A blogger's Facebook post has gone viral after she shared an honest picture of her stomach during a severe bout of bloating.
Tiffany Brien, who describes herself as a 'lover of fitness, fashion, travelling and peanut butter', shared the candid images on her Facebook page, to show others who suffer with food intolerances and similar bloated stomach symptoms that they're not alone.
'No I'm not 6 months pregnant. It's just my food baby...,' she wrote. 'These two photos are 12 hours apart, left before bed and right when I woke up.... I know right!!'
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'We are not all what we seem on social media. I thought I would share a bad day with you to show you nobody is "perfect" and it is ok to have an off day where your body just decides to not play ball. Don't worry girls, it happens to the best of us, all part and parcel of being a female! It is a delightful cocktail of lack of sleep, stress, hormones and food intolerances. A mixture for a whole lotta bloat.'
More: Natural remedies to stop bloating
Tiffany adds that she eats healthily, but she can't always identify what has caused her bloating, and her symptoms can flare up at a moment's notice - 'I could be half way into my main course and I suddenly feel uncomfortable and now really unattractive with a big bloated belly!', she exclaims.
She also acknowledges that it's not just food that can contribute to the issue, listing stress, lack of sleep and hormones as other triggers, and goes on to share her top tips for keeping on top of bloating as much as possible.
'Get your zzz's! Write a food dairy and reflect where and when you bloat. Don't over exercise to compensate for a bloated belly. It's not fat. Exercising will most likely make it worse. Look into gut health supplements - multivitamins and probiotics. Drink peppermint tea to soothe your tum. Relax and be happy... It'll be ok, you're not alone. Promise,' she advises.
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Tiffany's 84,000 followers were quick to respond to the post, with one writing, 'So glad you are highlighting this as I know there is a lot of pressure on people to look a certain way but bodies don't always play ball as you said,' and another adding, 'I LOVE your honesty and it takes real courage these days for people to be truely honest in words and pics with all the bodyshaming. You're lovely Tiff don't ever change!'
Have you ever suffered from extreme bloating? How do you manage your symptoms? Let us know in the comment box below.
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