Its during my cross country season and I want to lose some weight so I am not eating junk food or anything. Just lots of water and vegetables, but I constantly feel bloated and like my stomach is stretching out a lot. Why is that?

1. mortgage rates in Spain - October 22nd, 2009

   Vegetables can cause bloating because vegetables are a big source of dietary fiber. When you eat a lot of fiber, especially if your body is not used to digesting that much fiber, it can cause gas and bloating. You can cut down on the bloating by cutting down your fiber intake, then slowly increasing it over a period of time so that your body has time to acclimate to the dietary change. If you don’t give it time to get used to the extra fiber, your body kind of goes, “What on earth did you just do to me?” and reacts.
   As far as your overall diet goes, though, water and vegetables are not a complete diet and will not help you become a better cross country runner. Your body needs protein and carbohydrates for energy and muscle building, neither of which you get from just eating veggies and water. You need to eat a complete diet of lean meats, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, all in moderation.
   As an athlete you should be consuming at least 2,000 calories a day to fuel your very active body, otherwise it will start eating away at itself. Not eating junk food is a great idea, but if you’re not fueling yourself with a well-balanced diet to get all the nutrients you need, it’s just as bad for you as eating junk food.
   Good luck!

2. SuperVib - October 23rd, 2009

   The added fiber increases both the amount of gas in the bowel as well as the amount of matter, making you feel bloated. If you are worried about it check the scale. You’ll find that the bloated feeling doesn’t translated to more weight. The best way to combat this is to eat yogurt or just acidopholus tablets.

3. Lupe N - October 23rd, 2009

   If you want to lose weight you should eat every 2-3 hours a day but eat small portions of food & don’t eat after 8 pm and do exercise…Did you know that 3,500 calories= 1 pound….so if you lose 3,500 calories then you will lose 1 pound…some exercises that you can lose the most calories are running, swimming, rope jumping…..If this helped you pick me as best answer please =) Good Luck…o yeah n drinking alot of water also helps