Changes to expect as you change your eating behavior.

For some people, these changes will be mild; for others, they will be more troublesome.

Physiological changes may include gas, abdominal pain, or bloating when you first begin to re-feed. This can be related to the body adjusting to eating and digesting food at regular intervals, how the food is being eaten and/or the types of foods that are being eaten.

As your body adjusts to regular eating behaviors, you may also experience some water retention, also known as edema. This will cause short, rapid weight gain.

Remember that these changes are only temporary. These symptoms will go away as you continue to practice regular eating behaviors.

Changes in thoughts and feelings. For many people, eating disordered behavior was used to stuff or numb unpleasant thoughts and feelings. When the eating disorder behaviors stop so do the anesthetic qualities of these behaviors. As a result, you will probably become more aware of these unpleasant thoughts and feelings. Common changes to expect include feeling demoralized and becoming increasingly more aware of emotional pain, anger, loss and a feeling of confusion. This feeling of confusion is often associated about being unclear about what you want for yourself and how you are feeling.

These unpleasant thoughts and feelings will go away as you learn healthy responses to replace them.