1. Bloating Is Localized While Belly Fat Is Widespread. One easy way to tell the difference between bloating and belly fat is that, with bloating, only the stomach expands due to the excess gas accumulation. You will likely notice other bulges with excess fat, particularly on the abdomen, thighs, hips, and back.
Any extra water being held in the body is referred to as “water weight.” When water builds up in the body, it can cause bloating and puffiness, especially in the abdomen, legs, and arms. Water levels can make a person's weight fluctuate by as much as 2 to 4 pounds in a single day.
Abdominal swelling, or distention, is more often caused by overeating than by a serious illness. This problem also can be caused by: Air swallowing (a nervous habit) Buildup of fluid in the abdomen (this can be a sign of a serious medical problem)
Bloating happens when the GI tract becomes filled with air or gas. This can be caused by something as simple as the food you eat. Some foods produce more gas than others. It can also be caused by lactose intolerance (problems with dairy).
One easy way to tell the difference between bloat and belly fat is to note belly fat does not cause your stomach to expand wildly throughout the course of a day; bloat does. One other way to tell the difference between bloat and belly fat is you can physically grasp belly fat with your hand, you cannot with bloat.
Bloating Is Localized While Belly Fat Is Widespread
One easy way to tell the difference between bloating and belly fat is that, with bloating, only the stomach expands due to the excess gas accumulation. You will likely notice other bulges with excess fat, particularly on the abdomen, thighs, hips, and back.
Common reasons for someone to have belly fat even when they're skinny is: Being too sedentary (inactive), which builds visceral fat around the organs and abdominal fat. Eating too many processed foods, which stores at the belly.
1. Don't weigh yourself. In the past, I've tried weighing myself while bloated to "assess the damage"—but nutritionists unanimously agree this is a poor choice.
A swollen abdomen is often caused by bloating from conditions like IBS, heartburn, constipation, and menstrual cramps. But may also be a sign of fluid buildup in the abdomen, liver disease, or an intestinal blockage.
In most cases, feeling bloated after pooping can be caused by what we have eaten; for example, dairy or high-fibre foods may cause you to feel puffy afterwards. Another possible culprit is gas that hasn't been released during your bathroom session.
Crunches:
The most effective exercise to burn stomach fat is crunches. Crunches rank top when we talk of fat-burning exercises. You can start by lying down flat with your knees bent and your feet on the ground.
Stress belly is the extra abdominal fat that accumulates as the result of chronic or prolonged stress. Although stress belly is not a medical diagnosis, it is a term used to describe the way that stress and stress hormones impact your midsection.
Using lactulose breath testing, your breath sample is analyzed to see if there are gases being produced by an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. Based on our experience, this is one of the top causes of abdominal bloating and IBS symptoms (see our post all about SIBO here).
"We wake up in the morning with a flatter stomach, because we don't have all of the food and drink we consume in the day going through. Normally we wake up, empty our bladder and bowel, and then as the day goes on, we increase the fluids and what we eat, and this builds up and looks like bloat throughout the day."
Sometimes, excess fat around the belly is due to hormones. Hormones help regulate many bodily functions, including metabolism, stress, hunger, and sex drive. If a person has a deficiency in certain hormones, it may result in weight gain around the abdomen, which is known as a hormonal belly.
The bulging lower abdominal problem commonly occurs in women after childbirth, but may also effect men and women who haven't experienced pregnancy. It's a result of weakened transverse abdominus and overactive external oblique muscles.
A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
“While it may seem counterintuitive, drinking water may help to reduce bloat by ridding the body of excess sodium,” Fullenweider says. You may find that drinking water before a meal can help reduce bloat, and this step may also confer the double benefit of reducing the tendency to overeat.
Bloating typically goes away within 24 hours, but if you're looking for immediate relief, Michael D. Brown, MD, a gastroenterologist at Rush University Medical Group, recommends trying simethicone, an over-the-counter medication that is available under brands like Gas-X and Equate.
Bloating may occasionally add a pound or two, but it doesn't actually signify weight gain. A simple way to tell the difference between bloating and weight gain or fat is how your stomach looks and feels. If your stomach is tight and hard, then bloating is the cause. If your stomach is soft and thick, then that's fat.
Losing belly fat and getting a flat stomach is done through achieving a caloric deficit by eating less, exercising more, and doing that for at least 6-12 weeks. The more stubborn your belly fat is, the more strict and consistent you need to be with your diet and exercises regimen throughout that period.