In the post, Skye shares side-by-side photos of herself at the gym, wearing a sports bra and the same pink leggings. In one photo, you can see her incredibly toned abs; in the other, her stomach is puffy and bloated.
“Only a couple of days apart!” Skye wrote in the caption. “How crazy is it how drastically your body can change from day to day!” Skye said she “deviated a little from what I normally eat” and this was the result. “I just wanted to share this as most of you know I like to show you me at my best & at my worst so you know it’s normal for your body to fluctuate like this!!” she wrote, before encouraging her followers to get checked out by a doctor if they constantly experience bloat like this.
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Still, she said, “don’t stress about the occasional bloat—it is totally normal so try not to beat yourself up about it as most of us get bloated from time to time!”
Skye later revealed in the comments that she hadn’t even eaten anything before her workout in the bloated photo.
Skye got all kinds of praise in the comments for her candidness. “Thank you for normalising this!” one person wrote. “I have this exact same problem. The struggle is so real,” another said. And then there was this comment: “I freaking LOVE YOU and everything you represent! Bless you @emilyskyefit you truly are an inspiration.”
Why can bloating like this just happen?
There can be several causes, but changes in your gut microflora, which is bacteria that live in your intestine, is one of them, says Gina Keatley, a certified dietitian-nutritionist practising in New York City. “Even minor disturbances in gut microflora can lead to significant changes in gut function, including gas production,” she says.
There are other issues that can cause gas, like undigested food, swallowed air, and a variety of chemical reactions within your GI tract. “An increase or decrease in fibre is often the culprit,” Keatley says.
How can you get rid of intense bloating?
Keatley warns that there’s no “magic bullet” for beating bloat, but there are a few things you can try. Give these tips a go if you’re struggling:
- Exercise. “It’s been shown to help move gas along,” Keatley says.
- Decrease your sodium levels.
- Increase the amount of fibre you eat slowly (like by 25 to 30 grams a day).
- Increase the variety of foods you eat so that your gut isn’t “shocked” when you try something new.
- Try to relax, if you can. “More than 50 per cent of individuals who report bloating also report anxiety and depression,” Keatley says.
Again, occasional bloating is completely normal. But if you find that it comes along with nausea, vomiting, constipation, or multiple days of diarrhoea, or you feel like it’s interfering with your quality of life, it’s time to see a doctor.
This article originally appeared on Prevention US.
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