Sticking out stomach?

I have a stomach that stick out when i relax my abs!

i have a very low body fat %. i have an 8 pack when i tense my abs, and i have a 6 pack when they are relaxed. Except when i relax my abs and i turn to the side, my stomach sticks way out.

I know visceral fat is not a problem. Because it hasnt always been like this and i do plenty of cardio. at least 1 hour a day if not 2. and i lfit weights about 4 times a week. i swim, run, cycle and walk.

Im not overweight. i have a bmi of about 18.5 and i weigh 130lbs. And im about 5'10"

So what is problem??? please help. because its actually reall bothering me at this stage!

If you don't think it's fat, then you have weak abdominal and/or back muscles.

It's hard to have a completely flat stomach when you're eating a normal food intake, because you're almost always going to have some bulk in your actual stomach, which will probably push it out just enough that if you really scrutinize it it's noticable. It sounds like you're doing everything you can so try not to obsess over it too much. It's unrealistic to strive for a completely flat stomach 100% of the time. Make sure when you do abdominal work you are also working your core muscles and your back muscles--look into pilates.

Some things it could be:
- Food.
- If you have intestinal problems, i.e. you aren't having regular bowel movements, it probably is all backing up in there.  That pushes your stomach out.  When that happens gas usually builds up as well, causing it to stick out even more.  This happens to me when my IBS gets out of control, but you don't need to have IBS for it to happen. It happens to alot of people that diet, especially if they don't get enough fat or fiber or water.
-It could also be a food allergy causing bloating.

Original Post by wistfulxthinking:

If you don't think it's fat, then you have weak abdominal and/or back muscles.

 Probably this.  Even when I was in the best shape of my life, I still had to suck in.  I'd say it's probably a weak abdomen.  I have one too.  Maybe I didn't do enough of the right ab exercises to get the muscles deeper down.  Not sure.  The Fitness forum might be one to check out.  They have some really knowledgeable people there.

If you have a very low body fat percentage, you may be very underweight.  Very underweight people tend to have larger stomachs because that's where all your organs are, and that's where the fat goes to protect those organs when the body is stressed in this way.