That swollen, heavy, tight-against-your-waistband feeling isn't in your head — it's what happens when waste sits in a colon that isn't contracting. The longer it sits, the more it ferments, the more gas builds, and the more backed-up you feel as the day goes on. When the muscle starts moving on schedule, the load clears in the morning instead of accumulating through the afternoon. Most people describe feeling lighter within the first week or two, before anything else changes. The hard knot under the ribs goes. Loose clothes feel loose again.