Has anyone experienced bloating?

Since 22 June 2025 I have had abdominal bloating every single day. It is less so in the mornings (because I have been lying flat?) but increases as the day goes on until I look pregnant by the evening. My normal (pre-bloating) waist measurement was 31ins but now it bloats up to a huge 38ins by every evening. My tummy feels progressively uncomfortable, bulk-wise, as the day goes on and yet I have lost around 4lbs and am not regaining it. I have no digestive problems as such, i.e. my bowels are normal for me, no excess gas or loose stools/constipation. My appetite is not too good though. None of my clothes fit - I now wear loose dresses or elasticated waist trousers - and I avoid going out where people can see me. I feel very down.
Initially, I tried Deflatine, Rennie, Buscopan, walking, stretching movements, eating more fibre, but nothing made any difference so after a couple of weeks I decided to see my GP; he is a new GP to me as I changed GPs back in May. At my appointment on 2 July he ordered a FIT test, FBC and an ultrasound scan, all of which came back negative. In my blood test results, I noted that my Red Blood Cell Count and Haematocrit are below the ‘normal’ range and that my Haemoglobin is only just above normal, but I don't know if this has any significance as my GP has not explained any of my results to me. I tried to get another appointment so that I could discuss my results and perhaps pursue other investigations, but I was triaged for an appointment that is not until 22 August.
I started taking Bio Kult a week or so ago and, whilst my tummy is still behaving the same, I feel a bit better in myself, less tired and a little more positive. I just want the 'old' me back, to be the way I used to look and feel before all this. When I first get up in the morning, my tummy is relatively flat, and I keep hoping that this is the day it won't bloat up, but it always does. More than anything, I want to know what is causing this and what I can do (or what can be done) to get things back to normal.

Since 22 June 2025 I have had abdominal bloating every single day. It is less so in the mornings (because I have been lying flat?) but increases as the day goes on until I look pregnant by the evening. My normal (pre-bloating) waist measurement was 31ins but now it bloats up to a huge 38ins by every evening. My tummy feels progressively uncomfortable, bulk-wise, as the day goes on and yet I have lost around 4lbs and am not regaining it. I have no digestive problems as such, i.e. my bowels are normal for me, no excess gas or loose stools/constipation. My appetite is not too good though. None of my clothes fit - I now wear loose dresses or elasticated waist trousers - and I avoid going out where people can see me. I feel very down.
Initially, I tried Deflatine, Rennie, Buscopan, walking, stretching movements, eating more fibre, but nothing made any difference so after a couple of weeks I decided to see my GP; he is a new GP to me as I changed GPs back in May. At my appointment on 2 July he ordered a FIT test, FBC and an ultrasound scan, all of which came back negative. In my blood test results, I noted that my Red Blood Cell Count and Haematocrit are below the ‘normal’ range and that my Haemoglobin is only just above normal, but I don't know if this has any significance as my GP has not explained any of my results to me. I tried to get another appointment so that I could discuss my results and perhaps pursue other investigations, but I was triaged for an appointment that is not until 22 August.
I started taking Bio Kult a week or so ago and, whilst my tummy is still behaving the same, I feel a bit better in myself, less tired and a little more positive. I just want the 'old' me back, to be the way I used to look and feel before all this. When I first get up in the morning, my tummy is relatively flat, and I keep hoping that this is the day it won't bloat up, but it always does. More than anything, I want to know what is causing this and what I can do (or what can be done) to get things back to normal.

I did one a couple of weeks ago, marialyce - but not because my GP asked me to, I just wanted to see if anything flagged up plus I've got to try to do something. I eat very little anyway (and even less now) so I don't really know what to look for, other than the obvious ones, like dairy and wheat... If my GP was more interested in my symptoms and explained how to do a food diary and what to look for, then I would be happy to keep one, but I've still got a 3 week wait for my next appointment!

Have you done a food diary?

Hi folks,
I am 1.5 years in now, struggling with daily bloating. Stuff happened for me at age 66. It is possible that COVID attacked my gut, and then after my L4-5 spinal laminectomy/fusion, it just put my gut over the edge. That is looking back retrospectively, of course and only a theory. But at that time, I experimented with food restrictions, adding in low FODMOP's, etc. The only thing I've learned from all of it is that I cannot tolerate any foods ending in "ol." Erithrotol, etc. I developed gastroparesis and currently suffer from that. As soon as I wake up and have either water or tea, the bloat begins. And for me, it's more than that as I experience pain when walking, my favorite exercise.

Since 22 June 2025 I have had abdominal bloating every single day. It is less so in the mornings (because I have been lying flat?) but increases as the day goes on until I look pregnant by the evening. My normal (pre-bloating) waist measurement was 31ins but now it bloats up to a huge 38ins by every evening. My tummy feels progressively uncomfortable, bulk-wise, as the day goes on and yet I have lost around 4lbs and am not regaining it. I have no digestive problems as such, i.e. my bowels are normal for me, no excess gas or loose stools/constipation. My appetite is not too good though. None of my clothes fit - I now wear loose dresses or elasticated waist trousers - and I avoid going out where people can see me. I feel very down.
Initially, I tried Deflatine, Rennie, Buscopan, walking, stretching movements, eating more fibre, but nothing made any difference so after a couple of weeks I decided to see my GP; he is a new GP to me as I changed GPs back in May. At my appointment on 2 July he ordered a FIT test, FBC and an ultrasound scan, all of which came back negative. In my blood test results, I noted that my Red Blood Cell Count and Haematocrit are below the ‘normal’ range and that my Haemoglobin is only just above normal, but I don't know if this has any significance as my GP has not explained any of my results to me. I tried to get another appointment so that I could discuss my results and perhaps pursue other investigations, but I was triaged for an appointment that is not until 22 August.
I started taking Bio Kult a week or so ago and, whilst my tummy is still behaving the same, I feel a bit better in myself, less tired and a little more positive. I just want the 'old' me back, to be the way I used to look and feel before all this. When I first get up in the morning, my tummy is relatively flat, and I keep hoping that this is the day it won't bloat up, but it always does. More than anything, I want to know what is causing this and what I can do (or what can be done) to get things back to normal.

Thanks, frouke. I tend to think this is not dietry, as I am 65 and have never had this kind of bloating before - this is day in, day out and has a predictable pattern. In contrast, I was diagnosed with IBS back in the 90s, but that WAS reactionary to what I ate (and to stress), so it was fairly easy to avoid those foods to prevent a flare-up.
I plan to fast in a few days - getting to the stage where I will try anything - so it will be interesting to see if the bloating still happens without food. I can't help thinking that something has been missed.

Thanks, frouke. I tend to think this is not dietry, as I am 65 and have never had this kind of bloating before - this is day in, day out and has a predictable pattern. In contrast, I was diagnosed with IBS back in the 90s, but that WAS reactionary to what I ate (and to stress), so it was fairly easy to avoid those foods to prevent a flare-up.
I plan to fast in a few days - getting to the stage where I will try anything - so it will be interesting to see if the bloating still happens without food. I can't help thinking that something has been missed.

I’m sorry you’re going through this problem, bloating is such a common issue but the causes are varied. It’s also normal to bloat later in the day or evening usually due to everything we have eaten and drank throughout the day. I realize that you know your body better than anyone else and having said that, if you think something has changed then getting it checked out is the best way to go. It might be something in your daily diet that is causing this problem, dairy products are a big cause also sodium which is in almost everything can also cause bloating due to water retention. Your doctor should rule out any other issues and perhaps refer you to a dietitian but it’s possibly caused by something else, given time I feel that you will get the answers you need to help you get better, best wishes.

Since 22 June 2025 I have had abdominal bloating every single day. It is less so in the mornings (because I have been lying flat?) but increases as the day goes on until I look pregnant by the evening. My normal (pre-bloating) waist measurement was 31ins but now it bloats up to a huge 38ins by every evening. My tummy feels progressively uncomfortable, bulk-wise, as the day goes on and yet I have lost around 4lbs and am not regaining it. I have no digestive problems as such, i.e. my bowels are normal for me, no excess gas or loose stools/constipation. My appetite is not too good though. None of my clothes fit - I now wear loose dresses or elasticated waist trousers - and I avoid going out where people can see me. I feel very down.
Initially, I tried Deflatine, Rennie, Buscopan, walking, stretching movements, eating more fibre, but nothing made any difference so after a couple of weeks I decided to see my GP; he is a new GP to me as I changed GPs back in May. At my appointment on 2 July he ordered a FIT test, FBC and an ultrasound scan, all of which came back negative. In my blood test results, I noted that my Red Blood Cell Count and Haematocrit are below the ‘normal’ range and that my Haemoglobin is only just above normal, but I don't know if this has any significance as my GP has not explained any of my results to me. I tried to get another appointment so that I could discuss my results and perhaps pursue other investigations, but I was triaged for an appointment that is not until 22 August.
I started taking Bio Kult a week or so ago and, whilst my tummy is still behaving the same, I feel a bit better in myself, less tired and a little more positive. I just want the 'old' me back, to be the way I used to look and feel before all this. When I first get up in the morning, my tummy is relatively flat, and I keep hoping that this is the day it won't bloat up, but it always does. More than anything, I want to know what is causing this and what I can do (or what can be done) to get things back to normal.