Post Diet Sensitivity to Foods

[areya2005]

I've posted here and there, so some of you may know that I've been reverse dieting slowly after my show, which was 2 weeks ago.

As of when I last checked, I was about 3-5 (Real) pounds over contest weight, but sometimes I clock in as high as 10-12 pounds over (obvi water), and this is what I my question is about.

I've noticed that even though my macros are relatively in check, if I may eat a bit more than usual in a single sitting, I'm getting EXTREMELY bloated and hold a lot of water VERY quickly, especially in the abdomen region. There's no way I'm gaining too much fat as calories aren't too high yet, currently sitting at 1900. I realize a little bit is inevitable, but with calories so low, IF I even gained any, it's a small fraction. So my concern is more so aimed at how sensitive my body is to such a small influx of food and why I'm getting so bloated so quickly.

How long after an intense diet does the body take to regulate itself and stop being so damn sensitive? The bloat is killing me!

Side Note: I'm not claiming I have been a reverse diet saint. I have had 2 or 3 small mini-binges, equaling about 1000-1200 calories each. While that's not that much macronutrient wise, I'm blowing up like a whale after these.

[bbforlife9123]

It's more of a question to add on to yours but may still help. Considering is sound like u are trying to stay lean, and slowly get back up, could it be the fact of sodium intake? Since maybe your body isn't used to high intakes of sodium (such as in cheat meals), Maybe it's just your body bloating up fast. and since u are still lean, not only do u feel it, but it would show. Just a thought. Hope this helps.

[AustrianOakJr]

That doesnt sound like a lot of food to bloat you. Were you running a keto diet or very low in carbs??

[wrkoutfrq]

That doesnt sound like a lot of food to bloat you. Were you running a keto diet or very low in carbs??

that was my first thought

last time i really tried ti INTENSELY diet i ended at around 1650 cals (scary i know), and after that i was extremely sensitive to foods as well. it could just be that you were so low in cal's that your body is in a state of flux... i mean in theory a guy your size will have a BMR of around 1900, and when you add exercise on top of that and eat less than that you make things just that much harder on the body. i could be wrong with all this, though, so take it with a grain of salt.

[fltallpaul]

your body may be missing some digestive enzymes from removing certain foods from your diet. You can buy enzymes cheap and eat them with your meal to see if that helps. I use them sometimes and just started using Lactaid for dairy, makes me much happier.

[domingochavez]

When I was low carb dieting last year, 60g max per day, a certain type of soy sauce would bloat me up really badly for 24 hours. Would seriously look like I was pregnant!

Would say it's the type of foods you're introducing and their sodium content.

[Melina81]

Something similar is happening to me - although I did not eliminate anything (minus dairy 2 days prior to the show as a precaution) and did a very slow reverse diet between my shows and post show ( between shows was 2 months and it's been a month since my last show). After my last show (and I did not binge or cheat) I began to experience stomach discomfort with weight gain (it feels like I ate a bag of rocks???). My stomach is also really distended and when I eat it becomes very uncomfortable at times. I went to see the doctor yesterday and they pretty much told me we gain weight in the midsection as we age (I am 30) and gave me antacids.

[areya2005]

It's more of a question to add on to yours but may still help. Considering is sound like u are trying to stay lean, and slowly get back up, could it be the fact of sodium intake? Since maybe your body isn't used to high intakes of sodium (such as in cheat meals), Maybe it's just your body bloating up fast. and since u are still lean, not only do u feel it, but it would show. Just a thought. Hope this helps.

I guess I'm eating more types of foods now, including those that are processed, yet keeping it in my macros. I could definitely see added sodium, but not purposefuly.

That doesnt sound like a lot of food to bloat you. Were you running a keto diet or very low in carbs??

Pretty low...I was at about 1450 calories per day with around 80g carbs per day with a refeed once per week. I started my reverse diet at 125g carbs and 2 weeks after, I'm now at 175g per day. I'm still feeling semi bloated though, but I have noticed the feeling is decreasing slowly. I guess I'm wondering how long it will take to balance out.

Furthermore, I've only put on about 5 pounds from a VERY depleted weigh-in weight, so I know a lot of it is water and glycogen, but I look so much softer than when I was 165 during the diet. Any thoughts on that?

your body may be missing some digestive enzymes from removing certain foods from your diet. You can buy enzymes cheap and eat them with your meal to see if that helps. I use them sometimes and just started using Lactaid for dairy, makes me much happier.

That sounds like a good plan actually. How long does it take to "rebuild" these emzymes, if that's even possible?