What are the Symptoms of Bulimia?

What are the Symptoms of Bulimia?

Bulimia is an eating disorder. People with bulimia usually have a normal weight, but perceive themselves to be fat. Or they may feel intense guilt or self-disgust when they eat. These feelings are so strong that people with bulimia throw up much of the food they eat. Though men and women both can develop bulimia, 90 percent of people with bulimia are women. For most, bulimia begins in the teens, a few years after puberty begins. Many people with bulimia are perfectionists or overachievers.

Bulimia is identified by two characteristic behaviors: bingeing and purging. In a binge, a person eats more than 1,000 calories, which is close to half the number of calories a typical person needs in a day. But to a person with bulimia, a binge may be eating a piece of cake. People with bulimia often binge on comfort foods like potato chips, cake, or cookies. But after eating the food, the person is filled with guilt and shame. The person with bulimia then purges him or herself by inducing vomiting, excessively exercising, or by using laxatives.

A person in a binge-and-purge cycle will eat lots of food at one time. A binge may be secret or planned. It could begin suddenly, cascading just from a bite of food. Some people binge once a day; others may binge several times a day. After eating, a person with bulimia will often go to the bathroom for several minutes to vomit up the food. He or she might abuse laxatives or diuretics, or exercise constantly. A person with bulimia is overly concerned about weight and appearance.

Constant vomiting burns the esophagus, mouth, and teeth with stomach acid. Many people with bulimia have symptoms like gum infections, heartburn, or swollen salivary glands from the stomach acid. Their teeth lose some of their enamel or get cavities. People with bulimia may also be constipated.

Bingeing and purging is not healthy, and, as a result, many people with bulimia are malnourished. They may be dehydrated and have low electrolytes. Many people with bulimia have dry skin and brittle nails. Most seriously, when blood potassium levels drop severely, can prove fatal.
Bulimia may also be tied to self-esteem problems, stress, or depression. Bulimia is completely treatable, but requires professional help and support to break the bingeing-and-purging cycles.

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5 Symptoms of Bulimia That Can Make You Look Hideous

5 Symptoms of Bulimia That Can Make You Look Hideous

I experienced a range of symptoms of bulimia during my 10 year battle with this evil illness. Some were scary, some drained my bank account (like my expensive bulimia teeth!) others were just plain embarrassing.

I had dry skin, a heart murmur, grey bags under my eyes and teeth that were crumbling like old buildings.

Yes, bulimia ravages your body. It affects you in so many negative ways. But in this article I'm only going to focus on those symptoms of bulimia that ruin your physical looks...

1. Chipmunk Cheeks

The regular binging and purging that bulimics do causes their lymph nodes, salivary glands and parotid glands to swell. This makes their cheeks look puffy and swollen like a chipmunks.

Although it has a cute name, these definitely aren't cute. I felt so self conscious when I used to have them. I was terrified that they would give away my bulimia secret.

2. Anemia

Bulimics often don't absorb enough iron from the food they do digest. Over time this leads to anemia.

Anemia is draining on your body. It feels like everything is such an effort, and you have no energy.

But low energy is not the only symptom. Sickly pale skin is common and also grey bags under your eyes. It makes you look - and feel - like a zombie.

3. Lanugo (Growth of Bodily and Facial Hair)

Of all the symptoms of bulimia, lanugo has got to be the most embarrassing. Your body begins to grow more hair to keep itself warm. And when I say "more hair" I mean lots more. It grows on your face, arms, back and legs. Anywhere that it can so that your body is kept as warm as possible.

I remember looking back at photos the other day from my bulimia days. My eyebrows almost joined up to my hairline! This could have been the early stages of Lanugo. Yuk! Thank goodness I discovered an amazing lady from Iraq who did eyebrow threading... She was my saving grace!

4. Red eyes or blood in the eyes

The high pressure from forcing yourself to vomit can rupture blood vessels in your eyes. This looks horrible and will make you feel like a bit of a freak.

When this happens, it will happen quickly and give you a massive fright. It can also take ages to heal if you do actually burst a blood vessel.

5. Mouth Sores

Mouth sores look disgusting. They are sore, red and angry. I had plenty of mouth sores when I was bulimic and they made me feel so ugly... But worse than the ugly appearance of them is the excruciating pain they cause. Imagine trying to binge and purge when you've got a weeping sore the size of a dollar on your mouth!

Bulimics get mouth sores for 2 main reasons.

The first is stomach acid. When you purge, stomach acid comes up your throat and onto your mouth and lips. It burns all the soft tissue in this area starting painful sores. The more purging that occurs, the more damage gets done and the bigger the sores get.

The second reason is poor nutrition. Bulimics often binge on foods which have almost zero nutritional value. They lack vitamins and minerals and they don't support the body. On top of that, the nutrients they do swallow just end up being vomited up again. This is a recipe for disaster and leaves the body in a weakened state - perfect for these painful sores. (Geez, you would think we have enough to deal with already!)

Those are 5 of the visible symptoms of bulimia. They look horrible and make you feel just the same. I suffered from all of them - and if you're bulimic - chances are that you can relate!

The good news is, all of these symptoms are reversible. Once I started my recovery journey, I began to look much healthier. My skin became more vibrant and my eyes began to sparkle again. For the first time in 10 years I began to see that I was pretty.

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Bulimia Stories - The Signs and Symptoms of Bulimia and Hiding Out

Symptoms of Bulimia

Having had bulimia for 20 years I know firsthand that people with bulimia are very good at what I call "hiding out" - hiding their binging and purging and even hiding themselves from the world. I've read many bulimia stories and they all talk about how efficient they became at hiding their behaviors and preventing people close to them from detecting the telltale signs and symptoms of bulimia.

Often in the beginning bulimics hide their overeating because they want to lose or maintain their ideal weight, but want to eat foods they enjoy. Unfortunately, it becomes a slippery slope. In time, they find themselves with more reasons to hide out. Their secret makes them feel ashamed and lonely because they don't feel comfortable telling anyone. The hiding out causes them to isolate themselves physically, emotionally and from life really. This is why so many bulimia stories are about women who feel very alone in their battle to overcome bulimia.

Masters of disguise and deception

The practice of bulimia involves eating massive quantities of food and purging it from the body. Purging is most often thought of as vomiting, but it can also include laxative abuse and over exercise. Bulimics don't want people to know they bought a dozen donuts and/or two gallons of ice cream and it's all gone. So, they use various strategies to avoid detection.

You may know someone with bulimia and not even realize it. Outwardly bulimics look healthy, often maintaining an ideal or normal body weight. Their physical appearance won't give them away like someone with anorexia who is more often underweight.

Bulimics often eat a very healthy diet and watch their calories carefully (in fact they are often compulsive about nutrition). It's the hidden eating when no one is around that leads to their purging. Bulimics can consume double, triple, or even quadruple the normal amount of calories you would in a single sitting.

If you suspect someone you know has bulimia you may think to look for purging behavior by watching to see if they go to the bathroom immediately after a meal. But it isn't always the toilet where they purge their food if they're trying to avoid detection. They could use Tupperware jars under their bed, plastic bags in their car, or even the bushes in the backyard. Whatever they have to do to avoid someone detecting their signs of bulimia is what they'll do.

Everyday isolation

Whether their isolation is deliberately contrived or incidental doesn't matter. The fact is that this isolation has bitter consequences. The hidden nature of this addiction keeps bulimics from being with people. They may go about their day and be around people, but the shame and guilt they carry with them in every moment is a hidden barrier between them and the rest of the world. Their blanket of fear of anyone finding out possess their every move, every action and is a constant obsession.

There are so many bulimia stories about women in recovery wishing that their friends or family had known sooner about their eating disorder. The hiding, isolation and shroud of secrecy falsely serves their purpose. Ask any recovered bulimic if all the years of guilt, shame, loneliness and fear were worth it and they'll say no. Giving up happiness and connection to people is a costly price bulimics pay to avoid dealing with life.

Read real life stories of women who battled bulimia and won. Start to learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of bulimia so you can help a loved one if you suspect they may have bulimia.

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Recognizing the Symptoms of Bulimia

signs and symptoms of bulimia

Bulimia Nervosa is one of the most widespread eating dysfunctions prevalent in modern society. Even so, in order to comprehend what Bulimia actually is, it is important to initially distinguish Bulimia from a different well known eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa. Bulimia usually involves eating too much food, while Anorexia is a syndrome that involves drastic weight loss; to a life threathening level; with anorexia a person simply does not eat sufficient nourishment, or they might go days upon days without ever eating much at all.

Thus, Anorexia is different from Bulimia. Bulima Nervosa is a condition in which a person will usually binge and purge on large quantities of food. For example, they may go for a period without eating, and then binge on a lot of food in one sitting. Usually they will eat a high carb diet, often with sweets and other "forbidden" food. However once they binge, they force themselves to vomit the food. This is often accomplished, at least initially, by sticking their fingers down their throat. Eventually the purging habit can become so second nature that it becomes automatic, or responds to simply the intention to vomit.

Bulimia is a very serious syndrome and it is important to recognize the different signs and symptoms of Bulimia - the features that a person who has Bulimia may exhibit. In order to qualify for the diagnosis of Bulimia, it has to occur separate from any Anorexia, and involve two binge and purge episodes in a week. over three months. New Diagnostic criteria will be coming out next year that will require only one episode per week.

While purging through vomiting or laxatives is the most common form, other compensatory methods also are used by some bulimics. One possibility is the use of diuretics, and another is crash diets and fasting. Many bulimics also will exercise vigorously in such intensity and to such an extreme amount as to effectively counter the large quantity of calories consumed.

One of the most noteworthy signs that a person is bulimic is that they may seem to become very secretive about their food and eating habits. For example, they may decline to join others for dinner, or agree to eat with family and friends at restaurant. Instead, they may prefer to eat on their own, or eat only a small amount with others, only to binge later in private. Another indication that a person may be bulimic is that they usually spend time in the bathroom following a meal.

While a bulimic may also work out excessively or be use laxatives as a way to help them get rid of the food and calories, they will typically prefer to exercise alone as well. By recognizing the signs and symptoms of Bulimia, it is possible to get timely and proper treatment, from someone who specializes in treatment of eating disorders.

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signs and symptoms of Bulimia

signs and symptoms of Bulimia

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