hc + food
so, first : bucky’s metabolism. erskine’s original formula was developed in order to facilitate an army of super soldiers that were expected to work above and beyond the average man. i.e., full time active duty. as a result, the metabolism is designed so that the body doesn’t catabolise muscle. i.e., doesn’t break down muscle for energy, but rather goes through fats and carbs, firstly , lending to Steve’s mesomorphic ( ‘dorito’ ) frame and the almost constant need to eat. this is to say that because of erskine’s formula , Steve likely has trouble gaining any significant weight , because his body will go through all those fats and proteins and calories almost as soon as they’re introduced because his body is constantly doing work ( your basal metabolic rate [ the amount of energy your body needs to maintain itself sans any activity ] contributes for 50-80% of your energy used. because of the amount of energy Steve’s body uses on account of the serum alone, he likely has a very high basal metabolic rate. re: everything ingested is used quickly. )if bucky’s metabolism were constructed like steve’s ( or , how i assume steve’s is ) , post serum , bucky probably would have died in cryofreeze. it’s likely that bucky was subjected to a strict and hypercaloric diet in order to gain muscle and fat. basically , this means, in order to both control his caloric intake and insulin secretion ( imperative to gaining muscle for bucky’s body type ) , bucky would eat in small and frequent bursts, regularly , with a controlled consumption of carbohydrates. then , likely , before being put in cryo, he would be carboloaded to increase insulin secretion and , subsequently , fat storage to combat the body’s starvation response.
the problem, here, lies with the cryo process.
while there are populations that have adapted to polar extremes – e.g., the Inuit in Arctic Canada and the Nenets in the north of Russia – the vast majority of Homo sapiens have no experience living in subzero temperatures, and are therefor unacclimated to polar cold. the human body has several defense mechanisms to try and boost core temperature. the hypothalamus acts as the body’s thermostat, and stimulates these reactions to keep the body’s vital organs warm. the body keeps the warm blood close to the center – the the vital organs, brain, heart, kidneys, liver & lungs – restricting blood supply in the outer regions, hence : frostbite. blood flow is reduced and the lack of warm blood can lead to tissue freezing and rupturing. sudden modifications in the external temperature of either excessive heat or cold react upon the circulation, respiration, and the nervous system in a variety of ways, and indirectly affect the digestive system. the continued exposure to cold over the entire surface of the body tends to constrict the peripheral blood vessels and produce congestion of the visceral vessels, modifying secretion and absorption in consequence.
what this all , together , translates to is digestive distress, plainly. exacerbated by the extremes in the thawing / unthawing process.
what this means for bucky : careful diets. mostly, it results in disordered eating ( not ! an eating disorder, but a range of abnormal eating behaviors, many of which are shared with diagnosed eating disorders. the main thing differentiating disordered eating from an eating disorder is the level of severity and frequency of behaviors) : irregular , chaotic eating patterns , ignoring physical feelings of hunger and satiety , chronic restrained eating. it’s likely he goes periods of time where he doesn’t eat at all , and periods where he’s on, essentially , a liquid diet – mostly nutritional supplements, pedialyte and pediasure , sometimes medical foods , things of that ilk. things that are necessary for a certain value of nutrition to suit at least partial needs , but not anything so whole or expansive. there are a myriad of things that he has trouble digesting, and isn’t necessarily inclined to try his luck at any given time. i think , mostly , he’s likely on a variation of The Bland Diet , which is designed to avoid irritation of the gastrointestinal tract , so it mostly consists of foods that are easily digestible – it’s basically exactly what it sounds like.all of that in mind , bucky has a sort of difficult relationship with food , simply because of the tedious nature of balance – finding food he enjoys while avoiding trigger foods , making sure that he’s maintaining a nutrient efficiency to run the body he’s in / catering to metabolic needs , remembering to eat at all. of course , when things line up , he’s indulgent , because he has the leeway to be , and he enjoys being able to indulge.
@fingerstriiped ↳ send me hc + a word & i’ll write a headcanon regarding my character
