Becoming incredibly frustrated with my stomach, please help. (Medical?) (pics)

[Christine]

Can someone please delete this? I got my answer.

Thanks!

[1quick1]

Hmmmm. Is it like that all the time? Like in the morning on an empty stomach and at night after meals? Do you know how many carbs you're taking in a day? You may want to start slowly cutting your carbs back and make sure the bulk of the ones you do take in are in the morning and after you lift,

[Christine]

Originally Posted by 1quick1

Hmmmm. Is it like that all the time? Like in the morning on an empty stomach and at night after meals? Do you know how many carbs you're taking in a day? You may want to start slowly cutting your carbs back and make sure the bulk of the ones you do take in are in the morning and after you lift,

Pretty much, maybe a bit worse after I eat. But it's just frustrating to go from flat (got even flatter than the pics I posted, those are just the only ones I have) to this. I felt so close to abs. Carbs were around 180, attempting to do a 40/40/20 1,800 diet. Lately I've been just kind of guessing and, honestly, the carbs have probably gone up.. something like 50/30/20 1,800 still. I always make sure they're complex/clean but I do eat quite a few.

I'll try cutting back. Do you think it's fat? Well, I don't know what else it could be so I guess that's a stupid question. I just don't understand why my weight hasn't gone up and why all this fat has gone only to my stomach.

[Critical Mass]

Wow. Honestly, I've not seen a case like this.

[Christine]

Originally Posted by Critical Mass

Wow. Honestly, I've not seen a case like this.

I'm wondering if it's possible that it could be a food intolerance or something causing this. But, even then, would it be this severe? I'm not going to say I'm eaten 100% healthy but no more than the normal few cheat meals here and there. No reason to gain all of this belly fat.

I'm confused and even slightly scared. I kept thinking it was bloating or something and would go away but it never did.

[strawser9]

Originally Posted by Christine

I'm wondering if it's possible that it could be a food intolerance or something causing this. But, even then, would it be this severe? I'm not going to say I'm eaten 100% healthy but no more than the normal few cheat meals here and there. No reason to gain all of this belly fat.

I'm confused and even slightly scared. I kept thinking it was bloating or something and would go away but it never did.

...maybe try cutting carbs out for a while? could be some type of insulin problem...
i don't usually recommend ketogenic diets, but it might be worth a try for a few weeks?

I would try some sort of carb-cycling before that...and get your blood sugar checked.

[sdb]

Originally Posted by Critical Mass

Wow. Honestly, I've not seen a case like this.

nor have I. I would consult a doctor to see if there's a blockage or something in y our abdominal/digestive area.

[Christine]

Thanks, guys!

I'll cut the carbs for now, hopefully that helps. It's still kind of crazy to me that eating a "normal" amount of healthy carbs can cause this, but I guess everyone is different. The part that confused me the most is that I didn't change my eating from those first few months to the last. I may have added a few more carbs, but definitely nothing dramatic.

Oh well. Hopefully I can get this belly to go away.

I can't afford to see a Doctor.

[Christine]

Originally Posted by strawser9

...maybe try cutting carbs out for a while? could be some type of insulin problem...
i don't usually recommend ketogenic diets, but it might be worth a try for a few weeks?

I would try some sort of carb-cycling before that...and get your blood sugar checked.

Is there really a right or wrong way to carb cycle? Or is it just like a day of low carbs, a day of medium carbs, a day of high carbs? I'll have to read up on it. I've heard good things about it.

[Christine]

Here are some more pictures. This morning; not eating all night and right after I went potty. These make me think it's my diet (and not something medical)

So, I guess that brings up the question: Can eating carbs late at night really be this detrimental? I thought it could cause a tiny bloat, not the appearance of being 9 months pregnant.

It's apparent that I have also gained fat. I will try to lower the carbs all-together and see what happens.

This is frustrating! But, I'll get through it.

[Big Guns]

Why don't you post your 100% truethful daily diet. What foods eaten, when, etc. This way we can see what is going on w/ your diet. Can you pinch quite a bit of skin? You obviously store your body fat there and not in your arms, back, legs.

I want to say you diet has changed more than you think or will admit too. Not a flame.... My stomach will bloat if I eat too much rice(brown) and will be flat in the am. That's why I say FIRST let's get your diet posted. no guessing. Include everything, beer, wine, shots, Burger King, etc

We'll fix ya right up.

[strawser9]

Originally Posted by Big Guns

Why don't you post your 100% truethful daily diet. What foods eaten, when, etc. This way we can see what is going on w/ your diet. Can you pinch quite a bit of skin? You obviously store your body fat there and not in your arms, back, legs.

I want to say you diet has changed more than you think or will admit too. Not a flame.... My stomach will bloat if I eat too much rice(brown) and will be flat in the am. That's why I say FIRST let's get your diet posted. no guessing. Include everything, beer, wine, shots, Burger King, etc

We'll fix ya right up.

yes, yes. many smart people this forum has!
seriously, log your diet down EVERY DAY on here...EVERYTHING you eat! we aren't going to give you shit for not eating 100% perfect every day, so don't lie!

[adinaluvsch]

Man, Christine, it could be your diet...for many people it is. However, if you didn't gain weight and your stomach gained size...you should consult with your physician to rule out a few things.

First of all, you'll want to tell him/her if your stomach tends to distend after eating certain foods- dairy, wheat, etc. Second, if you're having regular bowel movements. Third, if you've noticed a change in your energy levels along with the change in your abdominal girth.

FIRST, consult your physician, and in the meanwhile, chronicle your diet. Just from my experience, it would be good to avoid trying to fix something with diet when it may need medical attention.

Otherwise, these guys are right! There are some awesome people on this site with excellent diet and workout advice!

[Christine]

Originally Posted by adinaluvsch

Man, Christine, it could be your diet...for many people it is. However, if you didn't gain weight and your stomach gained size...you should consult with your physician to rule out a few things.

First of all, you'll want to tell him/her if your stomach tends to distend after eating certain foods- dairy, wheat, etc. Second, if you're having regular bowel movements. Third, if you've noticed a change in your energy levels along with the change in your abdominal girth.

FIRST, consult your physician, and in the meanwhile, chronicle your diet. Just from my experience, it would be good to avoid trying to fix something with diet when it may need medical attention.

Otherwise, these guys are right! There are some awesome people on this site with excellent diet and workout advice!

Thanks for the help. I honestly can't afford to see a Doctor at this time. I will as soon as my insurance goes through. I just got sued for 2k and can't be doing that again. So, in a few months, I will go. I know that's quite some time but it's the best I can do.

Here's my diet. I'm not going to lie, I don't write down what I eat so this isn't going to be EXACT but it's pretty damn close.

8:30
.5 cup oatmeal
5 egg whites
Salsa
Pam

10:30
.5 cup oatmeal
1tbs peanut butter
1tbs sugar-free chocolate syrup

1:00
(MANY options here. Here's one that I had recently)
.5 medium potato
4 ounces turkey (again, a guess. I never weighed meat)
1 cup broccoli

3:00
.5 cup "lite" yogurt
.25 cup Kashi granola cereal

5:00
(Usually left-over lunch that I didn't finish, to be honest)
.5 medium potato
4 ounces turkey
1 cup broccoli

8:00
(only if I'm hungry, I don't always make sure I eat it..)
.5 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1tbs peanut butter

This comes out to roughly:

1,500 calories
61g fat (38%)
117g carbs (27%)
130g protein (36%)

I guess I wasn't eating as many carbs as I thought I was. It's hard, though, because some days I will eat burritos for lunch. That's carbs from beans, tortillas, tomatoes.. so it'd be way up that day.

I used to have a STRICT diet that was exactly 1,800 calories 40/40/20. I decided to stop that diet and just eat "healthy options" without being completely obsessed about it. I guess I need to get back to being exact.

[EDIT] I used to eat mainly chicken, vegetables, peanut butter and brown rice. I know I could be eating more of these things instead of the sugar-free yogurt, cereals and syrups but I wanted to try to have some sense of normalcy with my diet. As I said, I may just go back to how I ate before.

[EDIT] I forgot to include cheats because they're not a daily thing. Sometimes I'll have some of whatever my mother cooked for dinner (nothing horrible, just like a pasta or something), maybe a piece of candy at work or a french fry. I never go crazy with it. It's like 1-2 times a week (really!)

So, would all of this excess fat cause all of the excess fat on my stomach? I guess it has.

But, I still don't think that has solved my problem. Anyone can see that my stomach last night was beyond bloated. It was swollen. It was just tight and gross. I'm really thinking it was a food intolerance. The only new thing I've had (from what I remember) is the sugar-free chocolate syrup. I also had a white chocolate covered strawberry.. who knows what could have been in that.

Anyone have any ideas? For some reason, like I said, I'm thinking this extreme swelling wasn't simply caused by too many carbs (or whatever).

Thanks for trying to help me out, guys, I really appreciate it.