Bloating from Hell

morgs

morgs

Cathlete
:mad:
Just wanted to get some input on a slight problem I am having. Usually I don't have a problem with my digestive system , but for the last two weeks, I have been SUPER bloated. I for the life of me cannot figure out why. I am a very consistent person and really don't do anything with my diet outside of the norm.
IE: I have not made any major changes to my diet. This bloating that I am having is not the typical "oh,,it's just pre-menstrual syndrome'' it's NUTS ! Believe it or not the past few nights after working out, I would change to get in the shower and noticed my stomach bloating way out. I'm just dumb founded at how BAD this is. After researching what I have been eating along with my meds, I just can't figure it out. SO,,,I need some advice. How to avoid it, and what to do to to bring it down a notch. Note : That I am supposed to get my period in about a week, but still,,pre-menstrual bloat can't THIS bad. or,,, can it ??? It seriously looks like an entire inner tube around my midsection. It' even makes me look like I have muffin top. I jumped on the scale and I am still at my normal weight. I have NEVER been this bloated, and it's been going on for days now. CRAZY !

Here's what I have been doing.

I take the Adviar Disk and Zyrtec for seasonal allergies. From what I researched and heard from others that take this stuff, they have not experienced any bloating or weight gain.

I admit, I have been eating slim fast bars for breakfast. ( I commute to work and for me, these are the easiest things to tote with me and make sure I get something for breakfast )

Lunch: Cottege Cheese with crackers, and a small dessert of my choice ( I have a serious sweet tooth ) Usually two- three Mini Snickers.

Snack: Banana with home made granola.

Supper: Ceasar salad, ( same salad that I have been eating for years ) and either fish, lamb chop, or sweet potato. Dessert: Lemon Bar
Glass of wine every other night .

That's it. I don't eat fast food, I don't drink pop, I don't drink hard liquor , I avoid salt ( as much as I can ) and what I listed above is the way that I have been eating for years.
Any advice or direction is always greatly appreciated.

Morgs
 
Please call your ob/gyn. Not to scare you, but severe bloating that lasts that long can be a symptom of something much more serious.
 
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I was going to call and make an appointment, but I also remembered that I just had a routine physical with a pap smear and exam which all came back normal.
I know that severe bloating can be a result of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or Ovarian Cancer, but I like I said above, I just had a physical and everything checked out normal. We did find a small Fibroid, but after exmaing that, she says it's benine and nothing to worry about.
What's crazy about it, is that my clothes still fit, I just always have this full feeling even though I have not had anything to eat. My friend says it could just be a bout of really bad gas. Just really frustrating. She did recommend taking Tumms, or Beano, but I am not hip on loading up on meds.

Water retention perhaps ??
 
Morgs, my first suspicion would be your Slim Fast bars. How long have you been eating them? Did you change your flavor? Did they change their formula?

I find I can't eat any of those bar-type things. If it's the soy they put in or the sugar alcohols, something really bothers my stomach.

I'd try eliminating those (or changing to a type that just has food in them - Lara bars, etc.) for a few days.

And even though you don't like pills you might try a little gas-x to see if that helps - I believe it's a fairly mild thing that just makes gas bubbles not able to hold their shape.
 
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Know what ?? You might just be right. Seems like just when I started eating those slim fast bars, it started. I've been back and forth on breakfast bars for quite a few months now. I've tried the Cliff bars, Atkins bars, Trail Mix bars, and then lately went to Slim Fast bars. I should've known. Funny what you said aboiut Lara Bars. I noticed that my local grocery had them in thier Organic Section and tried a few of them a few weeks back. Really good, only thing that got me with those is that they are so tiny !!! But, I am willing to go back to tiny if it means avoiding this horrid bloat.

Thanks for the advice. Some things can be so frustrating and it's always nice to get differant opinions !!
 
It is my understanding that routine check-ups do not include a test for ovarian cancer, so I would at least call the gyno to see if they did indeed test for that.
 
I'm going to second the suggestion of the bars. I've been experiencing something sort of similar and realized that the only change in my diet had been that I've been eating Luna bars on a daily basis. Sure enough I stopped eating them 2 days ago and I feel so much better. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling bloated all the time either!
 
morgs said:
Know what ?? You might just be right. Seems like just when I started eating those slim fast bars, it started. I've been back and forth on breakfast bars for quite a few months now. I've tried the Cliff bars, Atkins bars, Trail Mix bars, and then lately went to Slim Fast bars. I should've known. Funny what you said aboiut Lara Bars. I noticed that my local grocery had them in thier Organic Section and tried a few of them a few weeks back. Really good, only thing that got me with those is that they are so tiny !!! But, I am willing to go back to tiny if it means avoiding this horrid bloat.

Thanks for the advice. Some things can be so frustrating and it's always nice to get differant opinions !!
Click to expand...

Yes, the larabars are small in comparison to other bars but with a big glass of ice water they are very filling. I *love* them but limit them to about 2x/week. I could eat them all day long.:eek::)
 
You can't trust a lot of those bars, they change the formulas all the time and things like artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols can just sit in your gut. I can't eat any of them anymore. The type of protein in them may also be bothering you.

Larabars are too carb rich for me - I like Jay Robb bars personally.
 
I don't know what is in the bars, but some sweeteners can cause stomach distress and bloating in some people.

Also, could you be pregnant? That was how I figured out the first time... ("Gee, what's with this poochy belly that I never had before?")

Maybe cut out the bars and call the doctor.... just to be sure.
 
Check the Slim Fast bars- they may contain sugar alcohols, which are a big trigger for bloating. I actually don't mind that so much, most of the time, because the bloating can make me feel full!
 
I agree with everyone: cut out the bars! Like Cindi said, it could be from the artificial sweeteners in there. I used to be a Splenda junkie and I noticed I always felt bloated and just..weird...it's hard to describe: very sluggish, my stomach felt like I had a rock in there, and I just didn't feel right. This week I decided to cut out ALL artificial sweeteners and my pants fit better, I feel 100000x better, and no longer have that pound-of-potatoes feeling in my gut. See what happens after cutting these out in the next few days and if you don't feel relief, call your gyno!
 
I agree with Jane -- if your symptoms persist, please do some further tests. I, too, had the same problem a while back. As a history, back in July 2009 I kept having low right side pain, so I went and had a CAT scan and found I have an ovarian cyst. Nothing alarming - they said it would probably go away. But it never did and back in March I kept having more severe problems on my right side and was also having problems with bloating (like you mentioned), low back pain and pain in my low pelvic region. My doctor just wanted to make sure and rule out anything serious (such as ovarian tumors, etc.), so I had an ultrasound done. Luckily everything was okay. I was hesitant on having this done because I didn't have insurance to cover it, but the doctor said that it was VERY important if you have symptoms such as I did to rule out something like ovarian tumors/cancer because most of the time when it is finally caught it is too late. I don't want to alarm you (because more than likely it's nothing -- like in my case), but you should pursue further JUST IN CASE -- you never know!!

Julie
 
I agree with many others that tha slimfast bars could be the culprit. I was so gassy and bloated a couple years back- I mean, serious farting problems,lol..I couldn't figure it out until I did a little research on Fiber One bars that i ate every day around 10 am. For me I think it was the inulin (the added fiber) that did me in. I have to be careful to not buy any bread with inulin - it's everywhere these days and although it is a "natural fiber", it doesn't agree with me. And, I don't know , adding it to yogurt is just odd to me.

So check about the inulin and like the others said the xylitol type sugar alcohols which can cause some GI upset.

Heidi
 
Thanks for all the feedback

Just wanted to post a quick'Thank you' for everyone's feedback. Just getting some general opinions can really really help.

I basically narrowed it down to a couple of things that may be the exact reason as to why I was so bloated. I quit the breakfast bars and have not had one in about four days. ( Seriously,,,I CANNOT believe some of the ingrediants in those things , including Slim Fast Bars ) I've been going with my standard oatmeal with flaxseed, raisins, walnuts ,and honey ( courtesy of the "Eat Clean Diet" ) and I already feel a ton better.

Also, noticed that ever since I have been using artificial sweeteners in my coffee, it's really taked it's toll. I've been using organic brown instead, and again after just a few days, feel a ton better. Really crazy how just a couple of things can have such a HUGE impact on a person's body : In the wise words of Napolean Dynamite ,,,,"GAWD" !! Anyway,,thanks all for the suggestions, they were all extrememly helpful ! It's always nice to know there are so many sweet people on this board ;)

Morgs
 
buckeyegirl said:
I agree with many others that tha slimfast bars could be the culprit. I was so gassy and bloated a couple years back- I mean, serious farting problems,lol..I couldn't figure it out until I did a little research on Fiber One bars that i ate every day around 10 am. For me I think it was the inulin (the added fiber) that did me in. I have to be careful to not buy any bread with inulin - it's everywhere these days and although it is a "natural fiber", it doesn't agree with me. And, I don't know , adding it to yogurt is just odd to me.

So check about the inulin and like the others said the xylitol type sugar alcohols which can cause some GI upset.

Heidi
Click to expand...

I had the exact same experience with the Fiber One bars! They tasted really good, but the pain (and embarassment) was definitely not worth it!
 
Another vote for the Slimfast bars as the culprit. I can't eat any of those meal replacement bars or I'll pay the price. Are you feeling gassy at all? If so, cut them out and see how you do. Believe me when I eat bars in the morning I look about 6 months pregnant by the afternoon.
 
Lara Bars

Oooooooh ,,,I've tried the Luna Bars ( a knock off the cliff bar ) very good. I almost forgot about those. Some good ideas out there. !!

Don't know about the rest of you, but breakfast is the hardest for me because I commute, and I refuse to get up early enough to putz in the kitchen. Hard because that is the most important thing to get in before you start your day. Recently, I've been bringing Dates ( the fruit );) to work. They seem pretty filling, but I have been reading that because of the natural sugars, its only best that a person consumes anywhere from 6 to ten at the most for the day. Dates by the way are loaded with potassium and also have some magnesium in them.

If I am not mistaken, Dates are like the core product on Lara Bars too ! Just some useless knowledge.

Morgs
 
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