"pregnant belly" syndrome

[morepain]

best real advice I ever got was form a good friend that competed for many years although painful at the time... "you are a lot fatter than you think you are" I was a bit pissed at first I mean I had a ton of muscle and was so caught up in being 290 lbs and "relatively lean" as I used to tell myself that I could not imagine just how far off I was. I was much the same as the OP , I could not pinch a lot of exterior fat and my arms and legs were actually well separated (not shredded for sure) but still how fat could I be? FAT , much more than I ever thought and as I buckled down I ended up at 235 and guess what my "relatively lean" mid section was 6" smaller. 40" waist at 290 down to a 34" waist at 235 , you won't shrivel up ... my arms were at 21" when I started and never went under 19 and they looked MUCH bigger when lean. This winter I have let myself get back up to about 250 but still feel good , I will be working with a prep guy this year for the first time just for my own satisfaction (I don't compete) but I compete against myself I guess you would say...just never satisfied...like most of us.

 

[ManoftheWorld]

There could also be the case of full intestines... do a fast, get a colon detox cleanse product, watch what eat and drink plenty of water.. im always eating so my guts are always full so depending on my posturing i have a lil Buddha belly of sorts... also why i can take 3-4 dumps a day.. having full guts is def a probability since whenever i get sick and down for say a week after a few days of eating much less than usual my guts clear out so only take like 1 dump a day but every thing flattens and tapers down...

If that not case then ya bloated poss insulin resistance and high visceral fat... your going to want to consider your cortisol levels also and manage those as well

 

[sammy555]

best real advice I ever got was form a good friend that competed for many years although painful at the time... "you are a lot fatter than you think you are" I was a bit pissed at first I mean I had a ton of muscle and was so caught up in being 290 lbs and "relatively lean" as I used to tell myself that I could not imagine just how far off I was. I was much the same as the OP , I could not pinch a lot of exterior fat and my arms and legs were actually well separated (not shredded for sure) but still how fat could I be? FAT , much more than I ever thought and as I buckled down I ended up at 235 and guess what my "relatively lean" mid section was 6" smaller. 40" waist at 290 down to a 34" waist at 235 , you won't shrivel up ... my arms were at 21" when I started and never went under 19 and they looked MUCH bigger when lean. This winter I have let myself get back up to about 250 but still feel good , I will be working with a prep guy this year for the first time just for my own satisfaction (I don't compete) but I compete against myself I guess you would say...just never satisfied...like most of us.

I've learnt this the hard way. I've had vascular abs and dieted and been shocked how much I had to lose

 

[gulfcoast]

As stated by several - we are all fatter than we think or estimate.
I would have bet my life that I was 10-12% before starting prep 4 weeks ago. Nope, hydro tested at 14.4% and mine is mostly visceral since I'm 6'4".

 

[sammy555]

As stated by several - we are all fatter than we think or estimate.
I would have bet my life that I was 10-12% before starting prep 4 weeks ago. Nope, hydro tested at 14.4% and mine is mostly visceral since I'm 6'4".

A true 14% is a lot leaner than most people realise. I've had guys in the gym tell me I must be 5 or 6% when I've been about 10. They think there about 12 when there 18-20. The numbers mean nothing to me, the mirror tells me if im lean. If I can pinch fat on lowe belly and ive got veiny abs in lean enough. Im guessing 8% but who cares

 

[nothuman]

I know. I used to be very big on the whole keeping insulin quite thing as it made a lot of sense to me but in practice the oposite was true for me. I'm a big beliver in the old saying fat burns in the flame of carbohydrate. It's a vegan saying I think. I noticed a long time ago that if im bulking and add about 100g of carbohydrate I tend to lean out. I lean up on insulin too which is odd. Your advice will be correct for a lot of people though, especially if Insulin resistance is the problem. In eating 700 carbs on traing days and 500 plus rest days and won't budge above 225lb and no bloat in face at all so it's all to do with how your body partitions them. My morning blouse glucose is about 3.2 which is about 60 the way you guys measure it I think.

I need low carbs and higher fats for my genetics. High carbs give me the pregnant belly. Hell even moderate carbs aren't a good look for me.

 

[mikennrg]

this
if its only the really lower belly area then its most likely lordosis...

theres a huge debate on how to fix this though,
some say stretch hip flexors, some say stretch hamstrings, some say strengthen lower back etc
all pretty contradictory

I'm part of the "extension" group. The best exercise I've found to get me close to neutral is this style of reverse crunch.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkafd6GkaPo"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkafd6GkaPo[/ame]

 

[qbkilla]

i disagree with people who say diet down,,,i can have veins on my abs its so gross i wish they were gone, but still have that preggo look. its gotta be fat inside,,and it doesn't go away with dieting, dieting will burn the outer fat so much that you wish those veins on the stomach would go away because again they are disgusting and you look too dry and its nasty, but the preggo gut is still there...

im thinking its gotta be poor digestion, too much meat and protein in there, or fat around the organs that wont go away with lower calories/cardio, thoughts?

a couple things im thinking might work

1. fast
2. colon cleanse
3. doesn't var, or t3 target visceral fat?

 

[little slice]

i disagree with people who say diet down,,,i can have veins on my abs its so gross i wish they were gone, but still have that preggo look. its gotta be fat inside,,and it doesn't go away with dieting, dieting will burn the outer fat so much that you wish those veins on the stomach would go away because again they are disgusting and you look too dry and its nasty, but the preggo gut is still there...

im thinking its gotta be poor digestion, too much meat and protein in there, or fat around the organs that wont go away with lower calories/cardio, thoughts?

a couple things im thinking might work

1. fast
2. colon cleanse
3. doesn't var, or t3 target visceral fat?

can we see a pic of your preggo stomach covered in nasty veins?

 

[NY Muscle]

i disagree with people who say diet down,,,i can have veins on my abs its so gross i wish they were gone, but still have that preggo look. its gotta be fat inside,,and it doesn't go away with dieting, dieting will burn the outer fat so much that you wish those veins on the stomach would go away because again they are disgusting and you look too dry and its nasty, but the preggo gut is still there...

im thinking its gotta be poor digestion, too much meat and protein in there, or fat around the organs that wont go away with lower calories/cardio, thoughts?

a couple things im thinking might work

1. fast
2. colon cleanse
3. doesn't var, or t3 target visceral fat?

No it is dieting/cardio. How else will fat go away? It takes a long aas time trust me. Also the longer you have nothing in your stomach the better. Have a protein meal for dinner and don't eat the test of the night and the next 2 weeks is like magic. It will keep going down but dieting is the building block so to say to ridding on self of thst nasty distention.

Lots of fiber helps too. I drink all sorts of green shakes and fiber shakes. I was feeling a little more distended than usual the other day but after the fiber drinks kicked in I dropped half inch on my belly the next day after a nice healthy shit.

Thr fasting thing has me very curious I just dont think i could handle it. Even though I do great on no carbs, if I don't eat every few hours I feel like I'm going to pass out.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk 2

 

[NY Muscle]

Oh and ps....My surgeon says there is a way he can remove the visceral fat and I'll ask him more about it when I see him in a few weeks but he said we need that fat and that it's a good thing. Protects our organs maybe? but still said he can get rid of a lot of it not really sure how but I'll report back in a few weeks when I see him.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk 2

 

[qbkilla]

can we see a pic of your preggo stomach covered in nasty veins?

not big fan of posting pics on forums but heres something,,im pretty lean in this one and dont look "preggo", but at night and a little diff angle,,posture,,,and im pregnant looking,,,,i can keep it under control with posture and sucking in,,,but in this pic im pretty dry and i can snap a diff pic and it looks like im having a kid,,,i can upload one later from phone where the veins are more visible and much "worse" on lower stomach

 

[sammy555]

i disagree with people who say diet down,,,i can have veins on my abs its so gross i wish they were gone, but still have that preggo look. its gotta be fat inside,,and it doesn't go away with dieting, dieting will burn the outer fat so much that you wish those veins on the stomach would go away because again they are disgusting and you look too dry and its nasty, but the preggo gut is still there...

im thinking its gotta be poor digestion, too much meat and protein in there, or fat around the organs that wont go away with lower calories/cardio, thoughts?

a couple things im thinking might work

1. fast
2. colon cleanse
3. doesn't var, or t3 target visceral fat?

Some times if you have a fast metabolism your digestive system can't keep up with metabolism and they're is a back log off food. Mabey You should have a glucose tolerance test and see where your at with you insulin sensitivity. At your leaness I doubt very much it's a problem. Seems to me though your the complete oposite to me. I burn fat from the inside out. To the point I can do quite a disturbing vacuum and look like I'm going to snap but still have some love handles and a layer over abs. eventually it goes, I just have to keep dieting. I suspect the same is true for your viscal fat. It's just the last to go.

 

[nothuman]

People are way too quick to say it's fat. It's mostly water. Take a dyazide and you'll look much leaner.

 

[ManoftheWorld]

not big fan of posting pics on forums but heres something,,im pretty lean in this one and dont look "preggo", but at night and a little diff angle,,posture,,,and im pregnant looking,,,,i can keep it under control with posture and sucking in,,,but in this pic im pretty dry and i can snap a diff pic and it looks like im having a kid,,,i can upload one later from phone where the veins are more visible and much "worse" on lower stomach

Well ones vascular network is unfortunately something genetic and cant change but kudos to your conditioning to host such appearance. The fold and tuck is also much appreciated cuz your shorts are dangerously low and i almost started having brett farve flashbacks LMAO

cardio solid diet with good fiber input dscipline and time should surely conquer IMO... If Dorian in an interview recall losing the small pads of fat to cushion bottom of feet, im sure someone would have a good angle on the viscerial fat before you lose your heel fat.. well in theory...

 

[sammy555]

No it is dieting/cardio. How else will fat go away? It takes a long aas time trust me. Also the longer you have nothing in your stomach the better. Have a protein meal for dinner and don't eat the test of the night and the next 2 weeks is like magic. It will keep going down but dieting is the building block so to say to ridding on self of thst nasty distention.

Lots of fiber helps too. I drink all sorts of green shakes and fiber shakes. I was feeling a little more distended than usual the other day but after the fiber drinks kicked in I dropped half inch on my belly the next day after a nice healthy shit.

Thr fasting thing has me very curious I just dont think i could handle it. Even though I do great on no carbs, if I don't eat every few hours I feel like I'm going to pass out.

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Fasting works well if you want a beach body and there is a lot of insulin Down time so it's a great way reverse insulin resitance. With the built in anabolic rebounds you don't really lose muscle either. As you get more muscle on your frame it becomes a lot harder to do and you feel like shit. At least that's my experience. For me fibre is terrible for making me look fat and bloated. Makes me lethargic too. When I diet down its all white carbs and very low fibre so I can monitor my progress. I find the insulin response from the higher gi carbs more important than fibre for controlling hunger too. I need that insulin release to kill the cravings. I some times do 20iu humalog post workout when cutting if the diets getting tough and I don't think about food for rest of the day, just eat to the clock.

 

[beastmode121]

Carbs do that. You're not allowing your digestive system to clear out. You keep shoving shit in your stomach. Water and gas is drawn there and you feel bloated , your stomach is so stretched.

go into deficit; lower carbs, add cardio.

 

[thehazzle]

Could also be eating foods that cause inflammation for you. Common culprits are wheat gluten n dairy try cutting it our for few weeks see if it helps

 

[ZOFO1973]

Carbs do that. You're not allowing your digestive system to clear out. You keep shoving shit in your stomach. Water and gas is drawn there and you feel bloated , your stomach is so stretched.

go into deficit; lower carbs, add cardio.

Yes. That sound right to me. Plus maybe add some psyllium husk. That keeps me regular and keeps things moving quickly through digestive tract.

 

[GND]

IMO fans can be overly judgmental too... the added 50# of solid slab muscle on competitors bodies MUST be supported by organs, period... autopsies regularly see athletes with 2x the weight in their hearts, which they MUST have to support all the extra arteries, veins, and the freakin WORK they do to get that size... so why are we all surprised to see enlarged organs in other departments? I mean really? You gotta know eating 10# of meat a day means the biggest bbrs filter more, digest more, etc... That workload cant be performed by the same organs that keep a desk-clerk healthy

We EXPECT the arm bones to stay the same size and we applaud when the biceps, triceps, etc simply swallow up and bloat all over the arm bone. But if the support structure (internal and external) around the abdomen upsizes to handle all its added workload, we act surprised? This isnt realistic imo. As long as we demand 40" thighs on a 5'7" competitor, these athletes will have to squat 500# for reps, and all that work iIS going to result in a thicker torso.

I agree its a balancing act, and no one wants to see a bbr tape in with a 40" gorilla gut. But the biggest bros Ive seen in the gym ALL have some bloat when they are off camera. Fans need to realize that all body-systems interact and affect one another, you arent going to see 24" arms come on stage with a 22" waist, because the guys back/waist would snap in half in the gym just curling the weights to get his 24" arms.