Understanding Bulimia: Recognizing the Telltale Signs and Seeking Support with Bulimia Therapy

May 8

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on recognizing the signs and symptoms of Bulimia. As a Bulimia therapist, I understand the importance of early detection and intervention in tackling this complex eating disorder. Whether you're personally struggling with Bulimia or seeking information for a loved one, understanding the telltale signs is the first step towards seeking support and recovery.

In this post, we'll delve into the nuances of Bulimia nervosa, shedding light on its physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators. By familiarizing yourself with these signs, you can take proactive steps towards finding the right Bulimia therapy and embarking on a journey towards healing.

Let's embark on this journey together, empowering ourselves with knowledge and compassion to combat Bulimia head-on

What is Bulimia?

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder and some of the biggest markers include:

Episodes of binge-eating. Binge eating is defined as consuming a large quantity of food during a short period of time to the point of feeling physically uncomfortable, sick or in physical pain.
Binge-eating episodes are typically followed by some sort of compensatory purging behavior which will be explored more later in this post.

Just like the other eating disorders, Bulimia is a mental health disorder that CAN and usually will have physical consequences. These physical consequences often show up relatively quickly compared to the physical consequences of anorexia. Similar to Anorexia, a person who is struggling with Bulimia has an intense fear of gaining weight and often has a distorted image of their body (possible body dysmorphia - learn more about body image therapy here).

What Society has Wrong about Bulimia

As an Bulimia Therapist, I understand how it can be extremely difficult to reach out for Bulimia therapy. People who struggle with Bulimia also tend to experience intense shame around their behaviors and may even be self-deprecating by calling themselves gross or disgusting. This causes a barrier in reaching out for help. Imagine trying to reach out for help for something that you are experiencing such embarrassment and shame around. If you are reading this and it’s resonating with you all too much, you deserve help and it’s time to reach out for Bulimia Therapy today. As a Bulimia therapist, I can ensure that you will never be judged or shamed for the behaviors you’re struggling with. Bulimia thrives in the shame and secrets, Bulimia therapy can help you to heal in a judgment-free and supportive space!

Bulimia rarely looks the way society believes it does. Shocking, I know! Society would have you believe that you can spot someone with Bulimia from miles away, but that’s not the case. However, if you are suspicious that a loved one may be struggling with Bulimia, there are signs and if you know what to look for, it can help immensely in figuring out the next steps.

Warning Signs & Symptoms of Bulimia

When someone is struggling with Bulimia, there are usually signs that can help you to discern if your suspicions are likely true or not. Not one of these signs on their own is an obvious indicator that someone has Bulimia, but if you’re already suspicious, it’s worthwhile to be on the lookout for other symptoms and it may be time to have a conversation with your loved one. If you’re reading this post for yourself and find that you struggle with one of more of these symptoms, it’s time to reach out for Bulimia Therapy.

Here are some signs that someone may be struggling with Bulimia:

Eating Behaviors:

A significant change in eating patterns such as eating much larger quantities of food or eating very quickly.
Avoiding eating with people and will consume large quantities of food after people leave or when they are completely alone.
Drinking a lot of water or carbonated beverages while or right after eating (in an effort to make it easier to purge).
Spending significant amounts of money on food whether that be “binge foods” at the store or take-out. “Binge foods” are referring to foods that that person will often find triggering or will be their “go-to” foods to binge. These foods are often off-limits to them and are considered “bad foods” that they “shouldn’t” be eating and they may try to restrict outside of a binge.
Periods of restricting foods or trying different diets and then “falling off” and having the “might as well” attitude leading to binging.
Extreme guilt after binging or even consuming foods that they deem to be “bad” or “off-limits.”
Binging and purging may be planned ahead of time when the person knows that they will be alone and/or have an opportunity to easily engage in these behaviors.
Hiding food, food wrappers/containers or receipts of food purchases

Before we get into other signs that someone may be struggling with Bulimia, I want to further explain what compensatory purging behaviors may look like. Often, the purging behavior people know of is inducing vomiting, however, that is not the only method that one can use. It is important to be aware of the other potential methods because they are also indicators of Bulimia and if you or a loved one is struggling with Bulimia, it’s important to recognize this to get help. The following are all types of compensatory purging behaviors. Often, we see that people who struggle have a “preferred” method, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t ever use other methods as well. Sometimes, the method can change if they can’t find an opportunity to engage their preferred purging method (ie: there’s too many people around and their window to induce vomiting has closed, they may restrict calories and excessively exercise the next day in an attempt to purge).

Purging Behaviors:

Inducing vomiting: this can be done by triggering the gag reflex, using certain medications or drinking excessive water/carbonated beverages.
Excessive exercise: this may be a form of punishment or the person perceives that they can workout enough to burn all of the calories that they binged on.
Restricting calories: we often see this as a sort of pendulum. The pendulum tends to look like this: a person binges, feels guilty for binging and then tries to rid the guilt through purging, then feels shame around purging and vows to restrict, then restricts until ultimately their body takes over and pushes them to eat regularly which triggers guilt which triggers the “might as well” attitude since they feel they “screwed up” leading to a binge and the cycle continues. This is the cycle in a nutshell, look out for a future blog discussing the binge, purge, restrict cycle in much greater detail!
Laxative or Diuretic abuse: an effort to produce waste to rid the body of the food consumed.

It’s important to recognize that a person struggling with Bulimia engages in these dangerous methods in an effort to feel better. They tend to believe that by doing these things, they can get rid of the calories, but what they are really trying to purge is the guilt associated with the binge. All of these methods are incredibly dangerous and quickly lead to very serious health issues.

Also, did you know that most dietitians agree that by the time you engage in purging, your body has already absorbed between 60 to 70% of the calories consumed? Not only is this method extremely dangerous, but it also is relatively ineffective in what the purpose is.

Evidence of Purging:

Frequent bathroom usage
Using the bathroom quickly after each meal
Turning on the sink or shower while in the bathroom to mask the sound of purging
Blood shot eyes after leaving the bathroom
Puffiness
Knowing which restaurants have single bathrooms as opposed to stalls and preferring to go to those restaurants above others (this gives more of an opportunity to purge)
Spending long times in the bathroom
Pungent smells in the bathroom after they use it from vomit or defecation (aka poop)

Physical Signs:

Bloat and/or puffiness
Cuts or bruises on knuckles if using their fingers to induce vomiting is their primary method of purging
Dental issues: rapid tooth decay, sensitive teeth, bad breath

Other Signs:

Expressing dissatisfaction with their body
Frequent body-checking
Avoiding eating with others
Eating at odd times, often at night
Restricting food and/or trying different diets
Isolating

Emotional Signs:

Guilt
Anxiety
Irritability
Shame
Moodiness
Exhaustion
Expressing disgust with themself
Depression

This is, by no means, an all-inclusive list of the symptoms of Bulimia. The more symptoms present, the higher likelihood that you or a loved one is struggling with Bulimia. If you believe a loved one may be struggling with Bulimia, let them know that you are concerned. Try not to bring attention to their eating behaviors or any bodily-changes that you may have noticed. This is a very touchy subject and a person struggling with Bulimia often already feels shame around their behaviors. We want to avoid making them feel more shame and instead help them to open up and feel empowered to get support. If you are noticing changes in mood, focus on that or on statements that you’ve heard them say such as “I hate my body” or “I shouldn’t eat this.” If they are saying these things out loud, it is something that you can bring up to them when indicating your concern. If you are unsure of the best way to approach this with them, I would encourage you to learn as much as you can about Bulimia from Bulimia and if you still would like some help in approaching your loved one and their specific situation, consider reaching out to a Bulimia therapist who can give you some tips.

If you are reading this and you believe that you may have Bulimia, it’s time to reach out to a Bulimia therapist for help.

When should Bulimia Therapy begin?

The earlier that you can recognize that you may have Bulimia and seek out Bulimia therapist, the better. Bulimia therapy is very effective and is generally more effective when treated early. If you have been struggling with this for a while, you can still get better, it’s time to reach out now.

Ready to get help from a Bulimia Therapist?

If you are ready to start feeling better, click here to submit a contact form in order to set up your free 15-minute phone consultation call with me, an Bulimia Therapist, to see how I can help you recover from Bulimia.

*Disclaimer* - I am not a medical doctor and this post does not constitute as medical advice. This post is derived from my experience working with clients who struggle with Bulimia, research and collaborating with medical professionals.

Stephanie Van Schaick