A female fitness star has told of her struggle with extreme bloating – by sharing shock pictures on her Instagram page.
Michelle Middleton, from Portland, US, posted to her 102,000 followers to explain what happens to her body when she eats certain foods.
Michelle transformed her body in 2015 by embracing weight lifting six times a week and by following a balanced diet.
But in spite of this, she – like many women – suffers from bloating.
She accompanied her before and after photos with a post to explain it’s something that happens to her often.
‘When I say I’m bloated… I’m bloated,’ Michelle started her post.
‘I do these bloat posts every now and then but people still get surprised at how big my belly gets.
‘Yes I get bloated and it happens when I eat certain foods. I pretty much know which foods are going to do it (high FODMAP) but sometimes I will eat it anyways.
‘Like earlier I had Greek yogurt and I got bloated within a few minutes but the bloat only lasted for a few hours and now I’m back to normal.
‘The foods that make me the most bloated are yogurts, protein powders, apples, pears, watermelon, broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus,’ Michelle told her fans.
In a follow-up post, Michelle revealed that she is still learning about her body and was keen to share both the good and bad with her followers.
‘If you’re someone who gets bloated and discouraged in your fitness journey because of it… don’t,’ Michelle advised.
‘It’s a minor set back at times but you can achieve a flatter stomach.’
She went on to list the things you can do to help.
‘Go to doctor and see if they can figure out what’s causing it,’ Michelle advised, explaining that it was also important to get an allergy test done.
‘Check out the FODMAP diet. There is a list of foods that are most likely to bloat people with sensitive digestive systems and list of foods that are least likely to bloat people,’ she wrote.
She also said that some people recommended taking probiotics.
‘Be mindful of what you’re eating,’ Michelle added.
‘If you notice you’re bloated be aware of what you just ate. If it happens again, see if you ate something that bloated you last time. Keep a mental note till you narrow down the culprit.’
