I have upper abdominal bloating, plus an accumulation of belly fat after a couple months of high stress. This fat could be high cortisol, or it could be due to inflammation. This is the cause of sudden belly fat. I gained the belly fat while simultaneously losing weight (wasn't eating enough due to stress). I tried to diet and exercise and the belly fat wouldn't budge. All I did was lose fat everywhere else. This is very new for me. I can hardly eat anything without my upper abdomen under my ribs bloating. I'm down to only being able to eating bananas, eggs, and Meal Replacement shakes without bloating. My bowel movements look healthy. They are not as brown as usual, but I think it's because of all of the Raw Meal Shakes I've been drinking every day. I can't decode what my issue is. If I knew, then I would know what I can and can't eat. And how to fix it. Is this IBS? Any other thoughts? These are all my symptoms.
Most likely "not" IBS but related. Your bm's are normal....and the color "cause" change is as you indicated.
Your first concern is not the belly fat but disbiosis and stress related nerve system.
For "healthy insurance", I'd check the shakes and be certain maltodextrin is not an ingredient..and if so..change to one that does not, preferably the same mfg.. Shakes can be whey or soy and sometimes a combo...I wouldn't change..concern should only be the one ingredient.
without tests....my guess....you have "deficiencies"..could be..probitoics, enzymes, minerals...some or all...since all play a role.
You need to figure out or root them out.... or do a shot gun approach...I'd prefer the step by step.
acakes, Regardless of the above...stress will most likely defeat your efforts
...if you suspect cortisol as a player...you could be stuck in phase one ..sympathetic and the para is not kicking in....not necessarily full blown...but at some level full or part time......I would not suggest meds but....if you have a good Gastroentrologist...maybe?...(they sometimes prescribe various types of stress meds...but I personally don't like any of them)
One way to reduce some stress.... "might" be agressively evalutating cause/'s, developing a strategy to remedy...short and long term....and as you travel down this pathway...let others know whats working or is not working......Claudio
Thank you Claudio. I've reduced the stress alot since about 2 weeks ago. I have an appointment tomorrow at a Wellness Clinice that has a team of functional doctors and a nutritionist. So what do you think is causing the upper abdominal bloating... the deficiencies? At the clinic they have all kinds of tests, like nutritional deficiencies, food sensativity tests, hormone testing, etc. Not sure I want to spend money on all of those. But maybe one would be priority over the other.
Oh, I think for bloating you meant it could be because of dysbiosis (imbalance). Yes, that makes alot of sense! No Maltodextrine in my shakes. It's all natural RAW ingedients... good for the tummy 
acakes,
I wouldn't obtain much of any "tests"...unless after evaluating what feedback you get an indication of an absolute necessity...nothing "invasive"...perhaps one of the breath tests...don't know which but you'll figure it out..my back seat guess would be the HBT...just in case of bacteria overgrowth...
if positive..probiotics...if not...enzymes....and if enzymes....up your intake of resveratrol...100mg x 3 daily. Panco housekeeping.
As you already know..bloating or bloat feelings can be air or gas...if air (swalloing) is ruled out...gas...why? some questions for your appointment.
It's comforting to find a smart one with this problem....Raw, Organic's...from a reputable source, that does its own compounding....rules out a lot of potential toxins...Claudio
You have been VERY helpful. I'm glad I'm going to a Wellness Clinic that deals in a big picture approach instead of just a regular GI doctor. The Wellness Clinic is more familiar with gut issues like the one you mentioned.
I agree completely...finding a GI that is not prodrug influenced...isn't easy...
in 50 plus years I've only found "one" Gastro professional that "cured" non cancerous digestive issues..and he was 90, a TCM dr.
Keep in touch...let us know what's what ...claudio
Claudio, I went to the doctor and she's is doing a Candida Test, but that is yeast. Dysbiosis can be caused by yeast (Candida), parasites, and bacteria. I wonder how they test for bacteria. She only took blood and urine. She is also testing for H Pylori and doing a Cortisol test.
Claudio, also she says that the blood test for H Pylori isn't always that reliable and neither is the candida test. She said she could do a stool sample test but says it never gives any accurate information.
The hbt or hydrogen breath test will be your best bet IMO... what's important is prep...what the dr's specs are (what's included for diagnostic suspects etc)...I cannot recall what is the best patient prep. there are a few good web sites like science direct or science daily plus your own national instititutes of health.hpylori is a possibility vs a probability...the gold standard tool is the ubt..urea breath test...again..patient prep for this is needed to get an accurate reading.
The fecal tests can be helpful but they are not used as much anymore except as a 2nd opinion.
Niece had similar as you, but difficult to know what resolved her condition....she did the following: diet..eliminated carbs (all sugars), grains, dairy, caffeine, and fresh anything. Took pre/pro biotics and mild digestive enzymes (pancretain), she used obergast for a week...took up yoga, and also went to a Chiropractor who "claimed" he could resolve her digestive issue??? perhaps but cannot find reliable studies to confirm or reject such a claim. you can see how difficult it is to determine what worked...Obergast has science based studies.
And the chiropractor visit was a few weeks into her program.. I see in her e mails that her symptoms were not as "severe" after only a short time into her program.She had not been diagnosed with any common digestive disorder other than "anxiety"...she is Micronesian and is a workaholic..physically and mentally....hope some of the above helps...claudio
My doctor suggested Paleo Diet. She even said, to go one step further and do the Autoimmune Paleo Diet. Did you neice cut out meat? or Fruit? And yes, this has all been VERY helpful!
Oops..niece had IBS type condition...you do not..so her program really doesn't fit into yours...sorry. You do quality whey shakes...so your not lactose intollerent...so I'd not suspect candida. What brings to mind is you should be on sublingual B12 as inflammation sucks this out of your system. Check the aminos in your shake to see if they compare with the "advanced mucosal healing" study...if I type the aminos, or the link study, this will go into moderation and may or may not be posted....but you can find via the web sites mentioned in my previous e mail. Your dr is correct...blood/fecal/urine tests are not as reliable as the breath tests. If you choose to go with the hbt, be sure to tell your dr well in advance that you are not lactose intollerant....Claudio
acakes,
She went for fish initially, then graduated to turkey and chicken breast...she did go overboard with salmon but it could have helped?...Micronesians do eat a lot of fish, fresh fruits and avocados...I cannot find where she completely eliminated all fresh fruit...but if she ate any fresh fruit, it would have been pineapple/papaya/banana...all "over ripe" . (I'l call her later today and ask)
Diets in my opinion are to bridge or to contain the progression of a problem, giving us an oppotunity to find the underlying cause/s and or to allow our bodies a chance to heal.
Should you choose a diet, start with elimination/s very slow..keep a record of each along with a note as to your condition. In this manner should you find an improvement after an eliminated "item"....then you can cross reference it with its "ase"..or enzyme processor...
You could "side step" a diet program by taking some wide spectrum enzymes (quality only) for a few (3) days..it's just another "diy trial"...if not enzyme, could be inbalance of gastric acids...to little bile salts as an example..since you had mentioned weight loss...gall bladder sludge "may" develop as a consequence...You might ask your dr about this next visit.
After the few days...begin your diet program...it could reboot your system..eliminate some blockages, improve some needed receptors etc...Claudio
What about leaky gut (intestinal permeability)? Could I have that? Is there a test? One thing That I didn't mention is that I have sinus inflammation and whenever I take Zyrtec D, I feel GOOD! I wonder if the inflammation is lynced to my gut. My sinus inflammation has been very high since the gut inflammatio started a couple months ago. Also maybe I have a histamine levels issue.
was mistaken.....she didn't eat any of her favorties except twice. a few pieces of pineapple...pacific islanders soak fresh cut pineapple pieces with salt then rinse before eating....she
ate hard apple.and Asian Pear..but only a slice...not even a quarter of a full apple/pear......she's a small gal..95lb..hard as a rock....stays "fit".
Claudio
...I don't know if you "could" have lgs...my only stent into this was in one als case. The symptom was clinical IBS.or spastic colon disorder. Patient thought the leaky gut symdrom was nonsense and took fenogreek thearpy and it resolved his IBS.
I always walk the fence between various medical practices. I do recall part of the patient's research study. The diagnosis of lgs was called something like "lactulose/manitol test"...was more like a huge "process". Treatment made good sense for any intestinal disorder..basic antibiotic, pre pro bitotic, diet, l glutamine, and a few others..would need to find his 2 year old post.
histamine and antihistamine....(antihistamine is an immune response blocker)
I have only recently looked into your use of hr2 and wbc's...and your Zyrtec D is an antihistamine much the same (similar pathways) as hr2..both implicate wbc's lymphocytes th1 and th2...the best and most comprensive answer might be from your pharmacist. And if one doesn't give you comfortable info find another pharmacist.
The two meds togeher may not be a good idea...There is overlap between Intolerance/allergy/bacteria...a good dietician can help sort out these and point you into a good direction. Any detective work worth while requires actual history of all medications taken along with "why's", results.
Timing is everything.
. Would be most helpful to have these in print both for yourself and any specialist.
Claudio
acakes, if my previous post is not posted Monday, let me know, or pm me...claudio
Thanks Claudio. Having an Ultrasound today, bloodwork, stool sample, etc. I can't do the Breath Test for H Pylori until 2 weeks because I was taking Nexium and have to be off of it for 2 weeks before I can do the H Pylori Breath Test. Booo 
Thanks for the update and "heads up"....Stool samples pretty much the same as UBT...but...could be used as a "marker" for a future comp test..
Do you get full detail on either your ultra sound or blood work?..Here it takes some time...If we go to the lab...can take only a few days..but if we do in dr office...can take 7 to 10 days.
When in either dr. office or lab...the ref form has check box for a copy to patient...if dr doesn't check it...we do.
In the meantime...how are you doing???...Claudio
I will get the Ultrasound Results by Thursday. I actually have pictures of the images they took. They sent them to me online. But, of course, I can't read them ha ha. My stomach is still swollen, upper and lower. But the part Im not used to us the upper part. It feels so weird. I am down to eating turkey, sweet potatoes, veggies, bananas, and avocados. I might have to take the meat out because I think it makes me bloat too. I will give it a few more days. I want to know what is wrong so I can fix it because I am tired of feeling this way and want to get back to normal and move on with my life. But I'm also scared of what the problem is.