Distended belly/but very thin

JJEP · 22-07-2015 5:20pm #1

Hi ,
I need some advice from other posters. I have always been very lean/slim. I'm of small build and recently started a very sedentary job; Basically chair ridden for 7 hours a day. My stomach has gone from flat to distended and seems to be getting worse particularly recently regardless of what I'm doing.
I was quite inactive and probably ate a little too much, but now I'm trying to cut back on what I eat and exercising( walking mostly and a jog whenever I can).
I am 8st 4lbs (maybe a little less) and 5'7.
I look practically anorexic and still can't shift this, what appears to be, visceral fat, from my abdomen. Is it possible to reduce this with exercise and or diet? Or will I fail to achieve this due to my job?

strelok · 22-07-2015 5:55pm

sounds kinda like anterior pelvic tilt

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MUhrOmfFS9s/hqdefault.jpg

http://www.swolept.com/posts/fixing-anterior-pelvic-tilt-posture-tricks-to-make-your-butt-and-gut-smaller

JJEP · 22-07-2015 6:02pm

Thanks for that I will look into it, but it seems to be more weight gain on my abdomen only that's causing the problem In the last two months. My posture hasn't changed much

Mars Bar · 22-07-2015 6:11pm

I could be wrong but if you can't spot reduce weight, I'm guessing you also can't spot gain weight?

strelok · 22-07-2015 6:13pm

yeah, if it's just fat then you'll have to consume fewer calories overall than your body needs. diet and exercise as you said yourself.

Mars Bar · 22-07-2015 6:16pm

It sounds as if the OP doesn't really have the weight to lose. Definitely check in to the pelvis tilt OP.

JJEP · 22-07-2015 6:18pm

I actually tried to gain weight in may as I was too thin but I backfired and went to my abdomen only . I am 30 by the way

strelok · 22-07-2015 6:26pm

i was the same when i was gaining weight after having starved myself for a year or two. my stomach grew and grew while the rest of me more or less stayed pretty skinny until bit by bit my arms, legs, ass and face also got fatter and fatter until .... well that's all in the past now

if you're fairly sure it isn't a posture issue then it sounds like you're just on the road to getting fat. if you want to gain weight properly you'll be best off doing some strength training, in a gym or bodyweight stuff at home but if you just gain fat .. that's not the kind of weight you want to gain.

JJEP · 22-07-2015 6:32pm

strelok wrote: »

i was the same when i was gaining weight after having starved myself for a year or two. my stomach grew and grew while the rest of me more or less stayed pretty skinny until bit by bit my arms, legs, ass and face also got fatter and fatter until .... well that's all in the past now

if you're fairly sure it isn't a posture issue then it sounds like you're just on the road to getting fat. if you want to gain weight properly you'll be best off doing some strength training, in a gym or bodyweight stuff at home but if you just gain fat .. that's not the kind of weight you want to gain.

Thanks for that . Sure is a struggle lol. No I don't particular want to gain weight anymore I just want to be healthy and well proportioned. Does that mean that even it I eat healthily and walk I will become fat?

strelok · 22-07-2015 6:50pm

it's all about calories. if you take in more calories than you burn over the course of a day/week/month/etc you'll gain fat as your body will store the extra calories you're not burning. so maybe eat a little less or move a little more throughout the day and the problem will take care of itself without you thinking about it.

if it ends up sticking around and you're having trouble, create an account on myfitnesspal.com and start logging what you eat as well as the exercise you do.. you'll be able to get a birds eye view of your daily/weekly intake and spot any issues you might be glossing over in your day to day life

LuckyLloyd · 26-07-2015 12:29pm

You may have very little muscle mass and a high body fat % relative to your overall weight. Have certainly seen this with males anyway where they have a low weight / BMI but fat around their abdomen. The ungracious term for it is "skinny fat".

In that case, diet is not your answer. Eating healthy food to a small caloric surplus with a high protein ratio and plenty of activity (incorporating resistance) will sort you out over a long period, but it probably isn't a quick fix scenario. Best of luck.

Dolbert · 27-07-2015 4:18pm

Have you been to a doctor to rule out an underlying medical issue? Unexplained distention of the abdomen should be investigated.

italodisco · 13-08-2015 11:46pm

I'm surprised none of the 'experts' have stated the obvious and mentioned water weight.

Google how to do a water flush /water weight flush.

I had one of those distended bellies and after doing the above I lost it.

Lower your sodium intake greatly whilst doing it

PonyLuv · 03-09-2015 7:17am

If your body has undergone malnutrition or has felt starved, once it gets calories again it concentrates on surrounding your middle section (vital organs) with fat. This is a protection mechanism of your body and very common in people with or recovering from eating disorders/living in poor countries where there isn't enough to eat.

How to get rid of it I'm not exactly sure, I have a similar problem myself where I lost too much weight and when I gained a little it went onto my stomach.

Zillah · 03-09-2015 11:59am

Dolbert wrote: »

Have you been to a doctor to rule out an underlying medical issue? Unexplained distention of the abdomen should be investigated.

I imagine this possibility would easily be ruled out if the belly in question is due to flab above the muscle rather than bulging from within.

Assuming we're not talking about actual distension from within, I think LuckyLloyd has it: OP is skinnyfat. You need to eat lots of protein and to do some resistance exercises. It's not just about weight, if you do no exercise beyond walking your body is never going to have a healthy composition.

Total calories is also important but not the end of it. Low fat, low protein and lots of carbs/sugar is probably going to result in low muscle mass, low energy and relatively high bodyfat.

What's your diet like generally OP?

Distended belly/but very thin

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