This photo illustrates how much our bodies can change in 24 hours

It happens us ALL the time.

If you've ever gone to bed feeling bloated and woken up in the morning to see that said bloatedness has decreased considerably - you're not alone. Fitness blogger and university student Lauren Tickner shared an Instagram post detailing this exact phenomenon and unsurprisingly, it's going viral. It's all very simple really, after eating three meals, your stomach will more than likely increase and then overnight, it decreases as you haven't eaten anything for several hours. As Lauren points out this isn't something to get fixated about and this is something that 'all of us' experience. Sharing side by side photos from 'morning' and 'evening', Lauren illustrated how her stomach changed over the course of a day. She also references the fact that she has IBD, an inflammatory bowel disorder, and that she had been on a flight which can cause water retention, but bloating can still occur irrespective of these factors.

Morning vs evening ? Only hours apart. Having a fuller stomach due to eating & going about your day is not something you should be concerned about! It happens to all of us! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ‼️Unless‼️of course you suffer from an illness. But ??here??I had been on a long haul flight which always makes you retain water, swell up, etc... and I had just eaten a big meal! So the way my body looks on the right is just a temporary thing which will go away through getting back into my normal: aka eating well, drinking lots of water, and doing exercise ?? #StrengthFeedGuide ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Personally, I do suffer from chronic IBD (inflammatory bowel disorder, it’s different to IBS), which is still being investigated into. The reactions that occur due to this are different to being ‘bloated’ from eating a lil’ too much, or from water retention from a long-haul flight (or something), like the pic on the ??right. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, moral of the story: if your tum gets a lil more swelled up in the evening, don’t worry! But do see a doctor ASAP if it’s constantly painful and you think it may be of further concern. #StrengthFeed ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mental health & physical health are of equal importance. Please remember that. ?? (Sidenote: I am just showing the change of MY body throughout the day, I am in NO way saying that either body shape is better than the other ??, and yes. I am aware that the lighting is v different too which can also make a difference but this post is focused on bloating and water retention)

A post shared by Lauren Tickner #StrengthFeed (@laurenfitness) on Oct 30, 2017 at 11:46am PDT

However, and this is important, Lauren stresses that if the bloating is at all painful or you've been worrying about it, a visit to your doctor is always recommended. Lauren's opinion has been backed up by a health professional too with nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert explaining why this bloating happens. Speaking to The Independent, the nutritional expert said:

"It is a very simple case of the fact that after a night sleep we have digested our food and we are often dehydrated; therefore our bodies appear slimmer and lighter".

A number of factors can influence how much or little you bloat too with Rihannon mentioning hormonal changes, the food you've eaten the night before and even certain gym routines.

"A heavy weight-lifting session can also make you retain water the next day because of the swelling around the micro-tears in your muscles".

 

LOL THE GUY LOOKS LIKE HE'S SHOVING A BAR UP MY BUTT ?? ??110kg squat BAAAABY!??? That's more than 2x my bodyweight! ? ❓Who'd be interested in a Beginners Guide To Powerlifting? (Another e-book guide like the #StrengthFeed Training Guide)❓ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I am SO stoked by this! My bodyweight is 54ish kilograms right now soooo, I'm happy! I only started on a proper, progressive and structured training programme around 14 months ago, and my strength has gone up SO much since then! And my form is 10000x better! It's CRAZY how much it helps when you UNDERSTAND your training! ???? *Inb4 haters criticising my form* - some people can just never be happy for others ? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is a massive achievement for me, and I love seeing your #StrengthFeed progress, too! I also got some other PBs today and the vlog will be live on Thursday! Click the link in my bio and subscribe to my YouTube channel!

A post shared by Lauren Tickner #StrengthFeed (@laurenfitness) on Oct 24, 2017 at 12:18pm PDT