Thin but Have a Pretty Large Belly - and Growing

I have to say there are so many things to look into that can cause this, such as tumors, cancers, hormonal issues, metabolic syndrome, pregnancy (even if you think it can't be), and food issues causing bloating (such as food sensitivity to gluten, soy, etc.) This post has some tips in it to investigate general intestinal health issues (down near the end is a list): http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2011/03/gut-brain-and-ba...

But what if it is cancer? What if it is a hormone problem (which can also be due to a tumor elsewhere?) Suddenly gaining girth around the abdomen for no apparent reason, and you really aren't pregnant does not sound good, and I know you don't want to hear this... but ... go to a doctor.

weight gain around the midsection can aslo be due to high cortisol. Look up cushings syndrome and conns syndrome.

ps--- I do know women who have been pregnant and had periods through it, and I also have known women who have gotten pregnant after having tubes tied! So nothing is impossible.

You don't want to hear this, but go to the doctor. Start with the ob/gyn. Yes, a specialist, and more expensive.

But we aren't doctors here on Mamapedia. And unexplained swelling like yours could be nothing...or it could be something serious. Unless you've gobbled tons of salt, it seems tough to believe it's that, and the fact it's consistent and daily, and not occasional bloatiing that goes away, would make me question the idea of its being just food-related.

Swelling is one symptom of ovarian cancer, which spreads fast and may have no pain at all involved until it's way too far gone. Sorry if that's scary, but you have zero way to know and neither do we. Yes, this could be mere bloating related to food. Or it could be something so serious you needed it looked at yesterday. Why let paying the high deductible stop you from protecting yourself and especially your family from your possibly being very ill? Why not rule OUT somethng serious before you just assume it's bloating or "I'm getting older" body change? You know your own body and you know it's unusual for you.

Many of our "women's complaints" have no symptoms, or ones that act like other things, because our bodies are so complicated in ways that men's aren't. So we ignore symptoms, or think "it's my stomach, it's digestive, it's hormonal" and sometimes it is. And sometimes it isn't. My friend with uterine cancer and my late sister-in-law with pancreatic cancer didn't get diagnoses until very late because they thought they had other issues, and even doctors were wrong at first. I'm not trying to be a scare-monger. I'm just saying, listen to yourself and rule out the serious stuff first.

Please don't let "I don't want to seem silly if it's nothing" stop you from the peace of mind of finding out whether it truly IS nothing. We should never, never feel "silly" for having something checked out.

After having a baby, especially if you got very big in your belly (from your uterus stretching), your muscles stretch and change. To me it sounds like you have a diastis recti, which is where the muscles separate and don't go back like they used to be. (never fear, though, there is this AWESOME book that has the perfect exercises to get it back in place).

To check and see if you have it (and the majority of women do after having a baby, especially if it was a very big baby), lay on your back on the floor with your legs bent in an upside down V. Then place your fingers at your belly button, pushing down a little bit. Then gently lift your head just a touch. Don't lift it so much that your shoulders lift off. You just barely want to lift it to barely tighten those tummy muscles so you can see where the edges of them are. Once you do that, you should feel your muscles and be able to determine if there is any sort of space in between them at around your belly button where your muscles are supposed to be. You stick however many fingers in there that you can (side by side - placing your fingers horizontally/from your side to side, not vertically/from your head to toe). If you tighten your muscles way too much, it can give an inaccurate measurement, so it's important to barely tighten those muscles.

Anyway, if you notice you have any space there, you have a diastis recti. It can easily cause you to have a permanent prego look that gets worse at the end of the day after eating. It has nothing to do with being out of shape or what you are eating. In fact, even if you do situps and crunches regularly, it won't fix the problem in most women (it actually will likely make it worse!). Losing weight will not fix it. It's just the muscles being stretched and not as firm as they were, causing a prego look.

When I had my first baby, she was only 7 lbs. I am almost 5ft 4in and started that pregnancy weighing 105 lbs (too skinny, I know!). My belly went back to normal after I had her (though I stayed around 115 lbs). Then when I had baby #2, he was 10 lbs 11 oz, and I looked prego with twins. I had a small body and HUGE freakin' belly. That definitely did a number on my muscles. I've since had a 8 lbs 7 oz baby and a 9 lb 7 oz baby, and both of those have stretched it out even more due to repeated pregnancies. I am now prego with baby #5, and it looks to be measuring on the larger side again (yippee).

But each time I have a baby, I go back to weighing around 117 lbs and my belly has a perma-pooch now. I can't seem to get rid of it, and I HATE feeling like I look three months pregnant! I have a huge space between mine - almost five fingers, which is pretty large. Most women only have 1-2 finger space (then again, most women don't have nearly 11 lb babies!).

Someone told me about this book called "Lose Your Mummy Tummy" by Tupler. It's supposed to be pretty amazing at getting the belly back in place. I was already pregnant with baby #5 when I learned about it, so I can't say it's worked great for me...yet. I am going to use it during this pregnancy though. The exercises are made safe for that. But my friend that suggested it had great results herself.

Here it is on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Lose-Mummy-Tummy-Julie-Tupler/dp/07...

I've just written a REALLY long response! hehe! But, that's what it sounds like to me. If you notice a space between those muscles, there's no reason to go to the dr. You just need to get this book (or one like it) and try the exercises to get your muscles back in place. It'll then be able to hold your tummy flatter and you won't have that prego look. If you don't have that space between your muscles, then no idea! Maybe bloating?

do you eat things with alot of salt?? It sounds like you are getting really bloated. Keep a food journal for a few days and see how things go.....GL!

M

I'm fairly small, too, and work out regularly. I've noticed this myself sometimes and think it can be either - water retention if I've eaten more salt than usual or it is my PMS week, a bit of constipation if I've not had enough fiber or had a longer run in a while. I notice it when looking in the mirror and that my clothes fit differently. It affects what I chose to wear some days, but usually is more noticeable at night, like you described.

I would be a little concerned, though, that this seems to have come on fairly suddenly for you. I've noticed this about myself for years, actually, even before I was pregnant. It is a little more pronounced now, that I've gained a couple of inches in my waist and the muscles aren't quite the same (despite many hours of helpful Pilates!)

I wouldn't dwell on it, but I would keep observing to see if you notice any trends, or if it gets worse, or you notice any new symptoms.

if your belly is truly large(in comparison) there are a few things you could try, parasite cleanse, eliminating gluten, and the try casein elimination. eating good carbs is also a route to try.

Ok this is just a guess, but could it just be bloating due to holding in a fart or something to that extent? At night you let go of all inhibitions so you could have released it then?? I dunno, It could be something like that.
I would just go and get a preggo test just to be on the safe side. You never know that something could have gotten through on your husbands side. The odds could have matched up with your no period, but random ovulation. I dunno. Just pulling this all out of thin air.

If it is smaller in the morning and larger at night it sounds like bloat. Cut out all carbonated beverages and look at your diet to see if you are eating bloating foods.

.

Hi J.,

I know you said you were a vegetarian and only eat organic but toxicities can remain in your system for years. Usually a belly, especially on a thin person, is toxins. You can see that if you visit McDonalds and look at the shapes of the people that eat there regularly.

Before your mind goes to the worst possible scenario, try a detox. If there are toxins in your system, you will reabsorb some as they are eliminated (you probably know that absorption sites are in the intestinal tract). This may cause a low grade headache or some lethargy. It should only last a couple of weeks.

I would try this before I went any further. Adding an absorbable multivitamin wouldn't hurt...

M.

I'd take some midol and see if it's water retention.

Hmm. A year ago I lost 27lbs (I'm 5'3" and got to 120) using an online food journal. Over the last several months, my life got crazy, my eating deteriorated, I quit logging and I regained 7-8 lbs. To me, it all seems to have gone to my belly too. On a frame as small as yours, that much weight would be enough for you to notice (but maybe not anyone else). The food journal I really liked was www.nutrimirror.com. I'm not ruling anything else out, but it could just be the weight gain, wrong as that sounds. I mean, you only weigh 112#. What does a girl have to do???

I've recently put on some weight around the midsection and my youngest is 5. For me it is because of a medication change.

Maybe you ate just a bit more over the winter (normal) and it went to your tummy instead of hips, thighs, and face. You say you gained a few pounds recently, maybe thats where it is. Too much salt makes me puffy in my face and fingers by retaining water. Maybe its some veggie you can get more of this time of year and it makes you bloat a bit. It doesnt take much of a calorie increase to gain 1 pound a month and in 5 or 6 months, someone as slender as you will notice it.

Are you gaining weight (fat) in your belly, or are you bloated? I'm also 35 and 2 yrs. ago realized I have a gluten and/or wheat intolerance. I eat it & I get really bloated in my belly...to the point I look 3-4 months preggo (and I'm very petite like you...5'1", 102lbs). Keep an eye on whether it happens all the time or only after certain foods. If it's only after certain foods, avoid those foods & see if it goes away. I still have some belly fat & know I need to work my abs to get them tight (I have 2 young kids), but the bloat is something different & is avoidable for me.

I too have the same problem which lead me to discover that I am now gluten and dairy intolerant. If I have even one small cup of milk I get so bloated I look 3 months pregnant, but normally I wear a size 4/6 and weigh 133lbs. My family has gone egg, gluten, wheat, dairy, corn free and we all feel so much better!

no pain? maybe it's just age? my body is a lot different now that it was 3 years ago, 13 years ago, 20 years ago! it just happens sometimes

I'm wondering if it's also thyroid related. After my DD was born, my thyroid went completely wacky! Never recovered, so I'm on life-long meds. Just a thought!

We have very similar body types. I am 39 and yes the same thing has happened to me. I have a stick out squishy "pot belly" if I am not careful. I eat well and exercise too, but still it is there a lot of the time! My guess is it is a part of getting older. I noticed mine gets much smaller if I am 1. eating no bread, white flour, white rice, processed grains and 2. doing hard weight training. It's hard to do that all the time though! Let me know if you find a solution bc I'd love to know.

I bet it's just a few extra calories. I'm taller and older than you, 5'7, 42yrs old, but also thin and healthy lifestyle (most of the time!). I had my daughter 3.5 years ago and it seems that just this last year, if I gain a couple of pounds, it goes all to the belly! I never had that before, I used to gain in proportion. Remember that as we age our metabolism slows down, so even if your diet and exercise routine are the same, you will start to gain by the age factor (sorry! lol). See what you can tweak and I bet you'll see a difference. :)

could be several things-
as I got older I developed food intolerances I never had. A huge one was to any fake sugars. Once I cut out them, including diet coke, all gum, nutrasweet, and any other 'diet' product that helped a lot.

certain vegetables will give you bloat

definitely salt

not to scare you but a major sign of ovarian cancer is a 'bloated' belly that will not go down. This is why you should absolutely call your gyn for a checkup. You should google this cancer as well to see if you fit any other of the symptoms.

Hey--
It probably is a combination of hormones and the muscle being stretched from pregnancy. Consider going to a rolfer ( I can recommend one if you're interested). I can also recommend a great "natural" doc who can check on your hormones and help from that perspective.
Good luck!
J.