I only like my body when I don't eat.

[Smellywoodlouse]

I am 5'10" and around 65 kilos so not overweight. I've always been slim with small boob's but after having kids and getting older the belly bloat is impossible to get rid of. As I'm quite small chested my belly looks even more noticeable as it sticks out further than my boob's.

I do intermittent fasting and love my body after a few days of this. Flat stomach, face looks younger and healthier, and I feel more comfortable when exercising. As soon as I start eating normally again my stomach sticks out, face gets all bloated and tired and I feel sluggish and tired. I can't constantly fast or i'll lose weight which I don't want as I'm happy with my size. Is there a way to not be constantly bloated yet eat regularly? I eat healthy although could definitely drink more water I suppose.

Well my uterus and bladder both pull down into my vagina and ditto my rectal passage. So all the ligaments have loosened around my pelvic floor and stretched. I have constant back ache esp when I stand still. The backache goes when I lie down.

I feel like I want to reach around my stomach and support it like when I was pregnant. I am not as slim as you, but not fat by any means, BMI 23.

Check for food intolerance and correct your posture. Look around you though, at ordinary people, not celebrities who have dieticians and personal trainers. Even the most slender people have a bit of a belly. Unless you walk around in a bikini, I doubt very much if anyone will notice. You have a lovely slim figure.

I'm a similar height and weight and I find that my waist/belly is always larger after eating. My ex used to joke that I expand like a snake!

So I'm going to go against the grain and say that this could just be a side effect from having such a slim waist. Smaller, more frequent meals could help. And working on your core so everything is held in a bit more tightly.

You're lacking in core strength - that means the muscles that wrap around your body aren't holding your abdomen in and your pelvis is tilting back. Never mind the visuals, that'll cause you all manner of back problems over time and is likely the cause of your abdomen feeling uncomfortable when you're sitting.

If you were to lay on the floor with your feet up on a chair, knees bent to 90 degrees, that would teach you how to recognise the feeling of using and tightening your muscles. If you then visualised pulling your abdomen towards the floor and lengthening your lower back, you'd become aware of how the muscles work. Over time, going from that to core exercises would likely completely resolve the visual issue and do far more for your health and future comfort.

Work on core, find a GOOD Pilates teacher and have some one to one lessons to learn the techniques properly.

Like me your pelvis tips too much which is part of the issue.

Wearing a padded or lift up bra will help you look more balanced.

Good luck seeing if you can work out the bloat triggers.

That's interesting as I've suspected I have a vaginal prolapse. It literally feels like a heavy, pregnant belly at times too. After a meal I can't sit comfortably lying or take a deep breath without shifting position.

This is now after I've just had my breakfast, one piece of toast and houmous. Yes I know it looks like I'm poking it out, I'm really not. Trying to suck it in feels massively uncomfortable.

Although I suspect it's more likely a combination of food intolerance/poor posture/weak core as pp have said.

You've got issues. You've just come on here to have a go at someone for no reason. Why are you bothered that OP is slim. It is possible to be thin and bloat.

I hear you OP, I’m similar build and size and the bloating particularly around ovulation (well for around 2 weeks) is awful. I’ve started some supplements for peri menopause and I think they are helping. For me I think it’s just an age thing. If intermittent fasting works for you just stick with it, just make sure you’re eating enough calories and protein.

Ignore the people berating you for not liking the appearance and sensation of being bloated. I’m sorry not everyone has been supportive.

I experience bloating too, and for me it’s a combination of large meals, food that disagrees with me, weak pelvic floor and weak core muscles.

Have you checked yourself for diastasis recti? (A gap between the abdominal muscles.) I have this and when when my bowels get bloated, it really shows because essentially they end up bulging through the gap in my muscles. There are exercises to help strengthen the area, and in some cases help to close to gap a bit. You need to be very careful to choose the right exercises so you don’t inadvertently make the condition worse.

Eat two or three foods at a meal if you can - the more foods you eat the harder it is to digest. Separate proteins and carbs and see if this helps with the bloating. Take your time over a meal - chew well. Eat slowly. Carbs in general can cause bloat, but not all of them. It can also be a lack of stomach acid so drinking a little cider vinegar in water before meals can help with this. Smaller meals. No drinking at meals, even water. It dilutes the stomach acid. Intermittent fasting is great but don't overdo it if you are slim.Sweet stuff in general will cause bloat so maybe save that stuff for the evening!

I bloat horribly with gluten. Perhaps avoid it for a while and see what happens?

Pilates will help with your poor posture and core strength

Check for food intolerances.

Check for prolapses.

And not to be scary, but bloating and feeling uncomfortably full are I believe on the list as possible signs of ovarian cancer, it's highly unlikely but best to get a check too just in case. I lost a friend in her 40s because her GP said she was "too young" for it and by the time it was found it was too late.

Are slim people not allowed to have hangups about their body?

I’m the same height as you but 61kg. But I have a big bum and cellulite I can’t get rid of on my thighs no matter what I do unless I get down to 57kg but then I look absolutely ill😭 I doubt I’ll ever be happy with myself

You're really arching your back and tilting your hips forward to stick your stomach out, if that's how you normally stand it could be due to posture. Pull your shoulders back and bring your hips back.

This there also was a wonderful poster on here and she ended up with ovarian cancer

the fact food triggers is a good thing but something that needs to be checked out

@Smellywoodlouse solidarity, this is my life, except had it before pregnancy. BMI is 18.5 but limited in what I can wear due to constant bloating. The only thing that ever helped me was the low FODMAP diet, but it's quite hard work. You look lovely by the way OP. If you're worried about it I'd try core strength and look into the low FODMAP.

I'm like this if I eat bread and fast food.
I look my best if I give carbs up completely which is hard

Maybe it's gluten? That's a huge difference after a single slice of toast. Try cutting out gluten for a couple of weeks, see if it makes a difference.

You are obviously a very healthy weight. What physical activity do you do?

I've just googled the symptoms of cancer and I also get the frequent, thin, ribbon poos. No pain or unexplained weightless though. I'll make a gp appointment.

Lift weights regularly, if you do that and don’t take in loads of calories to compensate for training you’ll tone up fairly quickly. Not that you really need to but everyone has a shape they are happier with