refeeding bloating - help, how did you get through it?

 i am finding it sooo hard to eat enough bcuz i think i shrunk my stomach from all the fasting/restricting i did, and now even one sandwhich makes me SO sick. i feel so full and bloated and nauseous and sick and just plain awful that i feel like im going to vomit. so far i try drinking soothing teas like mint and licorice, they help a little bit. any other suggestions? this is so HARD.

My stomach shrank from crash dieting in the past as well. I started out slowly by eating steamed or boiled foods, as well as raw fruits and some vegetables. I eat less salt and quite a normal amount of sugar (because I like my desserts :P). I hardly eat fried stuff. My stomach is still rather small now but my appetite is definitely improving.

Don't listen to what is written above. Sorry, but that kind of blind idiocy annoys me. For one, raw fruits and vegetables can make bloating worse as they are often largely made of water and this can agitate it. Salt and sugar won't affect your bloating though watching your salt is always generally wise. Not eating fried food will make no difference so if you want something fried, have it.

Bloating is inevitable. You have to push through it and keep eating. It doesn't matter WHAT you eat, but keep eating whatever you do. Eventually, your stomach will adjust. However, to help with discomfort, try peppermint or fennel teas, ginger or liquorice (as you've discovered) in any form, and then warm compresses on your stomach - hot water bottles, or warm towels.

A short, SLOW walk will also help digestion. Slow is key because you can get nasty heartburn going too quickly. D;

I agree and disagree with some of what was said already. Salt does cause fluid retention which causes swelling/bloating. Excessive sodium causes water retention in the tissues making you feel puffed up and uncomfortable. Avoid salty processed foods. Read food labels. Even the same types of foods at the grocery store can very greatly in sodium content. I rinse a lot of my foods to remove excess sodium. Tuna, salmon, canned beans and veggies.

Fruits, beans and veggies can cause bloating and gas. Some more than others but still eat them. In small amounts if you have to and drink plenty of water. Make sure you are eating a balanced diet with enough calories. Don't be afraid of fats and carbs. You must  have those. Complex carbs are best. Don't need trans-fats at all but all other fats are essential and necessary.  Until you are at a healthy weight and well into recovery I believe you should avoid most exercise. But a light walk, stretching, massage can help a great deal. Massage is excellent for bloating/water retention issues.

Try eating several smaller meals if three larger meals make you sick. Just be sure to eat enough. Until you are recovered you will be unable to avoid some discomfort and bloating.

Sleep is also key. I retain fluid and get very puffy if I don't get enough sleep. I wake up and my hands and face are puffy and bloated everytime I don't rest well.

Take a multivitamin.

It is not wise to tell someone with an eating disorder to begin checking food labels for salt and sugar content. There is enough obsession already without that added stress.

It is true that eating an excessive amount of salty food can cause anyone to feel bloated. And if you are just begining to refeed yourself, it would be wise to avoid a lot of pre-packaged pre-made foods. Not just to avoid the excessive sodium, but because whole foods are healthier and provide more nutrients as well. And you need them.

Try soft, more easily digestible foods. Oatmeal, soft fruits like ripe bananas or pears, cooked veggies, puddings, yogurts, nut butters, mashed potatoes, etc. Avoid raw fibrous veggies and legumes for a bit, maybe a week or two If you want fruit, maybe try a soft pear or making baked apples. You could also put dried fruit into a hot cereal, less volume that way.

The real key to avoiding that bloated feeling is getting the most amount of calories for the least amount of volume. If you need to have 400 calories, a PBJ sandwich will take up a lot less space in your stomach than having 400 calories worth of fat free yogurt and rice cakes. That in and of itself makes a huge difference in the way you feel physically.

Just because you have/had an eating disorder does not mean you should not watch your sodium intake. I agree someone in recovery should not count calories or read every label but if she is uncomfortable because of bloating salt could be the problem. You are saying it is wise to avoid pre-made and pre-packaged foods so you are also saying to read labels and avoid those products. Also causing a problem if you have an obsession.

She gave a general rule of what to eat and what not to eat, and she said specifically NOT to read labels. For a lot of people it's the numbers that trigger.

Play nice, folks.

I believe what is meant is that sodium intake can be watched (and should be, really, in any diet) by eating more fresh produce than processed. This does not mean you have to cut processed food out altogether, but it also means that by, for example, picking that fresh bag of green beans over the tinned variety is going to save you sodium. Making your own spaghetti ragu is going to save you on the salt front compared to buying a tin. Etc.

Original Post by lalabanana:

Play nice, folks.

I believe what is meant is that sodium intake can be watched (and should be, really, in any diet) by eating more fresh produce than processed. This does not mean you have to cut processed food out altogether, but it also means that by, for example, picking that fresh bag of green beans over the tinned variety is going to save you sodium. Making your own spaghetti ragu is going to save you on the salt front compared to buying a tin. Etc.

 Exactly, that is all I meant.

I never said to read the labels or that she shouldn't watch her salt intake - just to be aware that things like that can easily become obsessional. And what I meant by not eating tons of prepackaged food was that its an easy way to avoid a great amount of sodium without creating a need to inspect everything. And also, eating fresh foods is much better for you anyways - there are more nutrients in foods that have not been canned or processed a hundred times and she needs all the value she can get from what she eats.

I also didn't mean to offend/upset/appear snarky, and I apologize if it came off as such.

yeah, i agree w/ what people are saying.. most fruits and veggies make it worse (pears and bananas have been ok)

what helped me was having 6-8 meals throughout the day. some ideas for food are- shakes (store bought or made w/ whole milk) and softer/more liquidy type foods (like yogurt, pudding, mashed potatoes, ice cream, applesauce, cottage cheese, creamy soups w/ melted cheese, and sometimes oatmeal or white rice.

it helps to add peanut butter, margarine, or whipped cream to things too.

i know some of this doesn't sound too healthy, but if it helps with getting more calories in then it's better than not getting enough in.

definitely stay away from gum and carbonated drinks like diet soda also.

drinking tea with ginger before meals helped a little too.

Actually, all of those things are quite healthy and contain protein and fat necessary for rebuilding a starved body. It's just that our society is currently geared towards a "don't use real ingredients! use our synthetic-but-lower calorie substitutes! even if it causes cancer, thats ok - at least its lower calorie, right!" mentality. Which is rather unsettling. Like butter is actually healthier for you than margarine, and regular peanut butter is healthier than the reduced fat stuff. But they try to make you believe that's not true, and well..it is. So yea...all good things actually. And when you are rebuilding a starving body, its good to use some fuller-fat foods, not just because they are more calorically dense in a smaller package, but also your body needs the saturated fats to repair cell integrity and organ tissues.

Something I forgot to mention before was that having a higher percentage of fats in your diet actually helps prevent refeeding edema. Aim for around 30-35% fat in your diet. It also helps make your food portions smaller, which in turn also decreases bloating.

Though these tips didn't alleviate all the pain, they certainly did help:

-lying down with a heating pad

-tums, maalox, otc stomach meds

-acid reflux medication

-slow, gentle walks

-distractions after meals (movies, tv, reading, calling a friend)

-petting a cat or dog.  I find this very soothing, especially when they lie on my stomach

-doing some gentle "digestive yoga" (google it, it really helps!)

-making sure you stay hydrated!

-eat calorie-dense foods, so (especially in the beginning) you can get the calories in in the lowest amount of volume.  Try:  nuts, nut butters, muffins, bagels, pastas, beef, full-fat dairy, smoothies, milkshakes, sandwiches, ice cream, starbucks drinks (full-fat with whip, of course!), and only drink caloric beverages.  They add up fast! (juice, whole milk, chocolate milk, etc)

-eat every 2-3 hours, with small, but dense meals/snacks

Good luck!  Refeeding does suck...