What Causes Bloating?

Last Updated on July 28, 2019

Ever feel like you’re making some major progress losing weight… like you’ve stepped on the scale and the number’s gone down (sweet!) or you see definition in your abs (finally!) and feeling fly one day… only to wake a day later feeling frumpy, bloated, and soft? Yeah… me too! And it’s not fun.

It can realllllly take the wind out of your sails and make you feeling like you’re doing something wrong… or that your diet isn’t working… or that you’re doomed and never going to reach your goal weight.

If any of this sounds familiar this post is dedicated to YOU. In it, I’ll explain what causes bloating, then I’ll teach you how to get rid of it asap, so you can get back to normal.

What is Bloating?

Bloating comes in the form of gas, water weight, or both and can add inches and puffiness all over your body, or mainly around the waist.  The good news about bloating is that it’s not fat.  (wooohoooo!)

What Causes bloating?

There are 3 main causes of bloating.  They are:  water retention, indigestion, and hormones.

Common cause of Bloat #1:  Water Retention

This is another big one and the most common.  If you feel like you’re Violet from Willy Wonka and you’re blowing up like a blueberry and feel puffy all over (knuckles, tummy, thighs, arms) it’s likely your bloat is being caused by water retention.

There are TONS of different reasons why your cells could be retaining water like little sponges…. I’ll tell you the most common reasons and it’s your job to have a lightbulb moment and figure out which one is affecting you.  Ready?  Go!

The top water retaining reasons are:  weight training, sodium intake, carbohydrate intake, stress, candida overgrowth, and consuming too much fat.

If you chronically feel puffy all over, your bloat could actually be inflammation which is a sign that you have and overwhelmed lymphatic system.

Also, your adrenals or pituitary could be malfunctioning… Which are hormone gatekeepers and if something is malfunction with them it could be affecting other hormones  (This is what was causing my chronic bloat… Which eventually led me to go on a research spree which resulted in me creating my Reset Cleanse) More on hormones in a sec…

Also, (and not to scare you) it could be your heart…. When something is off with your heart it can change your blood pressure, which can result in some serious water retention.  If you have heart disease swimming in your gene pool or think this is you, it may be time to call your doctor.

Common cause of Bloat #2:  Hormones

 
If your bloat cycles… Like 2 weeks you’re retaining , 2 weeks off it’s most likely your lady hormones. (Estrogen, progesterone)  The hormones released during your period (especially the 2 weeks leading up to your flow aka the luteal phase) can cause bloat in the tummy pooch area and swelling in your chesticles, feet and hands.

These hormones can also trigger your digestive system to s-l-o-w down which causes constipation and sometimes gas.  Awesome. *rolls eyes*  So if you’re feeling bloated in your tummy and swollen in your tatas… it’s likely it’s your hormones and there isn’t too much you can do about it.

Common cause of Bloat #3: Indigestion

 
If you’re feeling bloated primarily in your tummy and you’re also experiencing gas, it’s likely your bloat is being caused by difficult to digest, gas producing foods and/or carbonated drinks.  The most common hard-to-digest foods are: dairy, gluten, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, any carbonated or sparkling beverages, natural sweeteners, artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols.

This arises an issue of ‘but it’s healthy’ ‘but it’s good for me’ but it’s making me miserable and feeling fat… and the reasons why boils down to digestive enzymes, sugar and fiber.  Some of these cause natural, inescapable bloat as a side effect of digestion… For example, vegetables and whole grains are ‘healthy’ because they’re high in fiber.  But fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate. Abruptly increasing the amount of fiber you eat can cause gas, bloating, and constipation… but some ‘healthy’ indigestion provoking foods may cause symptoms that are indicative of an allergy or intolerance.

Here’s what’s going on… Beans and lentils contain indigestible sugars called oligosaccharides.  These are complex carbs (long chains of sugar molecules) that are broken down by bacteria in the intestines.  The bacteria causes gas as a by-product of digestion.  Dense, stalk-like, and starchy fruits and vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, prunes, and apricots also contain complex sugar/starch molecules that may cause gassiness and bloating.  This is normal and there isn’t a problem.

Dairy often cause bloat if you have an allergy or intolerance to milk sugar aka lactose.  Whole grains, like wheat or gluten, can cause bloating and gas problems, too…  often times allergies and intolerances also have other side effects, like fatigue, crankiness, or post nasal drip.  This IS A PROBLEM.

How to Reduce Bloating?

 
Stop Eating/Drinking it – If it’s something easily identifiable like a specific food, sodium, booze, the the solution is simple.  Stop eating it or reduce your intake.

Rotate your Foods – If you’re not sure what’s causing your bloat you can cycle it, rotating it out and back into your diet to see how you feel…  Meaning avoid the food you suspect is causing your bloat for a set period of time, for example, ditch dairy for a week and see if that makes a difference.  If you still feel frumpy, try to cycle out another culprit like salty snacks or wheat and see if that helps.

Drink Water – Be sure you drink plenty of water… especially if you’re eating ‘healthy’ high fiber foods like fruits and vegetables. Drinking liquids helps you digest foods, flush fiber (sodium/booze/sugars/toxins), and get things flowing through the digestive system faster which can help prevents bloating and constipation.  Water is also the best solution for combatting water retaining trigger foods.

Supplements/Meds – If eliminating or reducing consumption of hard-to-digest foods doesn’t solve your frequent bloating problem, there are supplements that can help. I get into those in more detail here. (I don’t do over-the-counter chemically charged med recommendations…. Sorry not sorry) Here is a listing of supplements I recommend.  Here you’ll find probiotics, digestive enzymes and other aides to help you overcome bloat naturally.

My Reset Cleanse – This is straight up one of the most powerful programs I’ve ever created.  It’ll help you reduce bloat, reset your hormones, flush toxic buildup  anddddd increase your metabolism anddddd trigger your body to burn fat as it’s primary fuel source.  Expect noticeable results in days… and you can lose up to 10 pounds in just 7 days.

I hope this helped you!  I do want to note that bloat cause cause fluctuations in your weight… so it’s really realllllllly helpful to make sure you know how to weigh yourself the right way… to prevent scale stepping freak outs.  There are also other ways that can cause you to gain weight (like 5 – 10 pounds) overnight… you can learn more about that here.

These tips work if you work it!  So work it!  YOU ARE SO WORTH IT!

Your Coach and Biggest Cheerleader

xxoo

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