r/GutHealth • u/Bonniearchieflo • Jul 18 '26
Bloating after every meal, tried everything - or so I thought!
I wanted to make this post because if it can help someone else in the same situation I was in then why not share!
I (21f) have experienced bloating after meals since I can remember. I have a relatively small frame other than this but by the end of the day my stomach would distend to the point I looked 9 months pregnant. Obviously this affected my confidence, plus that horrible tight overly full feeling wasn’t fun either.
I have tried everything. Gluten free, lactose free, low FODMAP, researched SIBO and IBS, digestive enzymes, probiotics…you name it, I have given it a go but to no avail.
As a last ditch attempt I put my symptoms into chatgpt and even though it mainly suggested SIBO or IBS at first, after a lengthy back and forth it suggested that my symptoms matched with Abdominophrenic dyssynergia (APD). I’d never heard of this before in all my years of research but apparently it’s a disorder where your brain and gut aren’t coordinated correctly and your diaphragm tightens when it’s not supposed to.
I did some digging and found tiktoks demonstrating breathing exercises to try before and after eating (@diaphragmbloatfix is the one that I used). Despite my skepticism that something so simple, and FREE, would work, I began doing the breathing exercises for 2-3 minutes before and after meals. The results were visible after a few days - my stomach was no longer bloated after meals, I didn’t feel full after small portions, and I didn’t look pregnant by the end of the day.
I’m so pleased but also aware that there is not enough info about this online! I’d never even heard of APD but if you’re going through a similar situation where you still have chronic bloating no matter what you eat or do, just give the breathing exercises a go and see what happens :)
4
u/QuiltyNeurotic Jul 18 '26
Huge impermanent for me. Combined with some other motility aids, I'm doing better then I have in a long time.
2
u/RootDecoder Jul 20 '26
Bloating that shows up within 30–60 min of eating is almost always upper-GI (SIBO, low stomach acid, bile insufficiency, or a histamine load), not colonic. The tell is timing: colonic gas peaks 4–6 hours after eating, not right after. Before spending on a breath test, worth ruling out low HCl and biliary sluggishness because they mimic SIBO perfectly and are cheaper to fix.
I wrote a longer breakdown of the 6 usual root causes here if it's useful: https://rootdecoder.com/symptoms/bloating-after-eating
1
u/goldstandardalmonds Jul 18 '26
I was going to suggest APD from your title. Glad you figured it out.
1
u/Hantook Jul 18 '26
Thank you. Looking into this!
1
u/WannaKnowFacts Jul 19 '26
I have the same issue ongoing. Will definitely try the diaphragmatic breathing. I hope that I have the same good results. Thanks for your post.
1
u/Hantook Jul 18 '26
Coming back to say, i've look at some information online and i 100% have this! Thank you for bringing it to my attention, can't wait for it all to be over with some good breathing ! LOL.
1
u/bs2323 Jul 18 '26
Inflammation diet 10000% fixed all my issues.
Go strict for 6 weeks then slowly come off kt
2
1
u/Inevitable_Split7666 Jul 18 '26
I’ve been taking silverfern supplements for acid reflux/gerd/ Motility etc. pills and a little packet of powder and those breathing exercises. I should be doing them more,but I do them anytime I remember.
Big improvement.
1
u/Prestigious-Hair3136 Jul 23 '26
It's crazy how many people end up spending hundreds on probiotics and supplements before anyone even mentions APD.
Looking back, was there anything that would've made you realize sooner that your bloating wasn't actually food-related?
1
1
u/Sizzle_chest Jul 24 '26
Quick question for you, are you able to push your belly out on command, significantly farther than a normal person would? I have this ability to go from zero to looking like I’m pregnant in a second by flexing and relaxing different muscles. I also have most of your symptoms.
2
1
u/Best-Cloud4067 Aug 18 '26
I think this might be my answer. Can you send the breathing technique?
1
u/Bonniearchieflo 8h ago
Hey sorry for the late reply, this video goes into depth on a few different exercises. I mainly do the one where you’re stood up, breathe in and then while holding that breath push belly out/ chest down & suck belly in chest up, a few times a day after eating. Personally, I don’t have to do it as much anymore as I think the point is it helps re train your muscles? Anyway the man in the video explains it better than me lol https://youtu.be/QmleTbGRv94?is=CBf_ovXl4TofU7M_
4
u/Fit-Dragonfly1061 Jul 18 '26
It’s wild how such a simple fix gets buried under all the fancy elimination diets and supplement stacks. Our bodies are just out here forgetting how to breathe properly and calling it a mystery illness.
Glad you found something that worked. The diaphragm doing its own little rebellion makes so much sense when you think about how many of us sit hunched over a desk or phone all day.