Ask Away Wednesday: Women’s Guide On How To Avoid Being Bloated
By admin
Good morning! I can not believe how fall like it has become in Charleston. If there is one thing that we Charlestonians complain about it’s that we don’t have seasons. We have summer and we have winter… but normally spring and fall slip through the cracks.
Seriously, I think this is the first year I can remember where I feel as if fall is really here. I love it!
So much so that after playing catch up the other day, I took full advantage of the cooler evenings, laced up my running shoes and hit the road for a 4.5 mile run before boot camp started.
You can really tell how much the humidity and temperatures have dropped by my time. I cut off almost a full minute from each mile! It was awesome and I hope my runs continue to rock like this up until the BIG run.
Another side affect of this fall weather: I have a decreased craving for coffees and a heightened excitement for hot tea. I love taking that first sip of herbal tea in the morning… just makes me feel extra relaxed!
My favorite right now… Lemon Zinger. Tangy, sweet and a perfect way to sit down in front of the computer to answer your Ask Away Wednesday Questions.
First off though, thanks to all of you who send questions in! I get so many awesome ones and I hope that I am answering them in a way that helps you out.
This week I am actually only hitting up one (in full detail), it was so good that I think it deserved an entire blog post.
Might be TMI, but I’m a vegan and vegans have gas! And I will just go ahead and put this out there… I deal with bloating a lot. We eats lots of beans, lots of brussel sprouts, and lots of other gas inducing veggies/grains.
Not to mention I am obsessed with gum. So, I think this is a really great topic to hit on.
Thanks to Cassie for asking away!
Below I will do a speed session of some others questions I have gotten.
Ask Away Wednesday:Tips On How To Deal With Bloating
Q: What are some good foods/exercises to stop feeling and/or avoid being bloated?
A: Bloating makes us feel just wretched. No one likes being gassy and twice their normal size (if you do please speak up and proof me wrong). Have you ever looked in the mirror and noticed you look as if you’re 6 months preggers? Ugh, no fun!
As women, it’s something we sometimes can’t help because of our periods. But 90% oft the time there are ways to deal with bloating and come out feeling slimmer!
Bloat can be affected by a lot of things but here are some simple ways to avoid it:
8 Ways To Avoid And Treat Bloating
- Avoid constipation: eat high fiber foods, stay hydrated, say no to cheese and exercise.
- Avoid drinking through straw, chewing gum or drinking carbonated beverages. All of which can increase gas in your gut.
- Eat slower. Same thing as above, if you eat too fast you can swallow air which can bloat you up.
- Take Bean-o or avoid beans and other gas causing veggies 24-48 hours before events. Beans cause gas… gas = bloat… don’t want bloat then don’t eat the beans. Same is with broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
- Say no to sugar-free foods. Foods with artificial sweeteners, especially sugar alcohols which are notorious bloaters.
- Limit salt. This isn’t anything new but it’s true. Salt holds on to water and water retention makes you look and feel bloated. Stick to 1,500-2,300 mg of salt per day.
- Drink water. Drinking water is the #1 way to flush out extra water retention. Sounds funny that drinking water helps get rid of water weight but it’s true. Drink 2-3 liters of water a day to feel and look your best. Anytime I start to feel bloated, I grab my water bottle asap.
- Cardio it up. This is just speaking from personal experience but I have reason to believe that running helps deal with bloating more than other forms of exercise. The continuous up/down of your body helps shake things up in your stomach and helps them to pass out a bit easier. TMI?
- Yoga power. I can’t speak from experience on this one, but yoga poses that include twisting are thought to help clear the gut and move things along the digestive tract. I should probably yoga it up a bit more. Perhaps Alicia can help me with that one!
If your bloating is new or has changed I definitely recommend talking with your doctor. It could be a sign of a food allergy or intolerance. Or even a hormonal issue. Because let’s face it, I might talk like I know everything… but I don’t. 
Maybe one day!
Hopefully these tips helped!
Other Awesome Questions I Couldn’t Avoid:
Q: I walk ten hours, four days a week for work and once or twice a week I play basketball so I’m walking and running a lot. I feel like I’m not loosing weight at all. I was wondering what kinda/list food should I eat on a daily base, I’m sure I need help in that area. Please.
A: Chances are you need to up your calories to support your high activities. By not eating enough your body fights the urge to want to burn off fat. Instead keep track of your calories, make sure they are in a healthy range. Also, stick with clean foods, that are unprocessed. Fruits, veggies, and lean meats.
Q: I am suffering from PCOS. Most of the time I manage to lose weight by 4 kg say in 90 days but if i eat excessively for a few days i regain all my weight. My goal is to reduce 15 kgs, what do you recommend?
A: With your PCOS, I have to say to chit chat with your doctor about hormone balances. Having your hormones out of wack can obviously mess with metabolism and cravings. PCOS woman often have a harder time losing weight, so talk with your doctor to see what they recommend. Also, avoid binges by not having your go to food in the house. After a week or two, you’ll notice the cravings decrease. It is a lot better to avoid overdoing it when the food isn’t in site.
I hope this cleared some stuff up! Now off to work.
- What’s your favorite thing about fall?
- Got questions for next week’s Ask Away Wednesday?