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Does anyone else experience water retention when oatmeal is their main source of carbs? I've noticed "starchy" carbs such as rice, pasta, and also fruits present a softer look in the stomach region. Not sure if this is all water or some fat, but it seems to happen when the intake of the aforementioned foods are added to my diet. For some reason, wheat bread doesn't have the same effect.
Do you put a lot of salt in oats?That may be a reason
Two things to consider. First off, oats are a relatively fibrous carb as well as starchy. Fiber tends to draw water with it into the GI, so that could be one reason for the bloating. In addition, oats, rice and pasta are "wet" carbs (when cooked), whereas breads are "dry". This simply means that the water content of the "wet" carbs is relatively high and will be more prone to cause the bloating than the "dry" carbs.
These are just a couple things to consider. However, none of them actually affect your body composition. But if your body fat is not low enough, you will tend to look soft.
that's right T-dawg! Whenver I eat my low fat popcorn (12g fiber per bag) I always look soft about an hour later.
I don't add much salt, although I do add some salt to other meals. Considering I sweat a lot and do cardio everyday, I usually don't worry about salt intake much. Popcorn is also another product that gives me the "bloated" look. As it's been previously stated though, the majority of the "softness" seems to be more water than fat so I'm not too worried, as the softness goes away after sweating the water off. BTW, anyone else find that cooking "old fashioned" oatmeal via the stove (in a pot) rather than the microwave results in a more creamy and fluffy oatmeal? I tend to put two cups of water to every one cup of oats. It's almost like rice gruel, but with some eggs/protein powder/peanut butter or eggs/any type of cooked meat, I can make a killer breakfast.