Posted by JenStar on August 11, 2004, at 2:03:58
In reply to Fatigued and bloated and craving carbohydrates, posted by Racer on August 10, 2004, at 14:43:09
hi Racer,
have you considered (or been tested for) food allergies? (Sorry if you're already done this or discussed it before!) That much bloating might mean excess gas, which could be due to allergic rxns. Some people have mild allergies to lactose or corn or wheat; if you're eating a lot of carbs with those things in them, it could be irritating your body.I also believe that carbohydrate-eating starts a vicious cycle. Eat carbs --> sugar digested quickly --> blood sugar spikes & dips --> body craves more sugar --> carb craving begins. For me, the only way to break that carb cycle is to stay away from them and eat meals of predominantly protein/veggies/low glycemic index carbs. Naturally this is so much easier said than done. (Right now I've been on a 2-wk carb binge state which is making me very anxious and depressed.)
Good luck. Let us know if you find a way to beat this!
JenStar
> This has been happening for a while now, and I don't know what to do about it. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated.
>
> After eating, I get bloated and fatigued and a bit dizzy. The bloating gets so bad at times, my husband swears I'm sticking my stomach out on purpose, which I'm not. No kidding, if the bloat didn't go from pelvis to ribs, I would look six months pregnant. (I swear, I'm not exaggerating. I go from loose waist on my jeans to having to undo the button and zipper, and sometimes having to change altogether. Several inches around the waist added, even after a small meal.)
>
> Then, to make matters worse, even though I'm feeling overfull from the bloating, I get ravenous cravings for anything carbohydrate. Now, I'm not on a low-carb diet. Every meal contains a mix of protein and carb -- toast with the morning egg, bread on my sandwich, even croutons in my salad. It's not as if I'm limiting them. (Oh, yeah -- and uncontrollable potato chip consumption. Bugs the you-know-what out of me.)
>
> The only thing that seems to make any difference at all is to eat smaller meals. How small they'd need to get, though, is more of an issue. I guess I could split my meals up into stages (what? a single lettuce leaf per half hour?), but even eating very slowly so that, say, a poached egg lasts ten minutes isn't always enough to help -- and there's that ravenous urge to keep stuffing my face, no matter what happens. (A couple of times I've eaten myself nauseous lately. Wished I could just be sick, but can't make myself do that.) It's as though the bloating is related to a total disconnect of any sort of hunger/satiety mechanism.
>
> So, I suspect others have experienced this. Has anyone found anything to help? (Yes, I will see a doctor, just as soon as we know for sure I'm insured...) Thank you so much!
poster:JenStar
thread:376080
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20040729/msgs/376292.html