- Oct 28, 2007
- 5,823
- 18
- 38
Over the years of bulking and large meals my stomach distention has become a real issue for me. I know it's a real issue for many especially bodybuilders who push the size factor and you see it so much on stage today. Over the years I have picked up some tips so I figured I would share them incase anyone could benefit. Obviously no matter what you do if you push the size your waist is going to grow as well. For many men the waist grows faster than other areas and there is no avoiding it. But there can be balance and there are ways you can minimize things.
- Eat foods that you digest well. Many of us eat foods that cause gas and bloating so obviously try to find which foods do this to you and eliminate them from your diet.
- Food allergy tests are one way of finding out the above and can be very accurate but you will also need to find certain foods yourself.
- Sensible food volume. Even if the calories are relatively low for certain foods if you are eating 2kg of broccoli per day for example to fill you up the volume alone can cause distention.
- Calorie dense foods when bulking. This leads on from the above. As long as you can digest them well getting in quality calorie dense foods can be a good approach.
- Greens and sufficient fibre. Both will enable you to digest food easier and contribute positively to your overall gut health. For fibre I like to use psyllium husk at 10g pre bed and 10g in the morning. For greens I like spinach, kale and asparagus etc. I sometimes use green powders for this purpose too. I currently use a mix of fruit and green powders and add moringa and extra acai powders.
- Drink liquids between meals. This had helped me so much with my stomach digestion. I have most of my fluids between meals and only a small amount with food. It enables your stomach acid to digest food faster amongst many things.
- Digestive enzymes. These have been great for me as well. They are especially good when having higher calorie or even cheat meals too. I would add GDA's to this list when having larger carb meals too. I like the following...
General- NOW Foods Super Enzymes
High Fat- Ox Bile
High Protein- Bromelain
High Carb- GDA (many good brands)
- Stomach Vaccums. These help signifcantly but you have to be consistent. I would be holding in for up to 30 secs and repeating for 5 sets. I would do this a few times per day if possible.
- Wearing a belt. I personally need to do this one more but it's one of the best tips. Keep your waist tight especially when training. I would use throughout training but especially trying big lifts such as deadlifts, squats, rows, leg press etc. Belt or waist trainers could be used at home or throughout the day under clothes as well if you compete and really need your waist to come in.
- Adequate pre/probiotic (and fermented food) intake. Raw artichokes, garlic, onion and leeks are good sources of pre biotics. For pro-biotics I would recommend kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and happy cider vinegar. There are also very good supplements on the market such as the Renew Life brand.
- Avoid strong orals that cause gastrointestinal stress. Anything drugs you take that cause stomach pains or bloating try to avoid.
- Keep your liver healthy. This carries on from the above and keeping your liver health is vital. I would avoid toxic compounds and drink lot's of water. Lemon water is a very good for cleansing your system. I also recommend the liver protector synthergine.
- Intermittent fasting is a great way to get your waist down. Going without food for a period of time will flatten your waist. Obviously any calorie deficit will help significantly but even with maintenance calories fasting can help a lot. It will keep insulin sensitivity heightened amongst many things.
- Avoid drugs that bloat you. Common sense really and anything that fills you up with 10 pounds of water is not gonna be good for your waist. I notice higher doses of certain brands of hgh and mk-677 can do this for me. Controlling aromatization on cycle can come into this as well as it will contribute to the prevention of any unwanted fat gain.
- Body weight exercises to keep your abs and lower back strong. Ab training can help you shrink your waist if you keep the resistance low. I recommend planks, side planks, broomstick twists etc.
- Never get too fat in the off season. Stretching your waist out every off season just to diet it back down is never the best approach for guys who already have big waists. Try to remain relatively lean even when gaining muscle. Yes to grow optimally you need to soften up but there needs to be balance.
- Metformin has been good for me in tightening up my waist in the past. It will improve insulin sensitivity so that's only a good thing. Even just 500mg pre bed could help matters.
- Try to be happy and stress free.
Obviously effective dieting will do wonders for your waist but the above are just some tips for people to make sure you are covering all bases.
- Eat foods that you digest well. Many of us eat foods that cause gas and bloating so obviously try to find which foods do this to you and eliminate them from your diet.
- Food allergy tests are one way of finding out the above and can be very accurate but you will also need to find certain foods yourself.
- Sensible food volume. Even if the calories are relatively low for certain foods if you are eating 2kg of broccoli per day for example to fill you up the volume alone can cause distention.
- Calorie dense foods when bulking. This leads on from the above. As long as you can digest them well getting in quality calorie dense foods can be a good approach.
- Greens and sufficient fibre. Both will enable you to digest food easier and contribute positively to your overall gut health. For fibre I like to use psyllium husk at 10g pre bed and 10g in the morning. For greens I like spinach, kale and asparagus etc. I sometimes use green powders for this purpose too. I currently use a mix of fruit and green powders and add moringa and extra acai powders.
- Drink liquids between meals. This had helped me so much with my stomach digestion. I have most of my fluids between meals and only a small amount with food. It enables your stomach acid to digest food faster amongst many things.
- Digestive enzymes. These have been great for me as well. They are especially good when having higher calorie or even cheat meals too. I would add GDA's to this list when having larger carb meals too. I like the following...
General- NOW Foods Super Enzymes
High Fat- Ox Bile
High Protein- Bromelain
High Carb- GDA (many good brands)
- Stomach Vaccums. These help signifcantly but you have to be consistent. I would be holding in for up to 30 secs and repeating for 5 sets. I would do this a few times per day if possible.
- Wearing a belt. I personally need to do this one more but it's one of the best tips. Keep your waist tight especially when training. I would use throughout training but especially trying big lifts such as deadlifts, squats, rows, leg press etc. Belt or waist trainers could be used at home or throughout the day under clothes as well if you compete and really need your waist to come in.
- Adequate pre/probiotic (and fermented food) intake. Raw artichokes, garlic, onion and leeks are good sources of pre biotics. For pro-biotics I would recommend kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and happy cider vinegar. There are also very good supplements on the market such as the Renew Life brand.
- Avoid strong orals that cause gastrointestinal stress. Anything drugs you take that cause stomach pains or bloating try to avoid.
- Keep your liver healthy. This carries on from the above and keeping your liver health is vital. I would avoid toxic compounds and drink lot's of water. Lemon water is a very good for cleansing your system. I also recommend the liver protector synthergine.
- Intermittent fasting is a great way to get your waist down. Going without food for a period of time will flatten your waist. Obviously any calorie deficit will help significantly but even with maintenance calories fasting can help a lot. It will keep insulin sensitivity heightened amongst many things.
- Avoid drugs that bloat you. Common sense really and anything that fills you up with 10 pounds of water is not gonna be good for your waist. I notice higher doses of certain brands of hgh and mk-677 can do this for me. Controlling aromatization on cycle can come into this as well as it will contribute to the prevention of any unwanted fat gain.
- Body weight exercises to keep your abs and lower back strong. Ab training can help you shrink your waist if you keep the resistance low. I recommend planks, side planks, broomstick twists etc.
- Never get too fat in the off season. Stretching your waist out every off season just to diet it back down is never the best approach for guys who already have big waists. Try to remain relatively lean even when gaining muscle. Yes to grow optimally you need to soften up but there needs to be balance.
- Metformin has been good for me in tightening up my waist in the past. It will improve insulin sensitivity so that's only a good thing. Even just 500mg pre bed could help matters.
- Try to be happy and stress free.
Obviously effective dieting will do wonders for your waist but the above are just some tips for people to make sure you are covering all bases.