Continually Bloated

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Jenny S
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Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:59 am
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by Jenny S on Wed Aug 07, 2019 12:34 pm

Continually Bloated

For the past 8 months I just seem to find that I'm continually bloated. I've been to see the GP who has said it's IBS and has offered little to no advice. It's really starting to get me down and I'm hoping you might be able to give me some advice. Thank you.
Jenny
Wants to lose weight!

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Ali Mortimer
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Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:59 am
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by Ali Mortimer on Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:37 am

Re: Continually Bloated

Hi Jenny!
I am so sorry to hear about your bloating and that you didn't get much support from your GP.

I have suffered IBS and bloating as well as long history of digestive issues. I have recently sought help from a Health Coach who specialises in food intolerances to really help me out. I got my results back 6 weeks ago and having made changes to my diet and eliminating the foods that were highlighted, my bloat is gone and I have lost weight and no longer struggle with my digestion (unless I make a mistake!).

I have also found that resetting my gut health has really helped. To restore your gut you can do the following:
- eat more vegetables and fruit, more whole foods and less processed and refined foods. This floods your gut with polyphenols and fibre. (For example, have fruit for breakfast, a lovely green salad with a variety of veggies for lunch, raw veg as crudites for snacks and in the evening have a plant based meal)
- drink plenty of water and herbal tea
- eat fermented foods (apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kefir) and take a probiotic as this will help restores your gut bacteria (called microbiome)
- give your digestive system a rest and allow it to restore and heal by not eating for a 12 hour period - this is easiest done overnight. So for example, eat your last bite at 7.30pm and have your breakfast at 7,30am.

If you can do the above for a few days as plant based, this will help hugely. Then slowly introduce other foods back in to your diet - whole grains (brown rice, quinoa) and whole and lean proteins (fish, chickpeas and lean chicken, turkey).

I hope this helps and please do comment back if you have further questions.
Best wishes
Ali
Ali Mortimer
Holistic Health & Happiness Coach (IIN)

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... rtimer.php

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Simone Gilbert
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Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:45 am
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by Simone Gilbert on Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:59 pm

Re: Continually Bloated

Hi Jenny

It is so frustrating not being able to figure out what our body is trying to tell us! I'm sorry to hear that yours is saying "I'm not happy" and you're a bit stuck as to what else! It's great that you can reach out and better yet that you have a team of people who are passionate about helping you find answers.

As well as the diet changes suggested by Ali below, may I suggest that you press pause in an effort to let go of the stress that surrounds how you're currently feeling. In my experience - having suffered gut and other mystery conditions - I remember being so focussed and stressed about it. It can make everything that tiny bit worse. Simple breathing exercises that have you nose breathing down into your belly for an inhalation/hold/exhalation count of 4/7/8 will help calm the stress response as it arises...

You may find that a food diary helps give you some insights into what is triggering your bloat. That can be a simple two-column approach of "what I ate" and "how I felt"... and that can be immediately, a few hours, 12 and 24 hrs. Your body will tell you Jenny. We can all fall out of practice listening to it so a food diary will ease you back into reconnecting and becoming aware.

Beyond this I find that my clients generally feel less bloated with the removal of some food groups, namely dairy and gluten. Many underestimate their power to unsettle our digestion until they dispense with them. For me as well, my bloat diminished when I replaced these with plant-based and gluten free alternatives.

Aside from the dietary changes you might find power in, can I also suggest you re-asses your sleep, hydration and exercise.

Sleep: we humans need 8-10hrs every night and without it most systems (think, digestive, hormonal, endocrine etc) are all unbalanced. It helps you deal with stress - of any kind - better and helps us keep a steady mindset and motivation to make the small changes we decide to make.

Hydration: Be sure you're drinking plenty of water throughout the day - though leave a window either side of your meal of half an hour (more after you've eaten). Despite that is now quite customary in Western household., drinking water with our meal can seriously impinge on our digestive process and can lead to "the bloat". Start the day with a large glass (with some water and/or apple cider vinegar) and then sip half a glass of water every 3/4 hr. Leave a window of an hour before bed to stop sipping so your bladder doesn't interrupt your sleep!

Exercise: you may find that regular gentle exercise (so no daily marathon gym workouts required) will help your digestive process. And help you to feel better in yourself. If you don't already, consider embracing the habit of going for a morning walk, or 20 minutes of yoga. Exercise supports optimum digestion.

Lastly, be sure to take kind and gentle care of you. Remember what you love to do.. and do it. A quiet cuppa, a movie, massage, chat with a friend, diving into a good book...make time for you. It's not a luxury, it's an imperative to our health and well-being.

Above all else Jenny please keep faith that your body is doing its very best to be as well as it can be. With a few tweaks to your diet and lifestyle I hope you come to understand what your triggers are and feel better very very soon.

Please do check in to ask any additional questions

To your real health and vitality!
Simone xx
Simone Gilbert
B. Ec, IAHC - Health & Wellness Coach

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... ilbert.php

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