Obesity isn’t expected by anyone, let alone gathering fats in the belly. Sometimes, a fat belly may indicate pregnancy rather than expressing obesity. To be clear about these two conditions, knowing about fat belly vs pregnant belly is significant.
It’s super easy to distinguish between them by observing their primary symptoms. During pregnancy, physical changes like irregular periods, nausea, headaches, and so on appear. When it’s about a fat belly, your food cravings will increase along with fatigue.
You may ask -why does my stomach look pregnant?
Well, it’s probably for stress, problems with digestion, and many more. If you go through this post you will come to know them.
By the way, a fat belly doesn’t look great and coping with the desired physical fitness is hard.
Besides, it reduces your lifetime by striking you with various diseases. Now, let’s come to know the differences between a fat belly and a pregnant belly
Pregnant belly vs fat belly difference?
Is a fat belly a symptom of pregnancy? Well, a fat belly doesn’t always indicate pregnancy. Their physical outlook is similar, so many people confuse these two terms. For example, the swollen umbilical cord is mistaken as a boy part during the ultrasound. Let’s examine some facts about a fat and pregnant belly.
Pregnant belly vs fat belly difference-comparison chart
For understanding the primary distinctions between a fat belly vs pregnant belly, have a look at the comparison chart.
| Key-Points | Fat Belly | Pregnant Belly |
| Feel on your belly | Gives you a soft and squishy feel | Gives you a firm and flexible feel |
| Symptoms | food cravings, idling, and fatigue | Period missing, morning sickness, headaches, and change in bathroom habit |
| Vaginal discharge | Absent | Present, at around 6-9 weeks |
| Mood swings | Not a side effect of the fat belly | Side effects of the pregnant belly |
| Diseases risk | Diabetes and liver issues | No disease risk except for several side effects |
| Physical change | Appears slowly, and lasts longer until you change your habits | Physical changes are fast at around the 14th week of pregnancy |
| Presence of constipation | Not usually seen | Pretty common |
| Increase in thirst | Might be present or not | Common scenario |
| Craving for ice and meat | Not applicable | Blood volume gets expanded, and pregnant women become more anemic. Then, the craving for chewing ice and meat like Slim-Jims. |
| Change in nipple | Remain unchanged | Skin around the nipple gets darker |
Pregnant belly vs fat belly pictures
How do I know is it a fat pregnant belly?
The first thing you should focus on is your BMI. It’s a measurement, including your weight and height. If it’s extremely high and your belly looks fat, it’s truly a fat belly issue. A waist measurement of more than 35 inches for women indicates a fat belly.
To be assured, try to feel your belly. If it feels soft and squishy, it’s undoubtedly a fat belly. A fat belly grows slowly, stays longer, and is hard to change. Women become fat when they have unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and changes in bacterial diversity.
How do I know is it a pregnant belly?
Pregnant women can be assured in several ways nowadays about their pregnancy. The main difference between a fat stomach vs pregnant belly is a physical change.
A pregnant belly doesn’t become large before a certain time. It usually looks real fat within 20-35 weeks of conceiving.
The pregnancy period is crucial for several months until you deliver a baby.
In the meantime, you’ll face temporary physical problems like nausea, constipation, acid reflux, and mood swings. The uterus starts taking more place in the pelvis. As a result, the shape of a fat belly appears.
PREGNANT BELLY AND FAT BELLY SYMPTOMS DIFFERENCES
It’s widely seen that women have confusion about “Am I pregnant or fat.” Getting a proper idea of pregnancy symptoms can relieve you from this trouble.
- Period Missing
It’s one of the earliest pregnancy symptoms. When an embryo has been implanted, the lining of the uterus doesn’t shade then. That means the start of an unusual period starts here.
- Change in nipple color
During pregnancy, physical change also appears in the breast. The nipple becomes harder than before and comes with a deep brown-colored shape.
- Change in breast
Hormones like estrogen and progesterone cause your breast to be sore. The blood flow increases, so there is a massive change in the breast. It causes expansion in the milk duct, resulting in a tender and swollen breast.
- Morning sickness
The human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is responsible for morning sickness during pregnancy. You’ll feel down after rising from the bed. Physically, you’ll feel weak and desire more sleep than usual.
- Vomiting
During pregnancy, women can’t tolerate the scent of every meal- whether delicious or not. But, they must take nutrient foods for the baby’s health improvement. As a result, they vomit, and it happens cyclically.
- Increase in urination
Excessive urination is one of the strongest symptoms during pregnancy. The total amount of blood increases in your body during pregnancy. That’s why the kidney requires processing more fluids than usual. And, you need to visit your washroom more than often.
- Fatigue
It’s okay to feel tired during pregnancy throughout the day. A change in sleeping habits takes place at that time. For this reason, fatigue takes over a pregnant woman easily. Also, an increase in progesterone hormone brings a change in physical activities. That creates fatigue in the human body.
Fat belly symptoms but not pregnant
Check out the symptoms to be sure that you are just fat.
Soft Stomach
Press your stomach and see whether it is soft like a sponge or hard. If you gain weight in stomach look pregnant.
In that case, your stomach will be soft due to the excessive fat. On the other hand, if the stomach is hard, maybe you are floated or pregnant.
Your body fat stored in your belly when you gain weight
Do your belly is fat only? Or other parts of the body are also getting fat? When you are gaining weight, the other parts of the body will gain weight as well.
If it is localized on the belly or stomach area only, this is not a sign of weight gain.
Can a fat belly looks like a pregnant belly?
Yes, your belly can look pregnant due to some unhealthy life-leading habits. Here you know about “why does my stomach look pregnant.”
Stressful days
Chronic stress is the prime cause of breaking down your body. Stress brings anxiety, and it brings bloating and relevant stomach problems. The final results end with muscle tension. That’s why your belly looks pregnant.
Food allergy and intolerance
All the bodies aren’t tolerable for all kinds of food items. Some food ingredients are allergic and injurious to health. Food allergies occur by thinking of protein from the food as an invader. Food intolerance is also a part of torturing your belly. These actions lead your belly to produce extra gas, which looks like a pregnant belly.
Problematic digestive system
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a problem in the digestive system. This problem doesn’t let your intestine relax, resulting in a fat belly like a pregnant one. Weak intestinal construction is the possible reason behind this issue.
Gastrointestinal issues
There is a colloquial term called “endo belly,” which is related to the gastrointestinal problem. It’s the migration of endometrial tissue. These extra tissues get increased day by day, and this problem arises. Stomach early pregnant belly vs fat belly is easy to determine by ensuring the presence of these tissues.
So, if you have thought, “does belly fat look like pregnancy” you’re assured now. Without these reasons, there might be side effects of any action inside your body to let this happen.
Does your stomach size get change?
Do you feel enlarged, heavy, or big right after having a heavy meal? Or a particular date of your menstruation? If the answer is yes, this is not pregnancy. Instead, it is a sign of weight gain.
Fat belly vs pregnant belly pregnancy test
There are a few advanced tests to be assured about the pregnancy. Those are usually done with blood and urine. Let’s see how it works.
Blood test
A blood test for pregnancy is done 6 to 8 days after ovulation. There are two types of blood pregnancy tests. They’re a qualitative hCG test and a quantitative hCG test. Qualitative hCG tests simply include the positive or negative results of pregnancy. This test helps to understand how is a pregnant belly different from a fat belly.
A quantitative hCG test is widely known as a beta hCG test. The dark line on the pregnancy kit mean high hCG.
This test measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood. This test is effective and 100% accurate when the hCG level is very low.
Urine test
Testing your pregnancy with urine is pretty simple as you can use testing kits from home. First, you need to hold the test stick in your urine stream to collect your urine. Then, dip the test stick into the kit.
Finally, collect the urine in a cup and put it into another container. The result will be found within a few minutes. If you use testing kits at home, you must know about the pregnancy test lines. If the lines show positive results, it’ll be darker.
When does your belly start getting bigger when you are pregnant?
Pregnant bellies usually start being bigger between 12-16 weeks. A fat belly compared to a pregnant belly takes longer to get bigger. But, a pregnant belly means you’ll come with pregnancy symptoms. The time of getting your belly bigger isn’t fixed. It could be a little bit earlier in case of abdominal wall stretching.
Conclusion
Now you know a fat belly doesn’t always mean it’s a pregnant belly. A fat belly is nothing but a curse. Conversely, a pregnant belly is a temporary problem, not leading your life to death. Once you understand fat belly vs pregnant belly differences properly, you won’t mix them up.
Now the roundup question is- does a pregnant belly feel different than a fat belly? You’ll get a firm and flexible feel when you touch a pregnant belly. But, a fat belly will give you a soft and squishy feel with the thick skin.
If you’re pregnant, you need to take care of your unborn baby by taking proper nutrients. If you’re not pregnant, it’s all about caring for your belly fat. Reducing belly fats with proper regulations is mandatory before it’s too late.
