Bulimia

Today we are going to discuss another serious eating disorder: Bulimia Nervosa.

Eating disorder terms get thrown around a lot, whether socially or in the media and the gravity of how dangerous they are can get lost. I’m here to talk about what bulimia is and what it isn’t.

The first part of bulimia is the binge. This is eating a large quantity of food in a short period of time. Now this could look different from person to person so what really matters to me is how each person defines their own binge. A lot of people struggling with bulimia say it’s almost an out-of-body experience. It’s like turning on a light switch. Maybe not realizing you’re binging until it’s over and the wrappers and receipts are there to show you what has happened. During the binge the person feels completely out of control and afterwards left with that gut wrenching thought of “Oh my god what have I done?”. Up until this point it’s pretty similar to what we have discussed in the binge eating disorder video but this is where it changes.

The second part of bulimia following the binge and the out-of-control behavior is something to make up for the bench to compensate from what has happened. This can also look different from person to person as well. Self induced vomiting laxatives, diuretic stimulants such as crystal meth or cocaine are a few ways people purge the calories that were consumed during a binge. Other behaviors can include excessive exercise, starving, cleansing, and fasting. In this world it gets really confusing where extreme dieting fasting and excessive exercise is not only the norm, but it’s encouraged. Someone struggling with bulimia is highly focused on their body shape and weight which often drives those eating disorder behaviors. This doesn’t mean that everyone on a diet or working out a lot has bulimia. Sometimes people use eating disorder statements loosely. For instance a friend going to the bathroom after eating; “Oh she must have bulimia”

No that’s not entirely true at all. That’s an unqualified and uneducated guess if you will. It’s important to seek help if you’re experiencing any of these binge purge behaviors. Address the disorder head on and find peace with food and your body.