Beat Belly Bloat in 2022!
Happy new year!
Here we are at the start of a brand new year. And, the perfect opportunity to begin with a fresh clean slate!
If you’re reading this, likely you are considering a fresh start with your wellness and personal health strategies. Good For You!
It’s the perfect time, and, from my perspective the bigger consideration is this:
“Are you planning a weight loss and/or new year’s health plan AGAIN?”
One of the things I see many people do is each new year the set their resolutions, make a plan and get started with it. Yet, by the beginning of February they’ve forgotten all about it, or simply feel like a failure and give up. Again, and again, and again.
We are going to talk a bit about how to address these very insidious subconscious patterns in future posts, but for now, let’s get down to the truth about Belly Bloat.
Most of my patients come to me with the complaint of belly bloat ~ they have to unbutton their pants after dinner, they have cramping after eating, and some have alternating constipation with diarrhea that also tends towards a protruding gut. Not one person is happy with how they look and most are at least somewhat uncomfortable in this condition. Is this you?
I’ve actually been there so I truly get it. I understand the frustration that comes with trying all the latest diets or eating regimens, getting on the treadmill more than most and still not seeing any real results. The reason this happens is because the true root cause is not being addressed.
Here’s the deal: belly bloat is usually not a problem generally with the food you eat or the exercise you do. Of course you want to be eating healthy and moving your body daily, yet if you’re doing these things at least 80% of the time and your belly bloat won’t resolve, there is a reason why that goes beyond your diet and exercise.
Let me explain:
As much as I’d like to say belly bloat is a simple issue to address, what I have found as a Quantum Functional Health practitioner is that belly bloat is a complex issue. For starters, chronic inflammation plays a big role, food sensitivities can be a culprit, imbalanced gut microbiota and liver function can wreak havoc on your belly, among other things.
I’ll be addressing many of the things I’ve spoken of here in future posts so that you can get a grasp on all the seemingly small things you can do to have a big impact on your gut health. But today I want to give you the #1 thing you can do today to begin whittling your belly down…
Intermittent Fasting!
Intermittent Fasting (IF): There are many different ways to IF, so if you’re new be sure to get a pro to help you so you don’t throw yourself out of whack. Most of my thyroid patients can’t be too aggressive with IF or it really takes a toll on their thyroid. I personally like a 12–16 hour fast each day. That means stop eating dinner around 6pm and begin breakfast between 8am-12pm. This give your immune system to clean up cellular debris from dying cells, improves mitochondrial function (Think cellular powerhouses), and helps with DNA repair. Who doesn’t want that?
Intermittent fasting has “demonstrated efficacy for weight loss and improvements in multiple health indicators including insulin resistance and reductions in risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”
It appears that IF has the ability to reduce some of the inflammatory lab markers especially for those who are obese or overweight (which is most people in our country).
I chose this action step as the first one I shared since it is relatively easy to do. You still get to eat all your goodies, you’re just stopping and starting your eating patterns at what is likely new time frames.
Each week I will give you 1 new action step that can help you truly get a hold of your belly bloat. It would be overwhelming to give it to you all at once, so let’s make sure these steps are doable and easy for you!
If you are curious about how Quantum Functional Health can help you address the root cause of your belly bloat book a complimentary consultation and we will help you understand how we help our patients recover.
