One of the most common complaints I get from my clients who are gaining weight during eating disorder treatment is the amount of weight that settles in their stomach and face in comparison to other parts of their body. I've had clients tell me that they feel as though they look like they have a "pregnant belly" and a "puffy face." They share with me that they cannot stand the way they look and they cannot bear to go on looking the way they are. They then go on to ask me if this distribution of weight is normal or not.
If you are reading this and going through the same thing during recovery from your eating disorder, please know that this initial weight gain in the stomach and face is completely normal to experience and that it will NOT last forever!
Your weight will redistribute to other parts of your body! The trick is to be patient with your new body and give it time. The redistribution of weight will not happen over night, within a few days, or even within a few weeks. It can take several months, sometimes upwards of 6 months to a year for the weight in the face and stomach to readjust to other parts of the body. Hang in there though...it will happen! An eating disorder wrecks havoc on the body and it takes time for the body to sort things out with its fat, carbohydrate, and fluid stores. It will take time for your body to trust that it will be fed normally again and to spread the weight throughout your body.
Don't believe me on this? Here is a blog entry from one of my favorite recovery focused eating disorder blogs titled Progression Obsession that addresses this issue from first hand experience...and how her weight actually did redistribute!