Digestive enzymes

im recovering from anorexia / bulimia and on day 6 of being binge free and netting over 2000 cals a day, my stomach is enormous, I bloat up a good 4" and today had dreadful wind and diareaha ( sorry tmi) I don't want to leave the house and feel awful, I also find it triggering and it's so hard to eat when you feel so fat. I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this or uses digestive enzymes to help.

Any advice would be appreciated

Replies

  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    You probably need to just give it time, I would see a doctor if it does not get better
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    I use http://www.renewlife.com/ultimate-flora-critical-care-50-billion.html 2x a day!
    I also use goodbelly pro shot on off weeks when I start feeling crappy (pardon the pun) .. You can use something like bio K, but I only use it 4 days and then take a 2 week break.
  • IntoTheSky
    IntoTheSky Posts: 390 Member
    This is a very hard thing to come back from. Just keep on going. It will take a little while, but, you will even out........
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
    6 days of being binge free! Good for you. It's such a mental challenge to have a healthy relationship with food. Are you getting some professional help as well? Maybe bloating is normal when recovering from anorexia? I presume it will take your body some time to adjust but that's not much help when you're thinking bloat = fat. Maybe try eating boring bland food to keep help settle your tummy and introduce other foods in slowly.
  • Hollycat
    Hollycat Posts: 372
    I take Digestive Enzymes with every meal - DigestMore Ultra by 'renew life'. I also take 2-5 capsules of Betaine [stomach acid]. If you suffer from heartburn, this is a really good combination. Heartburn and acid reflux are caused by a lack of stomach acid, not an excess of stomach acid, as is widely believed. Because there isn't enough stomach acid, the food begins to ferment in the stomach and it causes gas and reflux and moves up the esophagus [gas rises]. The idea that it is an excess of stomach acid is disseminated to doctors by drug companies that profit from this information when we purchase their drugs. By depleting the body's supply of stomach acid even more, we end up with undigested food passing through the other end and an inability to effectively absorb nutrients. The stomach is where food is first broken down. It needs to be able to do its job.

    I'm sorry you are having difficulty with anorexia. I lost a very good friend to that condition and very nearly lost a second, until she got right with food. It's a really hard thing to do, because there is so much conflicting information out there, but I'm sure you are in good hands. And well-meaning individuals will just want you to 'put weight on'. Definitely not helpful. That is not the only thing that needs to take place. The goal is to get healthy and give your body the nutrients it is crying out for. Consider this: If all of the food you are eating is nutrient-rich, you have nothing to be obsessive over or ashamed of. You will regain your health and energy and find the perfect weight for your body. You are unique.

    What is nutrient-rich food? Flip the food pyramid upside down and you'll see. Vegetables, fruits [salads and smoothies made with vegetables and fruits are amazingly good for you], nuts, seeds, good fats [NutraSea fish oil, olive, coconut oil]. Have some protein in the form of whey protein, fish and eggs mostly. Avoid too much dairy - try goat cheese and ewe cheese. Make your own yogurt and kefir and add fresh fruit and stevia to sweeten. Eat chicken and red meat rarely. Try to eat junk on rare occasions only. Junk is essentially poison to the body. Junk defined: sugar, white flour , trans fats and anything made with them. If you can wrap your mind around the idea that you must eat in a way that will allow you to live the best life you possibly can, rather than live to eat, you are halfway there.

    I don't count calories. By the time I was 12, I could tell you the calorie count of just about any food. I memorized a pocket calorie counter. I became obsessed and began a lifetime of thinking that calories were the only thing that counted. Rubbish. Adequate and optimal NUTRITION is what counts. I focus now on eating nutrient-rich food. For breakfast, I had a green smoothie - spinach, strawberries, 1 scoop whey protein, coconut water, 1 tsp. coconut oil, pinch of bee pollen, stevia - blended for several minutes in a high speed blender. Takes some getting used to, but my body thanks me for it. For lunch, I had a veggie wrap: quinoa, alfalfa sprouts, lettuces, tomato, grated carrot, peppers, a few olives, a sauce made with coconut oil and mangos, wrapped in a couple blanched collard greens or sprouted wheat tortilla. I dip it in a spicy sauce I made with soaked almonds, blended in a high-speed blender. It was absolutely delicious and truly as good as any wrap I've ever eaten. For dinner, I'm keeping it simple tonight. Onions, sauteed in water until caramelized, added to organic veggie or chicken broth, topped with goat cheese - my healthier version of french onion soup. I drink at least 3-4 litres of filtered water every day. No idea what the calorie count is on all that food, but it doesn't really matter. My food is nutrient-rich and fortifies my body. My body is getting the idea that it is finally getting what it needs and is shedding excess fat it no longer needs. I

    f you are anorexic, I'm guessing you don't actually have fat to shed. Again, it doesn't matter. If you are giving your body the nutrients it is screaming for, you will get better. You will feel better and will be able to think more clearly. You cannot live well, indeed at all, off soda crackers and celery, which is what my dead friend tried.

    Good luck and best wishes to you!

    Hollycat:flowerforyou:
  • sheleen302
    sheleen302 Posts: 266 Member
    My good friend had this problems developed over time. Found out she is lactose intolerant and has a major gluten sesitivity. She takes enyzmes for the gluten intake she has occasionally from Arbonne. Seem to allow her to digest them.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    im recovering from anorexia / bulimia and on day 6 of being binge free and netting over 2000 cals a day, my stomach is enormous, I bloat up a good 4" and today had dreadful wind and diareaha ( sorry tmi) I don't want to leave the house and feel awful, I also find it triggering and it's so hard to eat when you feel so fat. I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this or uses digestive enzymes to help.

    Any advice would be appreciated
    What kinds of food are you eating?

    If you're not eating anything that's causing it, I think it's pretty regular to feel completely gigantic and bloated and to literally change by that amount of inches if you are use to significantly less food. Give it time. The same thing happened to me when I went from eating 1200 calories to a lot more then that, so I would say from anorexia to over 2000 cals is a leap on the system right now.

    I know you're probably feeling bloated and that's making you not want to eat so I'll add that I've been doing intermittent fasting. For me this means I eat my food during a window of time, and while I often eat over 2000 calories in the run of a day, I have longer periods without food then I'm use to. I did this for over a week and the long 'fasting' periods made me feel skinnier. And then the measuring tape got broken out. And the measuring tape lied. What I'm trying to say, is feeling full does not equal gaining inches. Also, gaining inches isn't a bad thing. You look fairly active going by your pictures, and eating more food can cause glycogen to start creating in your body to repair your muscles, give energy to your organs, etc. It's a very good thing. When jumping up in calories this often causes water weight since the glycogen weighs weight. Keep this in mind, because glycogen is not fat.