I have a question that I'm hoping someone can answer. Been struggling with the ED since I was 15 now 30. The ED has become more of an issue within the last year and a half. Whether I binge, starve, or try and eat normally, I get this bloating feeling which is very uncomfortable. How does this happen? Any feedabck would be greatly appreciated.

scarlet
the bloatedness is really awful - i no what youre saying, its just another terrible consequence of having an ed....i think it is caused by the swelling of the lining of the stomach due to the excretion of stomach acids when purging. its a hard one - i realise how hard to is to break the binge purge cycle though i find if i dont put too much pressure on myself, such as i always say to myself - im not going to purge at all anymore....this was a trigger it self, then id feel guilty, etc.
so now i say to my self - today i will purge LESS than yesterday....
take care
love chookie

Whether I binge, starve, or try and eat normally, I get this bloating feeling which is very uncomfortable.

It can be a psychological thing where your mind is still stuck in ED mode or it can be something physically wrong in your digestive trace. I recommend you get an endoscope to take a peek into your stomach and if the bloated feeling is lower down, perhaps a colonoscopic exam.

It's not normal to feel bloated on an empty stomach.

I assume you ARE talking about stomach bloat and not overall water retention?

<Oops, I slipped into the wrong forum by mistake. :D>

I am recovering from an ED and I can definently relate to the bloating. I have a big problem with water retention, especially in my abdomen and legs. I know that restricting your intake and binging and purging can definently throw off your electrolytes like sodium and potassium. I don't know about you but I've also taken diurectics to help lose water weight which has probably messed my electrolytes up even more (I have stopped taking them now though). Usually after about every meal and especially at the end of the day I feel bloated and aweful. I think it's just something we are going to have to deal with for awhile until our bodies readjust to being normal. An ED can really take a toll on your body. Especially if you've had it for a long time. But once you are eating normal again (all the time, not just sometimes) your body will return to normal.

Unfortunately, bloating is something you have to deal with when recovering from an ED. Mine was very bad the first 6 months after the initial weight gain--this is not counting the time it took to gain the weight which was a normal weight for my height when I was also very bloated. For some areas of my body, it persisted for over a year. After that point, things began to normalize. Granted, I kept with recovery & did not slip back into ED habits. It's annoyingly slow to go away, but it DOES go away over time. I'm sure it's part of the reason why it is so difficult to recover from an ED.

Yep, the bloating sucks. Happens to me after most meals, even if I eat slowly, and it tends to last a couple of hours. I really hate it, and just hope it goes away eventually...