So, for about the last week or week and a half I've been having really bad bloating when I eat and water retension all the time. My ring fits but it slips on and off with a lot of difficulty, where it used to fit quite loosely. My jeans are all fitting pretty tight. I've gained a couple of pounds which could be explained by Christmas but I don't think I've gained enough to make my stomach balloon out the way it does when I eat. I've been running just as much and not eating any more than usual. I alternate between bouts of constipation and diarrhea (which has been true before but not quite as drastically as right now). I don't know if I can rule out my period or not - it's been 3 months since I last got it, so it's possible, but with my schedule so off it's become completely unpredictable. The only other thing that's different is that I have a head cold, and not a particularly severe one. I've taken some cold medicine for it but this all started before I started taking that. It's driving me crazy, because it's making me feel like a fat pig! There's nothing I hate more than having my waistband fit snugly! :furious: Anyway, does anyone have ideas of what could be going on?
My recent, typical diet:
B: either tofu smoothie with strawberries or oat bran cereal
S: apple, banana, grapes, orange...
L: yam with salt/pepper, edamame, green peas
D: bean soup with bread or spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce
S: more fruit
lots of water, more diet soda than there should be, and tea throughout the day.
What is my problem?!

Have you had to pee any more than normally? Could you be pregnant?

No, peeing about the same as far as I can tell. Pregnancy definitely not a possibility, outside of virgin birth.

Well, if you're alternating between bouts of diarrhea and constipation you may have a bacterial imbalance in your gut. That can lead to all kinds of digestion problems, including bloating. The cold virus might have exhausted some of your immune system, leading to the bacterial overgrowth.
Do you take a probiotic supplement? If you have an accute problem, it won't fix it, but if ithe problem is milder, it probably will help.


Personally, I'm crazy bloated right now too and it's not at the right point in my cycle. I vomited several times Monday night/Tuesday morning, though, so I think my system is still recovering from that.

are you on some form of hormonal birth control such that you wouldn't get your menstrual period for three months? if not, then you do need to go to a doctor to have that checked out. My endocrinologist informed me that three skipped periods in a row (barring pregnancy) could be an indication of a more serious problem.

And, it could be related to or separate from the bloating issue.

The bloating issue could have any number of origins, but the sugary nature (high glycemic) of much of your diet (as you described) may be contributing to a yeast/bacterial overgrowth. Reflecting what April wrote, you can use a probiotic, and i suggest moving to lower glycemic (less 'sugary' foods) and avoid glutens for a while.

soy sensitivity may also be part of this problem, which is something that you could have developed over time, and it's manifesting now. this is common if you used a lot of soy, and then say for a few weeks or a month you had no soy, and then you started using soy again. I would suggest avoiding soy for a while, and then bringing it in in very small amounts if you want to continue using soy.

There could be lots of things going on though.

Try avoiding diet soda. It's the aspartame in it that does it. Cut back on salt.