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Do I Need To Up My Calories Now Because I'm Already Losing Lots Of Weight?
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I've had a blood and stool test, confirmed nothing wrong there, no parasites apparently, or none that they tested for. No problems with blood or liver/kidneys.
I need to up my calories now because I'm already losing lots of weight and muscle on arms and legs, but the stomach remains the same size if not bigger now.
Pic 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BVNjvhZrruFAPkgMp0_H2dY_JZjk8gW7/view?usp=share_link
Pic 2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lxQ6BARUpX4YMFs47Par_VcIvVfHcsKi/view?usp=share_link
I've tried lowering my calories for several weeks now to less than 2000 calories, I've lost muscle and mass on arms, back, legs shoulders, but not stomach. Stomach remains very bloated all the time.
I'm also taking daily probiotics and ginger tea, to try and improve digestion but nothing is working. I have regular bowl movements still, daily.
See details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I read your query and here is my advice.
I can't access your pictures . You can upload them to reports.
Gluten intolerance may be a reason for bloating if all the tests you mentioned above are normal.
Gluten may often cause inflammation and bloating.
In this case it is advised to reduce or better eliminate gluten from diet
Lowering the calories to less than 2000 can't make you loose belly fat .
You need to change diet reducing sugars, especially refined sugar, choose food rich in protein as chicken breast, turkey, fish, eggs , beans etc . Eat more vegetables and green leaves.
Also increasing physical activity and especially lifting weights will help you to put on muscle mass
Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Thanks.
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Lowering the calories to less than 2000 can't make you loose belly fat. You need to change diet reducing sugars, especially refined sugar, choose food rich in protein as chicken breast, turkey, fish, eggs , beans etc . Eat more vegetables and green leaves - I’ve always been able to lose or maintain weight by reducing calories, and the size of my stomach relative to the rest of my is very, very unusual. My arms have become thin now like my legs, but my stomach is still massively extended and bloated, and it’s hard to touch as well, unlike fat.
Also increasing physical activity and especially lifting weights will help you to put on muscle mass - That’s not the problem, I had been putting on muscle for several months, but as a result of my stomach issue suddenly swelling up, I reduced my calories to ‘lose weight’ calories for me, which is anything under 2000 calories and as such I’ve been losing weight steadily, and muscle as well. But despite that, my belly is still massive.
Any thoughts on the stool and blood tests? They didn’t show anything unusual, so I’m really not sure what it could be.
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Or if that still doesn't work, how do I upload them to a report? Where do I find that?
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This entire website is buggy and hard to use. Please can you click the links to view my photos that I sent above. Or I can send them by email. The reports section here simply does not work.
Please send them by mail.
Detailed Answer:
I clicked on the link and the pictures don't show.
You can send them by mail at YYYY@YYYY with the subject for Dr Olgeta Xhufka.
Avoiding gluten for one or two days will not give any effects.
You may need to do food intolerance tests to check for intolerance which cause inflammation and bloating.
Physical activity and increased protein intake are essential to increase muscle mass.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
![doctor](https://image.askadoctor24x7.com/files/images/profile/doctor/icon/60137.jpg)
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I will try not eating gluten at all from now on, and se if that helps.
Food intolerance tests, how would that work, and where/how would I get those?
Is there anything else you can think it would be?
Can a gluten intolerance cause bloating of this size, constantly 24 hours a day for over 2 months?
thanks
I see the pictures
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear now I can see the pictures you attached. You seem to be having a lot of bloating and loosing muscle mass from arms and legs as you described.
Having gluten intolerance may cause that bloating but having more abdominal muscles may help your stomach look more flat.
Using more proteins and physical exercises especially lifting weights may help increase muscle mass.
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And with the muscles, I rarely exercise my abdominals with thigns like situps, in fact I never do those. Are you saying that by doing those, my stomach would actually get smaller and wouldn't stick out like this?
Surely this is something else though, I mean if I 'suck it in' I can use my ab muscles to hide it, but then when I relax, it goes back to how it was again. when I fully relax and breathe out, it shows as a huge sticking out belly like this
See details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear, thank you for asking again.
I don't think you may need to get gluten tests, I think you may do food intolerance tests.
I can guess it can be gluten intolerance
Doing abdominal exercises can make your stomach not to stick out like this and look smaller.
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1: What is the main most likely thing you think is causing this?
2: Should I avoid or reduce fat? Or just reduce sugar and refined sugar or refined carbs? What should my macros or general diet look like, then?
3: Please comment on teh composition of the stomach, in the morning it's soft, like fat, but throuhgout the day and after big meals, the entire stomach gets much larger and hard. This shows it's both fat and bloating or something else...
4: I've steadily lost weight since I realised th stomach thing was a problem. I cut down my calories to 2000 per day and have lost weight steadily since then. About 2 kilos actually, but the weight has been lost from my muscles, arms, legs and back. And not from my stomach.
Knowing this, should I still keep my calories low and lose even more mass? Or is it not really connected,and I should keep my calories at maintenance levels at 2300 per day or so?
Please repond to each point labelled by the number so it's easy for me to keep track, thank you so much
Thanks
See answer below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear thank you for asking again.
1. I think this bloating may be caused by food in your diet and lack of exercising.
2. You may need to reduce grains , carbs.
I don't think you are having excess fat in your diet but you can choose fats found in nuts and olive oil . You can choose food rich in protein such chicken breast, turkey, cottage cheese, eggs, legumes . Also eat lots of veggies and green leaves.
3. I believe this can be caused by bloating and gas.
In the morning it is empty and flat white later it is more extended because of gas
4 . It is no need to cut calories and loose weight, you need to better choose the food in your diet . If you don't want to loose more weight have 2300 calories and include more proteins in your diet .
Let me know if I can assist you further.
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But it's softer in the morning, but it's the same size still. Does that change anything?
It doesn't change anything
Detailed Answer:
It doesn't change anything.
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