Bloating - Anyone have prob's

[Manimal]

Hi everyone

I've started a weight lifting exercise routine which I do 3 times a week. I've also adjusted my diet to 6 meals a day with a combination of 20% protein, 20% fats and 60% carbs at every meal. I intake 1980 cals per day. I'm only 5' 8" and 154lbs but need to lose a small amount of saggy fat on my tum.

Some of my carbs are coming from brown rice, wholemeal bread, veg's, etc... The problem I've got is that I'm now constipated a lot and VERY bloated. By the morning the bolating is significantly reduced but as soon as I eat breakfast I'm fully bloated again. This lasts all day even when I do manage to go to the toilet.

I'm drinking 1.5 ltrs water a day.

Can anyone give me some advice how to reduce or stop the bloating but still be able to eat healthily to aid my muscle development.

Thanks for any help.

 

[9cyclops9]

Man, at 154 lbs you don't need to be trying to cut. No offense, but you have to have some muscle to cut down to or else you'll just look really skinny. You need to bulk hard. Eat more protein. You're only getting 100g per day, and you should be taking in at the very least 160. A better amount would be 200. You could also stand to increase your fat intake to 25-30% and decrease your carbs some. Eat around 2500-3000 cals per day and bust your ass in the gym on the big lifts and you'll be much more pleased with the results than if you tried to cut down to below 150 lbs.

 

[Manimal]

Hi Cyclops

Thanks for reply. I'm new to the exercise game and have only been doing it for 7 days. I got my info about diet from a weight training book and they gave me the % of carbsrotein:fats. Are they talking bollocks then as I don't want to be wasting my time if nothing's gonna happen?

I thought the 1980 cals a day sounded okay though to lose my fat belly. Don't get me wrong I only have a small frame and hardly any fat but it's just I can pinch 2" of fat on my belly (no where else).

So are you saying if I increase my calories it will help bulk up my muscles and the fat will burn off due to the exercises? I don't want to get too big with the muscles more toned than anything and lose the belly. Icecam has a good physique without looking too bulky.

Also I suppose that if I reduced my carbs it might help with the bloating and constipation.

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions I really don't know much about exercise but I'm willing to learn.

Thanks again for your reply.

 

[pullups]

Hi Cyclops

Thanks for reply. I'm new to the exercise game and have only been doing it for 7 days. I got my info about diet from a weight training book and they gave me the % of carbsrotein:fats. Are they talking bollocks then as I don't want to be wasting my time if nothing's gonna happen?

I thought the 1980 cals a day sounded okay though to lose my fat belly. Don't get me wrong I only have a small frame and hardly any fat but it's just I can pinch 2" of fat on my belly (no where else).

So are you saying if I increase my calories it will help bulk up my muscles and the fat will burn off due to the exercises? I don't want to get too big with the muscles more toned than anything and lose the belly. Icecam has a good physique without looking too bulky.

Also I suppose that if I reduced my carbs it might help with the bloating and constipation.

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions I really don't know much about exercise but I'm willing to learn.

Thanks again for your reply.

Well first off many cheap, not all, creatines will cause bloat so stay away from those. if your just starting you will see pretty consistent changes. eventually you might want to start doing power lifts like power cleans, dead jumps, jerks, etc. right now you should be trying to put muscle on since muscle helps to burn cals also eating more kcals produce a thermogenic effect. I have become a big advocate of HIIT. Right you should have a simple workout routine and work on sprints.

 

[9cyclops9]

Hi Cyclops

Thanks for reply. I'm new to the exercise game and have only been doing it for 7 days. I got my info about diet from a weight training book and they gave me the % of carbsrotein:fats. Are they talking bollocks then as I don't want to be wasting my time if nothing's gonna happen?

You really need at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Higher carb diets like the one you mentioned have the tendency to put too much fat on you. Like Cris Shugart at T-Nation says, "Protein is good. Healthy fats are good. Carbs are tricky little bastards."

You won't be wasting time, but you also won't be getting as good of results as you could be.

I thought the 1980 cals a day sounded okay though to lose my fat belly. Don't get me wrong I only have a small frame and hardly any fat but it's just I can pinch 2" of fat on my belly (no where else).

So are you saying if I increase my calories it will help bulk up my muscles and the fat will burn off due to the exercises? I don't want to get too big with the muscles more toned than anything and lose the belly. Icecam has a good physique without looking too bulky.

I googled "Icecam" and couldn't find any pics of people, just cameras that work in cold weather or something. Could you post a pic of what you're talking about?

What generally happens when you first start lifting is that you will lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. It's best to eat for growth right now, and then cut down later if you need to. Having the extra muscle mass will help with cutting, because muscle tissue burns more calories.

Also I suppose that if I reduced my carbs it might help with the bloating and constipation.

I don't know, I've never gotten bloated or constipated from eating too many carbs. But it's possible.

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions I really don't know much about exercise but I'm willing to learn.

Ask all the questions you want. That's how you learn.

I'd say that the best thing you can do as a new lifter is to get the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. It's geared towards coaches of new lifters, but is enormously helpful no matter who you are. It will help you learn proper techniques of 5 of the most important lifts: the squat, bench press, deadlift, power clean, and overhead press. It also outlines a great beginner program (which I've posted on this site before, do a search for Mark Rippetoe and it should come up).

Also, as goldmember said, sprints are your best friends.

 

[Manimal]

Thanks for the replies guys. It's nice to know people are reading and care enough to post. I've never been on a forum before this as I'm new to the internet but I must say most people here seem very nice - a real family atmosphere.

Originally posted by I'm2manly
creatines will cause bloat so stay away from those

I don't take any creatine, infact I don't take anything only food. Below is a sample of one of my days food intake:

Breakfast: Branflakes with almonds, cashew nuts, raisins and skimmed milk

Mid-morning snack
(Pre-workout): Homemade soup with Pitta bread

Weight train an hour later on Mon, Wed, Fri
Treadmill an hour later on Tues, Sat
Sun off

Mid-morning snack
(Post workout): Homemade soup with banana

Lunch: Salmon and brown rice mixed salad

Afternoon snack: Peanut butter and jam sandwich

Dinner: Chicken breast with brown rice and veg

Evening snack: Brown rice and red kidney beans

As stated in previous posts these meals are based on a carbrotein:fat ratio of 60%:20%:20% with a total daily calorie intake of 1980.

I am going to adjust the ratios of these to increase protein and fats and reduce carbs as advised by Cyclops and also up my calories.

Do I need to be taking creatine? I've got some strawbery flavoured whey protein powder but haven't incorporated it into my diet yet.

Originally posted by 9cyclops9
I googled "Icecam" and couldn't find any pics of people

Sorry for confusion, I should have been more clear. Icecam is the name of a registered user on this forum. His body picture is his Avatar pic.

best thing you can do as a new lifter is to get the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe

I'll look on Amazon for this book and I've found the beginner's routine from a search on this forum.

Ask all the questions you want. That's how you learn

Thanks for your patience and understanding cyclops. I will take on board what you say and see how it goes.

I'm going on holiday in 3 months and just want to look a little better while on the beach. That's my motivation at the moment and my timescales. Let's see what I can achieve.

Thanks again guys for replies I really do appreciate it.