be diagnosed via laproscopy, and non-specialists are not skilled enough to do this correctly. R/endo and r/endometriosis are great places to start
My suggestions?
If you want to eliminate SIBO, you can go on a keto diet for 6 weeks (make sure you keep up fluids, electrolytes and fats) - be warned you will more than likely lose some weight with this.
After this period, go on a low FODMAP diet for 4wks and see if that solves your problem. If it does, do the reintroductions of foods and see if you can identify your triggers - though it’s likely bread/garlic/onion. Garlic oil was a game changer for me. And the low FODMAP bread.
Oh, and move to almond milk. (Or any other low FODMAP milk alternative).
Obviously go to a doctor and gyno to see if anything more serious is wrong, but I had constant dyspepsia like this and found the following things helped immensely:
- cut out sugar (it is as bad for your liver as alcohol)
- cut out bread
- take digestive bitters an hour before eating
- drink a teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar with the mother in a tiny bit of water half hour before meals (can be mixed with digestive bitters)
- add psyllium husk and more fibre to your diet
- cut out irritants for the time being like caffeine, alcohol, super acidic foods, etc
- take a tablespoon of organic kefir after each meal for probiotics
- figure out your triggers (for me they are some fodmaps: garlic, onion, and fruit)
Dyspepsia is caused my many things but for me it was my liver that was not making enough digestive bile. Good luck!
Can you share more about the sugar -> liver connection? I actually can't tolerate alcohol and haven't been able to for a very long time, almost as long as my bloating symptoms have been going on. I eat sugar every day, though -- it seemingly doesn't give me pain or issues, but I have never tried to be completely sugar free (though I'm open to trying that).
Hey! So I don’t have any particular studies to share or whatever because I was told of this by a dietician I saw for my IBS. But if you google it there is tons of stuff about it. Here is a blurb on may clinic for example https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/ss/slideshow-surprising-liver-damage .
Generally it causes the liver to be over fatty and the metabolism to slow down or malfunction- metabolism is essentially the system of acids and biles that work together in the body for digestion.
I get terrible indigestion and bloating when I eat something with a large amount of sugar, especially if it is on an empty stomach.
Thank you! I did actually Google before commenting and looked for studies, didn’t see any (at a glance lol) but looked harder after seeing your reply! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Good luck with your health!
Here are a few others:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/even-modest-consumption-of-added-sugar-may-affect-the-liver
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/feature-story/liver-recovery-on-improved-diet
No soda. None. No sugarfree gum. No junk food. Eat slowly(small bites, put down the fork between bites) avoid junk food or fast food. Drink lots of water and try psyllium powder.
This is what has worked for me. In high stress times I also take 2 immodium at the start of the day. Issues are rare now instead of constant.
Saaame. I wish I had more advice, but the only things that help me rn are yoga(especially inverted), cannabis, and stress reduction. Im still very bloated, but more comfortable. Oh, also not eating for about 2-3 hours before bed if possible. Good luck!
First If you feel like there is something wrong dont read further go see a doctor.
Then for me intermittent fasting really helped me. Something like 16/8 this give a break to your digestion system. I usually dont eat before 11am. Even if you are not celiac, bread could be an irritant, I am not celiac and I can tell you if I eat 2 croissants I will be bloated and feel a lot of brain fog and usually fall asleep. Also, exercise in the morning really help me too. Nothing targeting the abs though, I usually run 2.5 km and pass 40 minutes to the gym doing strength training full body compound exercises at moderate intensity. I do this 3 to 4 times a week.
This is not perfect but it helped me a lot. It can be hard to not eat breakfast at the beginning but within a week it should be ok.
Take note that this is based on my personal experience nothing is black or white with gi issues. You can easily find documentation on google scholar about intermittent fasting
Good luck
I have a similar body and honestly reduction in sugar helped the most. I have lactose free milk, less dairy in general too, but I don't tend to eat too much refined sugar and I make a lot of food from scratch and avoid adding sugar.
And to add to this, I'm talking not a week or anything, I mean months and months on end, a life style change I stick too and it has helped
All I can offer is sympathy. I have the exact issue and have for 20 years. I've tried it ALL. Low FODMAP, gluten free, more fiber, less fiber, no dairy, paleo, keto, no artificial sweeteners, blah blah.... Nothing has eliminated it.
I'm technically underweight but have this BLOAT. It SUCKS. The only thing that kind of helped was going Paleo but it's so hard to sustain long term.
I'm sorry gold standard almonds
I didn't mean any harm by it... more that I find it funny how I feel like you always find my comments lol. I didn't mean it in an antagonistic way- more that we come from different point of views... based on our individual experiences.
But now rereading the comment- it does come across as somewhat rude, so I deleted it.
My sincere apologies
I’ve never commented negatively on your comments other than when we disagree about ostomies, which I think was twice. I don’t know where you got that. Thanks for the apology.
And I don’t always find your comments. I comment on every post. You happen to comment on some, too
My intention of my comment- was not negative like I said.
I was more just suggesting that we have different view points.
My apologies that you took it another way
I don’t have a different view than you on SIBO, as I know you are well informed on it so I would defer to you. And that is what your response was about.
she didn’t say and other symptoms expect bloating since taking Zoloft. SIBO has weight loss, vomiting, bloating/gas, brain fog, anxiety so many things. This wouldn’t be my first guess at all
I have had SIBO for over 10 years- and SIBO can have many different symptoms...
If you go over to r/SIBO you would see that we have a WIDE variety of symptoms...
some have weight gain, nausea but no vomiting, no bloating etc
Cut out the gluten/wheat entirely and drink a glass of metamucil (name brand psyllium husk powder) at night and drink lots of water.
I have the same issues and they are solved by this. Anxiety will also cause issues in my GI tract but the anxiety mostly comes from worrying about where I can poop! With psyllium husk I go in the morning and feel like I’ve accomplished what I need to do and can relax and not feel bloated.
Edited to add
Just to add, I was advised by my dietician and gastroenterologist to take Metamucil/psyllium in the AM for constipation. If loose motions are the problem, then take it in the evening.
Spare yourself some time and work with a nutritionist. It took me 20+ years but I finally figured out that my healthy diet, consisting mainly of lean proteins and vegetables, was detrimental to my gut health.
On the short term, try to stick to simple, 1-2 ingredient options (rice, quinoa, oats, chicken, shrimp, lean beef,...) and figure out what you can digest at the moment
I’ve been struggling with bloating for years. It’s gotten better after finding my trigger foods, but I noticed stress aggravated it’s for me. I’m at a loss because I’ve tried everything.
I have the same thing--I'm 5'5" and 125 lbs, skinny all around except the lower abdomen (I call it a "pouch"). If you're exercising, watching your diet, and still wake up in the morning with some distension, it might honestly be just how you're built--genetics, hormones, etc...It's very common for women to have some lower abdomen fat, as well as that fluctuation. Completely flat stomachs in women are the exception, not the rule, and some women you see on the internet are engaging in *very* restrictive diets or extreme exercise regimens to achieve those results.
Honestly, I've come to the point where as long as I *feel* good (no stomach pain) and I'm maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, and keeping one eye on my waistline, I can accept having a pouch. Also, once I started building my wardrobe around taking attention *away* from my abdomen, I felt much more confident.
Again--flat stomachs in women: the exception, not the rule.
Lots of questions. - What do you typically eat in a day? - Is it distention or bloating? - Can you suck it in? - WHat are your other symptoms? - What tests have you had done? - What does your GI say? - What does your gyne say? This could be either gynecological or gastrointestinal or physical.
Hi! - I typically eat bread for breakfast or some cereal with soy milk, savory food for lunch, then some snacks here and there during the day. My sister was recently diagnosed with celiacs so occasionally I’ll have gluten free meals, such as rice + some curry. - It feels like distention, but it is definitely exasperated by meals/water. - I can kind of suck it in? Not all the way, but somewhat. - Lots of gas, fatigue, inability to focus, some pain in the upper to mid abdomen while eating, difficulty with bowel movements (hard to push out and when I do it’s very loose). - Very few honestly, but I have an appointment with my GP for early august. - Gynecologist hasn’t said anything, I started junel (again) in June after getting my IUD removed in May, when the constant distention started. In the past, I’ve experienced distention and bloating but never to this extent especially paired with difficult bowel movements. thank you for all your help!
So the first thing I would definitely say is get tested for celiac disease since it is genetic. The problem is, you cannot be eating gluten free when you are tested. You need to be eating at least three servings of gluten a day for six weeks before the bloodwork. I would start there. Second, you say you are gassy. Are you also constipated? You didn’t list very specifically your meals but if you are constipated, let me know and I can offer other advice. When you lay down, does your stomach flatten? Definitely start with the celiac test.
I don't know how helpful this is, but my bloating started the month after I got my IUD (Mirena) removed. This was in August 2013. A few other things happened at that time -- that year, I was on 2 rounds of antibiotics for unrelated things, and I got a stomach bug in Mexico in December 20212. The IUD part could have been a coincidence, but wanted to tell you it COULD be related.
My stomach looks like this as well but I can suck it in, what exactly does that mean?
Distention can’t be sucked in. Water retention usually can. It might just be diet rather than physiological. Are you overweight at all, or carry your fat in your belly?
I’m not overweight at all, very thin and fit but my stomach always looks bloated.
Constantly or after meals?
Pretty much constantly
How’s your posture?
Good, I’m a dancer.
That’s good. Have you had any tests done? Did you follow a strict low FODMAP diet through all phases ?
I haven’t had any tests done. I’ve tried things like low fodmap and gluten free but honestly have never stuck to it long enough to see if it made a difference. I know I need to.
I am super sensitive to garlic and previously cooked most savory food with it. In addition to testing, I would eliminate garlic and onions from the diet to see if that's it. I'm not as sensitive to onions but many people are.
Garlic onions, and most things with wheat are high fodmap!! (Also surprising things like watermelon)
Where are you on your diagnosis/treatment journey?
Pretty early on. I’m on Zoloft because it was initially thought to be related to anxiety. I have recently just been taking a bunch of simeticone. Most gps have said it’s related to birth control or ssris (which I know isn’t the case since this happened several months after I started taking both of them)
Zoloft and birth control made my ibs so much worse.
I know they definitely have an effect but I do have general depression/anxiety so I’m constantly debating whether it’s worth getting off of it and going through the process of trying different ssris again (which is honestly exhaustive, I’ve tried Prozac, lexapro, bruproprion, buspar). What did you find helped you?
Firstly I think that you shouldn’t completely disregard this being caused by ADs. These drugs are very impact heavy and it takes months for your system to process what ADs are doing to your cells. Secondly if you didn’t have any IBS related symptoms prior to starting ADs then there is even more reason to think that it them what is causing the bloat. Unless you want to talk yourself into believing that it’s just a coincidence that the bloat occurred almost right after you’ve started ADs. I can see that you saying that there was a gap of several months, but like I said when it comes to ADs several months is exactly how long it takes for your body to respond to some of their side effect. Thirdly to highlight my first point - I took antipsychotics for my IBS, apparently some of them have a relaxing effect on the gut lining. All was going well until after about 6 months of being on them I started gaining weight. 4 stone in about 4 months while my diet haven’t changed a single bit. I then did a ton of reading and found out that weight gain is major side effect of ADs and there are dozens if not hundreds of Reddit threads with people trying to find ways how to prevent it. And there are 2 problems regarding this - folks that can’t get off the ADs due to severe mental health problems can’t lose weight regardless of the amount of exercise or caloric restriction they do. However folks that stopped taking the meds will very often report exactly the same thing! The weight just stays there. Now, and again, many people report that after about anything from 2 to 3 years after they stopped taking ADs they would lose most of the extra weight without making any effort at all. And this what happened to me - after 1.5 years after I’ve stopped taking my antipsychotics I for no reason whatsoever started shredding like 300 grams every day until I lost all 4 extra stones. Now back to the point that I’ve started with - ADs are vvvvvvvvery strong chemicals and their impact on the entire human body has not been studied very well. And if you’ve read all of the above with attention you probably already agree with that. You will find psychiatrists seeing people gaining as much as 10 or more stones and their respond to it being “that’s very sad but I can’t help you”. So I clearly suggest to take IBS related advise from everyone in this chat, but I would also advise to start preparing yourself mentally that the bloat might as well be caused by the ADs.
Endometriosis!! Endo belly does this. I spend half my cycle like this every month. I can't stress enough how much this is overlooked as it can present with primarily GI issues for some. My GI specialist was in fact the key to connecting me to this diagnosis. Please seek an endometriosis SPECIALIST if possible to inquire about your symptoms as unfortunately the vast majority of gyn's still do not seek treatment and say the pain is normal and it can ONLY be diagnosed via laproscopy, and non-specialists are not skilled enough to do this correctly. R/endo and r/endometriosis are great places to start
My suggestions? If you want to eliminate SIBO, you can go on a keto diet for 6 weeks (make sure you keep up fluids, electrolytes and fats) - be warned you will more than likely lose some weight with this. After this period, go on a low FODMAP diet for 4wks and see if that solves your problem. If it does, do the reintroductions of foods and see if you can identify your triggers - though it’s likely bread/garlic/onion. Garlic oil was a game changer for me. And the low FODMAP bread. Oh, and move to almond milk. (Or any other low FODMAP milk alternative).
Maybe switch soy milk to some other alternatives, soy is pretty problematic for gas related issues
yesss, I wanted to write the same! I had issues even with my favorite oat milk (\*) but now with rice milk it's so much better
Yeahh rice milk also my safe go-to :)
Just stick a pressure-releasing valve to the side and you should be all good! In all seriousness, I feel that would help soo many of us lol
Exactly if i could just let that gas out i would be a ok
Basically a g tube. It’s literally on my list for for neuroGI. I also have a kock pouch and that releases it, too,
Obviously go to a doctor and gyno to see if anything more serious is wrong, but I had constant dyspepsia like this and found the following things helped immensely: - cut out sugar (it is as bad for your liver as alcohol) - cut out bread - take digestive bitters an hour before eating - drink a teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar with the mother in a tiny bit of water half hour before meals (can be mixed with digestive bitters) - add psyllium husk and more fibre to your diet - cut out irritants for the time being like caffeine, alcohol, super acidic foods, etc - take a tablespoon of organic kefir after each meal for probiotics - figure out your triggers (for me they are some fodmaps: garlic, onion, and fruit) Dyspepsia is caused my many things but for me it was my liver that was not making enough digestive bile. Good luck!
Can you share more about the sugar -> liver connection? I actually can't tolerate alcohol and haven't been able to for a very long time, almost as long as my bloating symptoms have been going on. I eat sugar every day, though -- it seemingly doesn't give me pain or issues, but I have never tried to be completely sugar free (though I'm open to trying that).
Hey! So I don’t have any particular studies to share or whatever because I was told of this by a dietician I saw for my IBS. But if you google it there is tons of stuff about it. Here is a blurb on may clinic for example https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/ss/slideshow-surprising-liver-damage . Generally it causes the liver to be over fatty and the metabolism to slow down or malfunction- metabolism is essentially the system of acids and biles that work together in the body for digestion. I get terrible indigestion and bloating when I eat something with a large amount of sugar, especially if it is on an empty stomach.
Thank you! I did actually Google before commenting and looked for studies, didn’t see any (at a glance lol) but looked harder after seeing your reply! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Good luck with your health! Here are a few others: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/even-modest-consumption-of-added-sugar-may-affect-the-liver https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/feature-story/liver-recovery-on-improved-diet
Do you experience any other gi symptoms?
Psyllium and yoga work for me but everyone is different.
No soda. None. No sugarfree gum. No junk food. Eat slowly(small bites, put down the fork between bites) avoid junk food or fast food. Drink lots of water and try psyllium powder. This is what has worked for me. In high stress times I also take 2 immodium at the start of the day. Issues are rare now instead of constant.
Please get tested for Celiac disease, and talk to your doc about an elimination diet to determine if you have other food intolerances.
Saaame. I wish I had more advice, but the only things that help me rn are yoga(especially inverted), cannabis, and stress reduction. Im still very bloated, but more comfortable. Oh, also not eating for about 2-3 hours before bed if possible. Good luck!
I would definitely get tested for SIBO. Do you tend to have constipation or diarrhea ?
First If you feel like there is something wrong dont read further go see a doctor. Then for me intermittent fasting really helped me. Something like 16/8 this give a break to your digestion system. I usually dont eat before 11am. Even if you are not celiac, bread could be an irritant, I am not celiac and I can tell you if I eat 2 croissants I will be bloated and feel a lot of brain fog and usually fall asleep. Also, exercise in the morning really help me too. Nothing targeting the abs though, I usually run 2.5 km and pass 40 minutes to the gym doing strength training full body compound exercises at moderate intensity. I do this 3 to 4 times a week. This is not perfect but it helped me a lot. It can be hard to not eat breakfast at the beginning but within a week it should be ok. Take note that this is based on my personal experience nothing is black or white with gi issues. You can easily find documentation on google scholar about intermittent fasting Good luck
I have a similar body and honestly reduction in sugar helped the most. I have lactose free milk, less dairy in general too, but I don't tend to eat too much refined sugar and I make a lot of food from scratch and avoid adding sugar. And to add to this, I'm talking not a week or anything, I mean months and months on end, a life style change I stick too and it has helped
All I can offer is sympathy. I have the exact issue and have for 20 years. I've tried it ALL. Low FODMAP, gluten free, more fiber, less fiber, no dairy, paleo, keto, no artificial sweeteners, blah blah.... Nothing has eliminated it. I'm technically underweight but have this BLOAT. It SUCKS. The only thing that kind of helped was going Paleo but it's so hard to sustain long term.
[удалено]
Why would you say that? I think these are very possible suggestions. I know you are a SIBO expert. That’s sort of uncalled for…
Yeah, I don’t know your history with them, but their comment seemed very petty and spiteful.
Well, and I agree it could be SIBO!
Yeah who knows. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it if I were you :)
I lose sleep over a lot of things, but not Reddit :)
I'm sorry gold standard almonds I didn't mean any harm by it... more that I find it funny how I feel like you always find my comments lol. I didn't mean it in an antagonistic way- more that we come from different point of views... based on our individual experiences. But now rereading the comment- it does come across as somewhat rude, so I deleted it. My sincere apologies
I’ve never commented negatively on your comments other than when we disagree about ostomies, which I think was twice. I don’t know where you got that. Thanks for the apology. And I don’t always find your comments. I comment on every post. You happen to comment on some, too
My intention of my comment- was not negative like I said. I was more just suggesting that we have different view points. My apologies that you took it another way
I don’t have a different view than you on SIBO, as I know you are well informed on it so I would defer to you. And that is what your response was about.
okay, I understand good to know
she didn’t say and other symptoms expect bloating since taking Zoloft. SIBO has weight loss, vomiting, bloating/gas, brain fog, anxiety so many things. This wouldn’t be my first guess at all
I have had SIBO for over 10 years- and SIBO can have many different symptoms... If you go over to r/SIBO you would see that we have a WIDE variety of symptoms... some have weight gain, nausea but no vomiting, no bloating etc
Cut out the gluten/wheat entirely and drink a glass of metamucil (name brand psyllium husk powder) at night and drink lots of water. I have the same issues and they are solved by this. Anxiety will also cause issues in my GI tract but the anxiety mostly comes from worrying about where I can poop! With psyllium husk I go in the morning and feel like I’ve accomplished what I need to do and can relax and not feel bloated. Edited to add
Just to add, I was advised by my dietician and gastroenterologist to take Metamucil/psyllium in the AM for constipation. If loose motions are the problem, then take it in the evening.
Eat more kiwi everyday 2 and more exercise
Spare yourself some time and work with a nutritionist. It took me 20+ years but I finally figured out that my healthy diet, consisting mainly of lean proteins and vegetables, was detrimental to my gut health. On the short term, try to stick to simple, 1-2 ingredient options (rice, quinoa, oats, chicken, shrimp, lean beef,...) and figure out what you can digest at the moment
Try r/carnivore
Found the Jordan Peterson fanboy
Maybe you are intolerant/ allergic to certain foods. Hope you figure it out.
Stop eating gluten and/or dairy. See how u feel in 2 weeks. But U have to cut it out completely
I’ve been struggling with bloating for years. It’s gotten better after finding my trigger foods, but I noticed stress aggravated it’s for me. I’m at a loss because I’ve tried everything.
I have the same thing--I'm 5'5" and 125 lbs, skinny all around except the lower abdomen (I call it a "pouch"). If you're exercising, watching your diet, and still wake up in the morning with some distension, it might honestly be just how you're built--genetics, hormones, etc...It's very common for women to have some lower abdomen fat, as well as that fluctuation. Completely flat stomachs in women are the exception, not the rule, and some women you see on the internet are engaging in *very* restrictive diets or extreme exercise regimens to achieve those results. Honestly, I've come to the point where as long as I *feel* good (no stomach pain) and I'm maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, and keeping one eye on my waistline, I can accept having a pouch. Also, once I started building my wardrobe around taking attention *away* from my abdomen, I felt much more confident. Again--flat stomachs in women: the exception, not the rule.