The Truth about Bloating in Recovery

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

Alright, truth time.

There’s an elephant in the room, and it has to do with refeeding in recovery. And that, my friends, is bloating.

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This is an uncomfortable topic to talk about, because it has to do with body image. During recovery, we’re working on accepting our new body and learning to love it. We’re overcoming body dysmorphia, and #realtalk: we’re working on weight restoration.

Frankly, bloating makes progress in those departments rather difficult.

My biggest fear during weight restoration was that I was going to wake up one morning and just be massive. I was afraid that my body would just balloon out of control. There was so much anxiety about that allusive “weight range.”  I journaled about it a lot:

I am nervous and weary of how my body will be at the end of my stay [at inpatient]. I am scared that if it changes to a point beyond where I am comfortable, that when I get home I will be depressed and unhappy. Lord, please give me the strength, courage and endurance to get through today. I know You will protect me from anything that scares me.

So let’s have some #realtalk about bloating. Spoiler alert: it happens in recovery.

During your eating disorder, you’ve been in a state of starvation. Your body has been feeding off of its own muscles. That’s why you become skeletal: because your muscles are literally deteriorating in order to keep you alive. But here’s what we so often forget: your organs are muscles too. So they deteriorate and shut down too — all in an effort to keep you alive. That’s why your menstrual cycle stops – because your reproductive organs have failed. You’re cold all the time because your circulatory system is shutting down. You can’t sleep because the adrenal and hormonal levels are off, because they’re shutting down. Your digestive system and metabolism as slowed to a halt. Your organs are literally wasting away, day by day, to keep you alive. And that’s why girls die from anorexia: because your heart is a muscle too, and it shuts down. Let that sink in: 1 in 10 people die from eating disorders. It’s nothing to joke about.

But what does all this have to do with bloating?

Well, since your body has been in a state of starvation during your eating disorder, it doesn’t trust you to nourish it. So, when you finally do begin to feed it again, it still thinks you’re going to deprive it in the future. So it holds onto the nutrients. Just think of a cave man, or a prehistoric animal: they would stock up when they could, because they never knew when a famine would hit, or they’d have to hibernate for the winter. That’s what your body is doing. It just thinks that it’s a temporary “feast” period, and that it should hold on to all those nutrients because you’re heading into another famine.

So in an act of self-preservation, your body insulates the most vital organs first, again, in an effort to keep you alive. And where, might you ask, are those vital organs? Around the trunk of your body: your heart, your lungs, your liver, etc. So it initially stores the nutrients around your midsection.

Before you start panicking, “Oh goodness, it’s true. My worst fear is actually a reality. I’m going to get fat!”

PAUSE. Breathe.

NO. YOU’RE. NOT.

After a few weeks of getting consistent calories and adequate rest and restoration, your body will begin to trust you again to nourish it. Then, it will redistribute evenly. You will fill out beautifully, and in all the right places. I promise. 🙂

But here’s the kicker: In order to “beat the bloat,” you have to keep eating. You have to keep nourishing your body with adequate nutrients and sufficient calories consistently, or you body will stay in that starvation mode, and hold on to every nutrient that you consume.

This is very hard for a lot of girls in recovery, and is the moment where the “rubber meets the road,” and your recovery is tested. Your perseverance and will to fight are tested. Will you keep going or will you fall back into old ED habits because of poor body image? Will you continue to banish ED to the fires of hell, or will you let him creep into your mind because you are scared of a temporary bloating phase?

This is where the true warriors rise to the top.

This is where you become gold, refined by fire.

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Finally, I’ll leave you with a few tips that I found helpful dealing with my bloating during recovery.

  • Wear loose, comfortable clothing. This really goes without saying, but tight clothing is very triggering in recovery. Stick with clothes that give you room to breathe. Yoga pants, hoodies, t-shirts. The stretchier the better.
  • Avoid the mirrors. Again, this is something that is intuitive, but scrutinizing your body in the mirror is not going to make the process any easier. In fact, just the opposite. Your body is blooming into the woman you’re meant to be. Trust the process. Learn to love yourself.
  • Take a gentle walk. This can be tricky, as a lot of women and girls abuse exercise as a way to purge calories, but I’m not talking about a power walk here. I’m talking about a gentle stroll — Something that will help to take your mind off of a bloated and triggering tummy. Talk a walk in your backyard and take pictures of flowers. Take a stroll through the park and look up the different plants on your phone as you mosey along. Be outside. Surround yourself in the beauty that God created. Remember that you’re also His creation, and are covered in His fingerprints:)
  • Drink water! Another aspect of bloating is that your body is holding onto excess water, otherwise known as edema. It’s counterintuitive, but the more water you drink, the less your body will hold on to.
  • Be with supportive people. It is so important to surround yourself with supportive people. In your recovery, you need people by your side who lift you up and support you in your recovery, not bring you down. 
  • Dwell on the Truth. Lastly and most importantly, keep your mind focused on the Truth. Otherwise, ED will find a way back into your head, and this time he’ll bring 7 friends with him. So remain centered on the Truth. These were some thoughts I found to be helpful in recovery.

Hang in there, sweet girl. Bloating comes with the territory, and is only temporary. You’re doing the right thing: you’re sticking with recovery, nourishing your body, and learning to love yourself. The bloating will pass. Keep doing the right thing. One day at a time. One meal at a time.

I believe in you.

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649 thoughts on “The Truth about Bloating in Recovery”

  3. Thank you for liking my post and thank you for being so courageous and sharing these awesome posts, we all need to lift the mask on the reality of what we feel and experience so that people know they are not alone.You are awesome 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Thanks so much for this- i am currently struggling so so badly with my bulimia bloat and feel like a fat whale. I am hating that it makes me feel so fat and uncomfortable and this really helps ❤

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  7. I never had an ED, however, I have dealt with issues from PTSD/abuse issues. The darkest before it’s light is consistent with what I went through too. The closest I’ve ever come to losing the fight against all the behaviors/patterns came at the very end. The defenses, my old “truth” was what I knew and had protected me lo these many years. And they were screaming at me not to hold onto the change, it was harmful. That was possibly the toughest piece of my fight, because it would have been really easy to just let go of the new truth. Great post, thanks for writing it!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I have dealt with chronic PTSD and there was a time when I was in the skin and bones category. Not because of ED, but usually it was a reflection of what I was battling with deep down inside. I can totally understand what you are saying. I love how you use the term “old truth”!

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  8. Thank you so much for writing this. Your supportive words and even your experiences and tips are so helpful. I am finally facing my Bulimia head on and entering recovery for the first time. I can’t afford treatment so am doing this on my own and of course freaked out when I started bloating when not engaging in my usual ED behaviours. I’m so glad that I found this, and I’m so glad that it’s so normal. Thank you again for having the bravery to be so open with your story, it will help so many and makes me feel not so alone through this hard journey.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for this kind note. I’m so glad this resonated with you. Know that I’m cheering you on as your journey towards full recovery! So happy and excited for you that you chose freedom! Woo! Rock on Amy! You got this! Xoxo

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  15. This is a really good post, thanks. I take aloe vera gel to reduce bloating and it really helps my other digestive and anxiety issues too. I’ve got a couple of customers who have found it really helps them get through their ED recovery stage, and have heard some amazing success. Would be nice to know if others have found the same with drinking aloe vera gel too.

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    1. Thank you for this question. I am not afraid of either, per se. The bloating is just troublesome to people with body dysmorphia, trying to recover from a life threatening eating disorder. It makes the recovery process difficult from a mental standpoint:)

      Liked by 1 person

  17. It’s really reassuring to read this and know that other people experience and have experienced it. Because of my body being in starvation mode for 6 years during my teens and the way my treatment worked, my digestive system is taking literally years to recover. Despite generally eating well for the past 4 years I still suffer a lot with bloating and abdominal distension. It is a total nightmare in terms of body dysmorphia as it just confirms everything I fear, but knowing other people also experience it makes me feel less alone. Thank you for writing this – I wish someone had written those coping strategies when I first started experiencing it!!
    Often people forget that some of the really tough times come when recovering from any illness, EDs included, and I think the way the body can respond to refeeding is a perfect example of this. If you are someone who is supporting someone trying to recover from an ED, don’t forget that although things may seem to be improving on the outside and that is great, the person may be struggling with less obvious aspects of recovery like bloating and the conflict between ED urges and the healthy steps to take. Recovery is complex but worth the effort. I am now in a long-term relationship and I’m independent, and I would never have been able to be when I was in the throes of my anorexia.

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  20. continue the connection to your soul – it is far more than skin and bones. In my youth I was thin, but had an emotionally abusive husband and needed to be perfect. As I have aged, time caught up with all the eating issues and I am now a normal older woman (pudgy for me lol) but I know it is right. Keep up the positive!

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  26. Honestly I really needed to read this! I’m 14 and In my second week of recovery and eating full meals- and my stomach is the size of a whale! I really hope it goes away and I can focus more on this recovery. (It definetly is temporary isn’t it..? Xx)

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    1. Thanks Holly. So glad it resonated with you. Definitely temporary! I’m cheering you on in your recovery! You picked life and freedom and that’s so awesome:) stay strong, warrior ❤️ big hugs xox

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  38. Hi – I saw you liked something I wrote and it led me to your site. This will probably sound random (and I’ve read some of your more recent work) but my favorite part about this piece your wrote on bloating in recovery is when you call your audience “sweet girl.” I like to collect kind terms to call people, things that try to pack in as much love as they can, and that read like one of the kindest terms I’ve ever heard for people in pain. I love it!

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    1. Thank you so much! Yeah I remember I was called sweet girl by my older brother. He is one of my best friends and I had that same reaction to it. So loving and full of compassion and care. Glad you liked it too. Hugs and love xox

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  43. Bloating is such an emotional thing especially with dysmorphia. It tricks your mind into thinking, “Oh my heck, I am legitimately fat. It’s never going to go away.” What’s going on inside your body and how you’re feeling in the stomach/intestine region has the power to completely change what you see visibly–even more difficult is bloating often does show outwardly so you now have that reinforcement of the “I feel fat” thought. So hard to realize you have to ride the wave and that it will go down.

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    1. Thank you for this Kristina. You’re so right-it presents so many mental obstacles. It’s so important to separate the truth from the lies the dysmorphic brain tries to make us believe. Big hugs to you friend xox

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  46. First, thanks for liking my posts!
    It really gives me the encouragement to keep writing, since I am just getting started.
    This post was very eye opening, and I learned a great deal from it. I will be sending warm wishes your way, and cheering you on! Stay on track, keep working your plan…you are very dear to me. – Cat

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  49. it was great reading your straight-forward and honest assessment of the “bloating”, as you call, in ED recovery. I’ve seen the bloating pull some of my friends back into an abyss. but I think if we’re prepared for it and are expecting it, it’s a little easier to handle.

    thanks for a great post.

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