So, how are you feeling so far this week? After all the Holiday partying, eating, drinking and eating some more, you might notice you are carrying around what some lovingly call a “food baby” or a pooch or I call just plain ol’ bloat.
This gets the best of us regardless of the Season. So, whether you have kept to your senses and your tummy is flat as a pancake right now, tuck these tips away for when that time comes, and I ‘m sure it will, when your tummy pokes out a little too much from either too much fun, too much stress, or too much of anything that brings it on . . . It’s all normal and natural and happens to even the best of those perfect seeming people out there.
Personally, I can always tell when a little bloating first comes on in my hands. For whatever reason I have really little fingers. By little I mean little in circumference so my ring size is normally about a size 4, which is kinda small. The minute my rings begin to feel a little tight I know I’ve got a little too much water that’s hanging on . . . it’s then going to show up in the belly. Ugh.
If you are feeling a little lethargic, pudgy or a little fuller in your face, neck, fingers or belly, just know it is NOT fat. It is only you retaining water under your skin. And getting rid of it isn’t too hard.
Here are 5 Easy Tips to Ridding Yourself of the Dreaded Bloat
1. Get rid of fluid with MORE fluid. That’s right, drink lots and lots of water. If you are holding on to water, you may have an electrolyte imbalance and drinking more water will actually help flush out the extra fluid in your system. Make sure you are drinking pure water, not carbonated or bubbly water which will only ADD to the bloat. I like to add a lemon slice or even orange slice to my water to help me drink even more.
2. Take away the dairy from your diet. Often times dairy can be difficult for adults to digest and as we grow older we lose the enzyme need to bread down and process the milk sugars so that dairy can make us bloated. In order to combat this bloat, take a few days off of milk, yogurt and cheeses.
When you begin adding them back to your diet, begin with the yogurt to see how you feel. Then the next day or two try another option.
3. Be careful which fruits you eat. If you are trying to get rid of bloat, apples, pears and melons are not the best options. Instead, eat berries, lemons, oranges, grapefruit and grapes since they do not hold on to as much water.
4. Forget the artificial sweeteners. My normal rule is if you cannot pronounce it you shouldn’t eat it. Diet foods and artificial sweeteners are loaded with stuff that can make your stomach do some tricks and really lead to more bloat. So, look for and stay away from: xylitol, maltitol, sorbitol and all the artificial sweeteners. There is no reason for you to need a diet yogurt, diet drink or other not natural food.
5. Give up those starches for now. Processed foods like pastas, breads, crackers and rice hold on to water like no body’s business. The better choices are brown rice and root veggies.
So, these are 5 Easy Tips to get rid of that bloat in no time. I promise when I follow these tips my rings slip right off my finger and I feel so much better. See how they work for you.
How do you tackle that food baby or bloat? Any other special tips?
Enjoy Your Day!
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