If you feel like...

• you need just a little extra room in your jeans

• your formerly flat belly now bulges out to pregnant proportions

• you're stuffed like a turkey

... Then you are probably thinking it is time to make a change.

What's the first thing that crosses our mind? "It's time to diet and exercise!"

But, maybe the problem isn't that you're fat! In fact, maybe there is a completely different explanation you haven't considered. Perhaps you are experiencing bloating.

Definition of Bloating

Bloating is swelling of the abdomen resulting in an increased waist diameter due to retained fluids or gas.

This is a completely different thing than being fat. When you're fat your tissues have an abnormally high percentage of fat cells that add to your size. But, when you're bloated your tissues have a normal percentage of fat cells. You are just swollen due to excess gas and fluids.

While reducing your calories and increasing your exercise are commonly thought to get rid of fat cells, they won't help when your problem is bloating.

Symptoms of bloating

Here are the most common symptoms of bloating:

• stomach distention

• feeling gassy

• excessive belching

• sensation that resembles over eating

• general discomfort

• fullness and tightness in abdomen

• abdominal pain

• change in gut size

• food sensitivity

• indigestion

Most bloated people experience at least two or more of these symptoms.

How can I tell if I'm bloated or fat?

It's not easy to tell if you are bloated or fat. Often the answer is not one or the other; it's both. But, there are clues to use for detecting when bloating is involved. Localized versus Widespread - One way to tell the source of your stomach's bulge is by looking in the mirror. Ask yourself, "Am I bulging in other places or just my stomach?" The conditions that make you fat don't just exist in one place. They are spread over different areas of your body. So you will see layers of fat covering other places, like your thighs, hips, and buttocks; not just your stomach. If you're skinny everywhere except your abdomen, you're probably bloated. Firm versus Spongy - Pressing on your stomach will also help you tell if it is fat or bloating. Fat will normally feel spongy when pressure is applied. Bloating is generally tight and firm. If you can grab more than an inch or two of your stomach using your thumb and fingers you are gripping fat. When you are bloated you won't be able to do this. Your abdomen is stretched out too tight. Intermittent versus Constant - Another clue to the source of your belly bulge is its duration. Fat cells build up over time. And they don't go away easily once they are formed. However, bloating can come and go; sometimes in just a matter of hours. So, if your stomach starts flat, but balloons through the day, you are bloating.Painful versus Pain-Free - Finally, bloating is almost always accompanied by pain. But we don't experience pain in our abdomen because we have fat. The presence of discomfort, belching, or gas at the same time your belly expands are indicators that bloating is occurring. Even after looking at all the clues, it's often hard to tell fat from bloating. The best way to know for sure is to take a bloating assessment. You can take a free stomach bloating assessment on-line. It will ask you about things you do that lead to greater risk of bloating.

What to do about bloating?

Now that you know what bloating is, you probably want to know what to do about it. In my next article, I'll tell you what causes bloating, so you can find out what you are dealing with.

I hope this helps.

Wishing You a Bloat-Free & Hope-Filled Life,

Doug Burton

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