Beat Belly Bloat!

Beat Belly Bloat……Once and for ALL!!!

Are you one of those women who constantly feels like her tummy is bloated? SO many women have a problem with stomach bloat and cramps and they just do not know what to do about it.
Women need 25 grams of fiber per day and most of us don’t get even half of that! Not meeting our daily requirements of fiber can cause us to feel gassy and constipated. Add extra fiber into your diet to help move foods through your intestines. But, be careful…..don’t add too much fiber or you can feel even more bloated than before. Your body needs to get used to processing the increased fiber intake. Try adding a tablespoon of sugar free benefiber to a glass of water for starters.

I am going to give you some tips on foods to eat that will help with bloat, foods not to eat because they will make you feel bloated, and some exercises that will help with everything in between.

Don’t eat:
Beans
cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage
Milk, yogurt, and other diary products
Soda (carbonated drinks)
Artificial sugars/sweeteners
Gum

Do eat:
Bran flakes
Bananas
apricots & figs
Herbs like: peppermint, ginger, chamomile, fennel, and lemon balm
Drink more fluids like water and tea (unsweet, of course)
Fruits and Veggies are are mostly water (ex: watermelon, orange, grapefruit

Exercises:
Walking the dog or a friend for 60 minutes
Running a 5k- about 30 minutes
Spinning or outdoor bike riding for 60 minutes
High intensity workouts (ex: Total Body Blast & Circuit Training at Home- 365 reps)- about 20 minutes

One of my clients wrote a little story about her battle with “belly bloat”. Read below and see the transformation she has made by changing just a few simple ways in her diet.

Client story:

Up until very recently I have been crippled by my stomach issues; held prisoner to pain and bloating! I basically knew that if I was going to enjoy a filling meal or have an alcoholic beverage, that my stomach was going to swell with aches and pains soon to follow. “Flowy” shirts became a staple in my wardrobe. Well, no more!

One day at a workout training session I asked my trainer, Caroline Sampson, why she thought I couldn’t loose weight in my torso area. She confirmed that I had obvious bloating in my stomach and recommended that I see my doctor. After feeling like there was nothing else I could do, I finally broke down and went to my doctor.  I had done some of my own research and told my doc that I thought that I possibly had a gluten allergy or IBS of some sort. However, when tested all of my panels came back clear. She discussed with me the possibility of being lactose intolerant or partially lactose intolerant. It turns out that the majority of women have some kind of issue breaking down the bacteria in milk and dairy. We often lack the needed enzymes to properly break metabolize lactose, especially as we grow into adulthood. The required enzyme is called lactase. To add to all of that, we all carry dairy at the bottom of our stomach areas…I have always called it my Kangaroo Pouch!  (You know what I am talking about. So many of us women have that flabby area at the bottoms of our torso region).

I left the doctor that day and began to add in my workout journal what I was eating each day. I ate dairy for the first half of the month and my cramps/bloating maintained. Then for the second portion of the month, I reduced my dairy intake to almost nothing as well as added the herbal supplement lactase to my diet. Well ladies… the pain, cramps, and bloating are all gone! My husband and girl friends have all complimented me on my flat tummy. I have also been asked about recent weight loss. Although I am on cloud 9 with compliments, I have not gone overboard and completely given up dairy (a weakness of mine). We all need calcium for our bones so my doc recommends some dairy or a supplement of calcium. I have chosen to keep small amounts of dairy in my diet to remain balanced. I also take a supplement from time to time.

We all hate those embarrassing pockets of fatty tissue we build up as women. No better time than now to get a handle on it! Bottom line is that by reducing the dairy in my diet, eating right, and working out I have changed my body, mind, and spirit for the better. Now I can focus on getting my entire body in shape rather than worrying about…well…the kangaroo pouch!

Here is the proof that something CAN be done!

Before:                                                                      After:

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