Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia is characterized by eating large amounts of food followed by purging to rid the body of calories. Purging describes any behavior that a person may do to compensate for eating. This may include vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, laxative or diuretic use.

A few characteristics of Bulimia

reoccurring episodes of binge eating (consuming a much larger quantity of food than most people would eat at one time under similar circumstances)
feeling of a lack of control during the binge episode
reoccurring compensatory behaviors in order to prevent weight gain (ie; fasting, laxatives, diuretics, vomiting, excessive exercise, etc.)
body weight and shape influence self worth and self esteem

The Reality of Bulimia

Is the thought of food always on your mind? Do you eat large quantities of food, just to turn around and purge yourself of everything you've eaten? Maybe you've deemed yourself a "food addict". There are particular foods you've decided you simply are not capable of controlling yourself around. Do you spend an outrageous amount of money on food in an attempt to make every binge worthwhile? Do you plan your days around the madness? As embarrassing as it all is, you look forward to it. Maybe you get a strange sense of pride from the whole thing. Pride laced with a sense of failure, sprinkled in shame, if there ever was such a thing.

Are you absolutely exhausted?

All of this work, to avoid weight gain and you still hate what you see in the mirror. Perhaps every outing requires a thorough screening for bathroom locations. The thought of a dinner on a sail boat with friends has you running all sorts of equations in your head. In general, you'd prefer to eat alone. The madness thrives in isolation.

You’ve decided your body is somehow inherently different than everyone else’s. You are flawed and your relationship to food is downright embarrassing.

Every day you go to bed swearing things will be different tomorrow, and somehow tomorrow just never comes? Or maybe you are just over trying to change things and have surrendered to this just being a way of life.

Not resonating with this?

How about the exercise hamster wheel? Is every binge followed by an excessive self torture session at the gym? Do you present like a passionate gym rat, yet secretly you are self loathing and use exercise to punish yourself for having eaten?

You don't have to fit in the box of this diagnosis to need help. No "binge eater" is the same. If you have read this far, chances are, food weight and body image are taking up enough of your brain power to warrant some help.