Posted by Racer on March 6, 2005, at 21:47:45
In reply to Why does the extra weight go to the stomach????, posted by Maxime on March 5, 2005, at 2:56:57
Maxime, you're suffering from one aspect of refeeding syndrome -- all your weight is hitting you in your midsection, you're not imagining it, it isn't permanent, and you're not alone. I looked about seven months pregnant during my first few weeks of weight gain! Now I'm down to looking about five months along ;-D Yeah, it's hellish, no two ways about it.
First of all, it's mostly water retention, as your tissues rehydrate. That will ebb and flow over the first few weeks or months. The rest of it has to do with biological anti-starvation tactics: now that your body is getting some nutrients, it's first using them to repair any and all organ damage your starvation has caused, and then building up a reserve of fat that it can use when the next famine strikes. That fat is going to be on your belly, and you won't like it, but it will redistribute itself without you doing much of anything about it once your condition stabilizes. That can take six to twelve months, but it will take even longer if you fluctuate too much in going from restricting to eating to restricting. The more consistent you are in working towards recovery, the more quickly that belly will go away.
I'm passing on what my nutritional counselor has been telling me. It's all hellish, no doubt about it, and I don't think I'd still be working towards recovery at all without nutritional counseling. It doesn't sound as though you've been getting any treatment in this area, though, which is too bad. What sort of treatment are you getting right now? Can you ask to be referred to a dietitian? I promise it can be incredible helpful, especially as weird things start happening to your body.
Hope that helps.
poster:Racer
thread:466819
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/eating/20041128/msgs/467581.html