Distended Abs - what's inside?

[hawkmoon]

As some of you may recall I competed a couple times last year after many years away from the stage. I had two issues I did not like: 1) my legs shrunk too much over the years - they are now coming back!; 2) a distended abdomen.

I wanted to find out what is really going on with my midsection and then share what I found. There are so many theories I thought some good detective work with the doctors could lend some insight. So here we go:

1) I do have a slight umbilical hernia, with some separation of the linea alba
2) MRI shows very little visceral fat - far below "normal" levels.
3) Xray and Ultrasound show nothing disturbing. Liver a bit larger than normal, but no concern. Intestines the same.
3) No odd fluid in the abdomen (I was concerned about ascites, maybe)
4) Hypertrophied bladder with retention (yeah old age!)
5) A thick abdominal wall in terms of muscle
6) Some leftover food.

I can do all this easily in Japan because of the health system

In the end still a bit of a mystery with perhaps the thick layer of muscle the main culprit. But no huge amount of visceral fat due to GH and Insulin, no massive hypertrophied organs, none of the supposed broscience causes for "bubble gut" For me, it may be down to age, weak TVA (?) and many decades of training heavy and eating big.

Take this for what it is worth, but I wanted to share.

 

[gotgame]

As some of you may recall I competed a couple times last year after many years away from the stage. I had two issues I did not like: 1) my legs shrunk too much over the years - they are now coming back!; 2) a distended abdomen.

I wanted to find out what is really going on with my midsection and then share what I found. There are so many theories I thought some good detective work with the doctors could lend some insight. So here we go:

1) I do have a slight umbilical hernia, with some separation of the linea alba
2) MRI shows very little visceral fat - far below "normal" levels.
3) Xray and Ultrasound show nothing disturbing. Liver a bit larger than normal, but no concern. Intestines the same.
3) No odd fluid in the abdomen (I was concerned about ascites, maybe)
4) Hypertrophied bladder with retention (yeah old age!)
5) A thick abdominal wall in terms of muscle
6) Some leftover food.

I can do all this easily in Japan because of the health system

In the end still a bit of a mystery with perhaps the thick layer of muscle the main culprit. But no huge amount of visceral fat due to GH and Insulin, no massive hypertrophied organs, none of the supposed broscience causes for "bubble gut" For me, it may be down to age, weak TVA (?) and many decades of training heavy and eating big.

Take this for what it is worth, but I wanted to share.

there is no guessing if you post axial images from your abdominal MRI. if you post them PM me and ill comment and tell you.

There was no reason for xray, ultrasound, physical exam etc... the MRI will clearly show everything. All the distended bb abdomens i have seen have been due to either due to visceral fat, diastasis, thick abdominal wall or a combination of.

 

[1bigmofo]

As some of you may recall I competed a couple times last year after many years away from the stage. I had two issues I did not like: 1) my legs shrunk too much over the years - they are now coming back!; 2) a distended abdomen.

I wanted to find out what is really going on with my midsection and then share what I found. There are so many theories I thought some good detective work with the doctors could lend some insight. So here we go:

1) I do have a slight umbilical hernia, with some separation of the linea alba
2) MRI shows very little visceral fat - far below "normal" levels.
3) Xray and Ultrasound show nothing disturbing. Liver a bit larger than normal, but no concern. Intestines the same.
3) No odd fluid in the abdomen (I was concerned about ascites, maybe)
4) Hypertrophied bladder with retention (yeah old age!)
5) A thick abdominal wall in terms of muscle
6) Some leftover food.

I can do all this easily in Japan because of the health system

In the end still a bit of a mystery with perhaps the thick layer of muscle the main culprit. But no huge amount of visceral fat due to GH and Insulin, no massive hypertrophied organs, none of the supposed broscience causes for "bubble gut" For me, it may be down to age, weak TVA (?) and many decades of training heavy and eating big.

Take this for what it is worth, but I wanted to share.

i’ve had the same issue and had many if the same tests. i did learn that i have diastasis recti. but what i found out from doing counterfiet sust. for 13 days was that i lost 13 lbs. of water mostly, but i also lost the distended ab. it was literally flat. i was still using 3.5 of G per day. prior to my counterfjet sust i was on about 800mg of test weekly. i was also taking preworkout excelcior and was injesting very few caliries.

 

[Bio]

Hawk it's great to see you posting! I haven't seen you around here in quite some time.

 

[Capin]

I have been jucing for nearly 40 years mostly doctor prescribed hrt the past 10 I never had a problem with distention until I started using GH and peptides my guess is that it has to do with elevated igf levels.

 

[graybass]

Genetics my friends. My dad was skinny but he could stick out his gut like a foot! Looked like a basket ball. He used to say to us kids "Want to see my watermelon?" Now I can do it to. I always look thick in the middle, so did my brother. I have to be like 5% BF to like my waist line at all. My GF says her dad was the same. Problem is they all died young arrrrg! You can't even pinch a 1/4 inch of fat on my abs but still look thick. No huge amounts of GH, no insulin either. Now I just accept that in off season shape I'm thick in the middle.

 

[hawkmoon]

Genetics my friends. My dad was skinny but he could stick out his gut like a foot! Looked like a basket ball. He used to say to us kids "Want to see my watermelon?" Now I can do it to. I always look thick in the middle, so did my brother. I have to be like 5% BF to like my waist line at all. My GF says her dad was the same. Problem is they all died young arrrrg! You can't even pinch a 1/4 inch of fat on my abs but still look thick. No huge amounts of GH, no insulin either. Now I just accept that in off season shape I'm thick in the middle.

I think this might be it for me as well...my father and his father have a bit of a gut. My dad is always in shape - he was my first inspiration for training - but his and we're rarely flat. If it's genetics it sucks worse as I cannot change that...

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[hawkmoon]

Hawk it's great to see you posting! I haven't seen you around here in quite some time.

Thanks very much. I came out of competitor hibernation last year and am enjoying being on stage again. I'm 50 this year and somehow the challenge makes it more fun. I've managed to make progress, age regardless. [emoji3]

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[hawkmoon]

there is no guessing if you post axial images from your abdominal MRI. if you post them PM me and ill comment and tell you.

There was no reason for xray, ultrasound, physical exam etc... the MRI will clearly show everything. All the distended bb abdomens i have seen have been due to either due to visceral fat, diastasis, thick abdominal wall or a combination of.

I'll get a picture up, but my results showed 33cm of VF whereas the metabolic syndrome measurement is stated as in excess of 100cm.

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[pahlevan]

When did you stop Slin? Its tends to cause this and usually goes away after a while.

 

[gotgame]

I'll get a picture up, but my results showed 33cm of VF whereas the metabolic syndrome measurement is stated as in excess of 100cm.

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Those measurements are truthfully mostly BS. Ive gotten a handful of request to quantify visceral fat this year..and im like uhhhh wtf... Its nearly impossible to put a number on given the way its distributed.


Dont worry about the measurement its gonna be pretty simple.. post up some images from lower liver to upper pelvis. We can easily see if there is good seperation of the bowl loops due to fat or if there is a paucity.

 

[hawkmoon]

When did you stop Slin? Its tends to cause this and usually goes away after a while.

I hardly use it. Been at least six months prior to the scan. I usually run it only MWF 10-15iu post workout ( humalog).

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[hawkmoon]

Those measurements are truthfully mostly BS. Ive gotten a handful of request to quantify visceral fat this year..and im like uhhhh wtf... Its nearly impossible to put a number on given the way its distributed.





Dont worry about the measurement its gonna be pretty simple.. post up some images from lower liver to upper pelvis. We can easily see if there is good seperation of the bowl loops due to fat or if there is a paucity.

Thanks will share tonight. It is only a single cross section, specifically done here as an option in Japan for metabolic syndrome during our annual required health check.

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[Alzadosghost]

My gut was distended up until I started using hgh. Whatever it did it got rid of it and it’s never came back. I lost fat in areas I could never get rid of. Maybe it just nuked the internal bodfat surrounding my organs.

 

[pickapeck]

It's inflammation.


I had that problem in 2013. I then went to Italy for 3 months. I shopped at the farmer's market and the supermarketta near by. All the food in Italy is close to the earth. Not much additives, modern pesticides etc. After about 3 weeks I dropped 12 lbs overnight. Mt waist came in many inches. I was eating more than I do in the states. My body completely changes. I became leaner and leaner.

I was back in the states for 2 weeks and all the bloat was back. Every time I go back to Italy the same thing happens. Going back there in March. Can't wait.

 

[gotgame]

It's inflammation.


I had that problem in 2013. I then went to Italy for 3 months. I shopped at the farmer's market and the supermarketta near by. All the food in Italy is close to the earth. Not much additives, modern pesticides etc. After about 3 weeks I dropped 12 lbs overnight. Mt waist came in many inches. I was eating more than I do in the states. My body completely changes. I became leaner and leaner.

I was back in the states for 2 weeks and all the bloat was back. Every time I go back to Italy the same thing happens. Going back there in March. Can't wait.

Uhhh..... is that YOUR pic in that avatar... because i know that pic and the person whose pic that is i dont think they would blindly just say something is inflammation as i respect that gentleman.

 

[gotgame]

Thanks will share tonight. It is only a single cross section, specifically done here as an option in Japan for metabolic syndrome during our annual required health check.

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Ok. hopefully they went low enough so we can see.

 

[LATS]

I actually have a appt Monday with a surgeon that did my umbilical hernia to look at my distension bulge in my middle abdomen.
Over the last couple years the bulge in my midsection has gotten progressively worse.. when I lay down on a flat bench it protrudes between my left/right abdomen from my sternum to above my navel.. about 11/2 to 2 inches across.. doesnt really hurt.

But I have noticed I am constantly constipated and my low back just kills me to lay down.. I am getting more distension when standing .. I literally cant pinch much fat on my abdominal wall.. and the distension is hard as a rock lol. But I've noticed a weakening of my core over the last couple years pretty sure it's bad diastasis .. but want to make sure..

 

[maldorf]

I actually have a appt Monday with a surgeon that did my umbilical hernia to look at my distension bulge in my middle abdomen.
Over the last couple years the bulge in my midsection has gotten progressively worse.. when I lay down on a flat bench it protrudes between my left/right abdomen from my sternum to above my navel.. about 11/2 to 2 inches across.. doesnt really hurt.

But I have noticed I am constantly constipated and my low back just kills me to lay down.. I am getting more distension when standing .. I literally cant pinch much fat on my abdominal wall.. and the distension is hard as a rock lol. But I've noticed a weakening of my core over the last couple years pretty sure it's bad diastasis .. but want to make sure..

Ive got that now too, the diastasis. Mine came on after I had my umbilical hernia repaired. Maybe just coincidence, but some months after the surgery is when I first noticed the diastasis. Does anyone know if it is related to having the umbilical hernia surgery? Is there any way to fix diastasis recti with surgery?

 

[maldorf]

diastasis recti

This video shows what it looks like on a guy.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn6g8VFD8Kw"]What a Diastasis Recti Adominal Split Looks Like & How to Check if You Have One - YouTube[/ame]


Another guy like me got this after the umbilical hernia repair:
"
Gary Bowen
2 years ago

Just learned that I have this very ugly pelvic split years after I had an umbilical repair. Thanks for the explanation and the exercises. Great coverage. Doesn't feel so hopeless now. "

Comment on this video. Lady showing exercises to help with the condition.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys7mb_PPuqA&list=PLFD0A271F52C872EE"]Exercises to Help Close/Repair a Diastasis Recti/Abdominal Split Separation & Flatten Your Stomach - YouTube[/ame]