What Causes Bloating and How Do I Stop It?

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Think about it. Thanksgiving, guys, that's one we all can just go to mentally. We've experienced a big overconsumption meal, extra turkey, and then you feel bloating in a matter of finishing the meal. And that puts extra stress on the digestive system. So extra stress is going to cause extra bloating, which is going to be the cause of your overeating meal.

What's going on, you guys? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder and brand personality of WarriorBabe, where we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident.

Bloating: the causes, the cures, and how to avoid it is what I'm going to dive into today. I have gotten so many questions over the last couple of months since kicking off this podcast, like in my DMs saying, hey, can you bring an episode to the podcast around bloating? Whenever I post "ask me a question" on my stories, it's like, how do I prevent bloating, or what causes bloating, or how do I stop it, yada, yada, yada. So I was like, I don't know if this is worthy of a long answer, but I'm going to turn it into a long answer for the sake of today's episode.

Just to dive right into it, there are two main things that I believe bloating comes from. I'm going to dive into other causes and the management of bloating, but the two things that came to my mind, where I could just immediately answer this right now, were these. Number one, you ate too much. Okay. In one sitting, you ate a shit ton of food and all of a sudden you're feeling that bloat within the 30 minutes after eating that meal. We've been there. We've all experienced that. I experienced it literally two weeks ago when I went out to dinner. I don't know if you guys saw it on my Instagram story. If you don't follow me on Instagram, do it, because I'm very vulnerable and honest on it. But after dinner, when I got home, I was just standing in my mirror and I was like, oh, I ate too much. I feel extremely bloated. It was very uncomfortable. So that's number one.

Number two is you may have some type of deficiency where you cannot break down whatever you are eating, right? AKA food intolerance. So those two are among the five causes of bloating I'm going to dive into. But that was straight off the bat. Those are the main two things that come to my mind as to why you're experiencing bloating. But for the sake of the podcast, I'm going to dive into bloating, the causes, the management, all of the things. So let's just get right to it.

Just to explain what bloating is, speaking very broadly here: it's the feeling of fullness or tightening in your abdomen, and that's accompanied by excess fluid or gas. It can be very uncomfortable. It makes your abdomen feel swollen or distended. So that's bloating in a nutshell.

Now I'm going to dive into the five causes of bloating, and then I'll touch on six ways to manage bloating.

The first cause of bloating, which I just alluded to, is food intolerances. Some people may have difficulty digesting certain foods. You may have this. Your friends may have this. You may have heard about this by following people on Instagram or social media. Lactose and gluten are two very common food intolerances. And this can cause bloating and other digestive symptoms.

If you suspect that you have a food intolerance, this is what I recommend doing. It's what we tell our WarriorBabes inside the WarriorBabe Blueprint program. They go through an elimination diet and they eliminate the food from their diet that may be triggering this bloating effect. And then when you eliminate it, you can see whether your symptoms are improving. Hopefully they do. If not, then you have to go back and see what other food type may be causing that trigger and why you may be feeling bloated. So it's narrowing it down. If you know exactly what it is, like lactose or gluten or dairy or anything like that, you can narrow it down, and that's your trigger, because within 30 to 45 minutes, or even sooner than that, you're feeling a bloat. Then that's your trigger point. So try eliminating that and see if your symptoms improve.

Now, I don't mean eliminating it entirely. It's just a way to find out, without going through all the testing and all the things out there that you can do. Just try doing that and see if your symptoms improve. And then if you know that that's your trigger point, okay, cool. I'm not saying restrict it, but you know you may have some type of effect when you bring it back into your diet, or you can just not have it as much.

For me personally, I'm doing this 10X Health system where I'm getting my genes tested and my blood work tested. Super dope. Check it out, 10xhealth.com. What I'm learning from Gary Brecka, who is the face of 10X Health, is that people may call it a food intolerance, but you may just have some type of gene mutation where you are not able to break down that specific food item. So if you guys want to learn more about it, check out Gary Brecka. He's the GOAT in this field right now.

I'm getting tested because, for me personally, I have some type of flare-up whenever I have Greek yogurt or some types of dairy. Within a matter of a couple of minutes to a half an hour to 45 minutes, I have this distended bloating feeling and it's so uncomfortable. So I know that's a trigger point. I'm aware of that. I don't have it often, but when I do, this is what happens. So I'm getting my genes tested to see if I have some type of gene mutation where I can't break it down and need to supplement in a different way for it. I'll keep you guys posted once I get the results back. So that's number one, food intolerances.

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Number two is excess gas. Gas in the digestive tract is a normal byproduct of digestion. However, when excess gas builds up, it can cause bloating and discomfort. I personally have experienced this whenever I have a certain type of vegetable, AKA Brussels sprouts. I just don't want to be within 10 feet, 25 feet of somebody after I have Brussels sprouts, for my sake and for theirs. So excess gas is a form of bloating too. You guys, I know we've all felt that. We're human. You get these little pops and bubbles in your digestive tract after you have a certain type of food. So that's number two.

Number three is hormonal changes. Specifically for you ladies, I know some of you, and I do too, experience bloating and water retention around your menstrual cycle due to the hormone fluctuations you experience. Totally normal. You know that you're a week out from your period and you're experiencing bloating. That's totally normal. Or right around your period, as soon as it's going to come, you're experiencing bloating. That's the hormonal changes going on within your body. Literally, it's happening within that area. So that's totally normal.

So, hormonal changes and bloating. It's good to know. It's good to track your period. I use the app Flo. Whenever I experience bloating, I'm like, why do I feel more bloated than before? And I go into the app and see, okay, I'm a couple of days off my period. Totally normal. It just puts you at ease. So that's number three.

Number four is overeating. At the start of the podcast, I alluded to this. If you consume a large meal, particularly meals that are high in fat, this will cause bloating. I like to joke around with the WarriorBabes inside the community: if you have a refeed day or a cheat meal day, please do not be an asshole with your food. Because you will experience these things. It will be uncomfortable. Okay.

A large meal puts a lot of extra stress on your digestive system. Think about it. Thanksgiving, guys. That's one we all can just go to mentally. We've experienced a big overconsumption meal, extra turkey and all that. And then you feel bloating in a matter of finishing the meal. That puts extra stress on the digestive system. So extra stress is going to cause extra bloating, which is going to be caused by your overeating that big meal.

When you eat too much food, you guys, your stomach has to stretch to accommodate the extra volume. Isn't that insane? When you have extra food, a big meal, your stomach has to stretch to accommodate it. So this can cause discomfort. The stomach muscles have to work harder to break down the food and move it through your digestive system. So that's a cause of bloating: overeating. Don't overeat. And there's a big way you can manage that throughout your day, which I'll get into in the management of bloating.

The last cause of bloating I want to talk about is number five, which is swallowing air. Air can be swallowed while eating, drinking, even talking. And I don't know if you guys are gum chewers, but holy shit, do you swallow a lot of air when you're chewing gum. This air can accumulate in the digestive tract and cause bloating. It can be super uncomfortable. So, swallowing air, number five.

Gum chewers, I've been there too. When I was competing, around 2015 to 2018, I chewed a shit ton of gum because it helped me manage my food cravings. I'd just pop it in and it felt like I was eating, but I was really just chewing gum. But man, I swallowed a shit ton of air. So that can cause bloating. And I felt that too when I was getting closer and closer to show day. I was going through packs of gum a day, like people go through cigarettes. It was just so uncomfortable. So if you do that and you're realizing you're bloated, you're probably swallowing a lot of air.

So those were the five causes of bloating: food intolerances, excess gas, hormonal changes, overeating, and swallowing air.

Now I want to talk about the management of bloating. I tried to put these in the same order as the causes. The first one is dietary changes. That means avoiding foods that are known to cause bloating. I spoke to that with the elimination diet. Things that you know are going to cause bloating, try to eliminate them and see if your symptoms improve. And focus on eating a wholesome, balanced diet: healthy fats, lean proteins, good carbohydrates.

That brings me to number two, which is eating smaller meals. This is an absolute game changer, you guys. Eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day can seriously prevent bloating by reducing the amount of food in your stomach at any given time. I spoke to overeating and what that does: your stomach has to stretch to accommodate a large volume of food. So if you're one of those breakfast, lunch and dinner people eating big meals, you're going to feel the bloating sensation after having that big meal. I would recommend breaking it down into five or six meals throughout the day, smaller, more frequent meals, with a good balance of protein, fats and carbs. That's going to help prevent bloating and also help you maintain really good energy levels.

This is what we do inside of WarriorBabe. This is what we recommend to our WarriorBabes, and one of the main things is eating smaller, more frequent meals. It's a game changer. It helps your digestive tract not experience so much stress, and your stomach muscles don't have to work so much harder after big meals. So that was number two. Number one and number two go together: dietary changes, and then eating smaller, more frequent meals.

Number three is slow down while you are eating. This ties back to swallowing air. If you're eating too quickly, you will swallow a shit ton of air, which can contribute to bloating. So take your time and chew your food. You ain't in no rush, right? And try to avoid talking while you're eating too, because it's a two-for-one: you're swallowing air by eating and then you're talking while you're eating, so you're swallowing more air. These are just small recommendations. I don't want you to be like, oh my God, I have to stop talking while I eat now because I'm swallowing air. No, it's not like that. Just slow down while you're eating. Take your time. You ain't in no rush. Enjoy the meal, and just be aware of that.

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Number four is drink plenty of water. This goes for anything and everything in life. Staying hydrated is so important to help flush out excess sodium that may be in the meal you're eating, and fluids that may be contributing to your bloating.

Keep in mind, for me, drinking water can make me feel full. It's so funny, because Luke's always like, do you want some water? Do you want a drink with your meal? And I'm like, no, I don't like drinking with my meal. I don't know if you guys are the same way, but it makes me feel fuller faster. So I wait. I have my meal first, and then afterwards I'll chug a shit ton of water. Can that be uncomfortable? Sometimes, yes. Or I'll pace my water as I'm eating. But I typically like to focus on eating and then have my water afterwards. Just make sure that throughout the day, no matter what, and it doesn't have to be around meals, you're drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated, because it will help flush out all the excess things you're eating: sodium, fluids, all that jazz. So that was number four.

Number five is exercise. Exercise, guys, is huge. Regular physical activity can promote healthy digestion and reduce excess gas and bloat. It can even reduce constipation, just moving your body. A lot of people experience constipation when they're at a standstill, being so sedentary. By getting regular physical activity every single day, whether it's going for a walk or strength training or doing something, it will help promote a healthy digestive tract. So make sure you're getting some type of exercise, please. Not even just for bloating, but for your overall health. So that's number five.

Number six, the last one, is try your best to reduce stress. Stress can have a significant impact on your digestive system. I alluded to this a little with overeating, but having a stressful lifestyle or constantly being under a ton of stress can contribute to bloating.

I'm going to try and break it down here a little bit. When your body is stressed, it goes into fight-or-flight mode. You guys have heard of fight-or-flight mode before. When that gets activated in your body because you're stressed, it slows down your digestion. It decreases blood flow to your digestive system and your digestive organs. And this can lead to bloating, cramping, constipation, all of the things. So if you are a stressed individual and you are constantly bloated, this is what's happening. So try to eliminate your stress along with the other bloating management strategies I shared.

To reduce your stress, you can practice deep breathing throughout your day when you're stressed. Incorporate a great form of exercise, as I just spoke to in the last one, and a great one for this is yoga. So incorporate that into your routine. These are ways you can reduce stress. But if you're a stressed individual, that's the lifestyle you lead, and you're constantly feeling the sensation of bloat in your body, that's what's happening. Your digestion is slowing down, blood flow to those organs is decreasing, and it's causing you to be bloated.

But it's not just one thing. It's a multitude of things, you guys, that can cause bloating. So keep that in mind. Being stressed is just one of them. It could be that you have a food intolerance. It could be that you overate. It could be that you're swallowing a shit ton of air. There are so many factors, and there are factors I didn't get to in this podcast today. But there are so many factors that can contribute to why you're feeling bloated and why you're experiencing it.

So I hope this podcast helped you guys. I broke down a few of the causes of bloating. Again, there are probably so many more, but these are the ones I felt you'd most likely be experiencing, especially overeating and food intolerances. Y'all, pay attention to that kind of stuff and be aware of what may be causing it. With overeating, break it down into smaller, more frequent meals. With food intolerances, be aware of what is causing that trigger, the bloating, to happen. Figure out the trigger food, try eliminating it, and see if your symptoms improve.

So I hope this was helpful. Causes of bloating, management of bloating, all of the things. Today was all about bloating. Again, I hope it helped you guys. Take a screenshot of the podcast and let me know you're enjoying it. I'd love to see it shared on social media so I can give you guys a heart. I appreciate the love, and I'll see you guys in the next episode.

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