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Bulimia
An eating disorder, most prevalent in women, whereby those suffering binge eat and induce themselves to vomit
604 Questions
How do you know when someone is bulimic?
When you throw up nothing but stomach acid and water.
AnswerYou keep gaggging yourself until you feel your stomach turn over and a really potent acid come up with no food AnswerWhy would you make yourself throw up? If you want to be skinny, eat healthy in the first place. Being bulimic is dangerous and unhealthy.What are the different types of eating disorders?
there's many different types of eating disorders, along with those which don't fit into a certain category; those are known as EDNOS (eating disorder not specified).
the main three eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and BED (binge-eating disorder), but there is also CED (compulsive exercise disorder), anorexia binge-purge type, Orthorexia nervosa (eating only 'health' foods) and Pica (eating inedible substances, among others.
There is also other types which medically fall into the EDNOS catogory, like 'chew and spit' and purging disorder, as the boundaries of eating disorders can easily become blurred.
http://www.b-eat.co.uk/AboutEatingDisorders/WhatisanEatingdisorder
Anorexia, Bulimia, compulsive overeating, binge eating disorder, Female athletic triad.
Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder (BED), Purging Disorder, Rumination Syndrome, Diabulimia, Food Maintenance Syndrome, and Pica
How does bulimia affect the esophagus?
The stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) that breaks down your food is extremely powerful, so, constant vomiting will wear away the lining of your esophagus. Eventually, you may wear holes in your esophagus, which can be fatal.
Even if this doesn't happen, you will most likely have acid reflux for the rest of your life, since all the vomiting weakens your cardiac sphincter, which is basically like the lid of your stomach: it keeps the acid from splashing up into your esophagus. After years of vomiting many times a day, the sphincter constantly flaps open like the lid of a garbage can.
Are there more eating disorders than anorexia and bulimia?
Yes, very much so. Anorexia and bulimia are two of the most common eating disroders that affect some of the most people who suffer from eating disroders. Here are some others, along with some of their characteristics / common notations...
Binge-Eating: Compulsive over-eating, weight gain, lack of control over food, emotional eating
Athletica / Athletic Triad: Not eating enough, exercising too much, compulsive relations of food and exercise
Orthorexia: Only eating foods that are natural / organic, fear of processed or pre-packaged foods, obsession with healthy foods, people of this tend to be vegen / raw-foodists
EDNOS: (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) This is actually one of the most common forms of eating disorders. It simply means that a person suffers from an eating disorder that does not fit well enough into another category. For example, if a person mixes anorexia and bulimia, it might be an EDNOS.
Why is it wrong to starve yourself if you would rather die skinny than live fat?
Anorexia is a very scary 'game', you think you are in control and can choose to stop at any point- that is until it is too late and you are fully in the grips of the illness. The illness provides a false sense of control, and if being skinny to the point of death seems ideal then you need to seek help. With (medically diagnosed) anorexia you wouldn't have a life, that isn't to say you wouldn't be living but you wont be able to partake in all that life has to offer like other ''normal'' people. When your BMI becomes dangerously low you become cognitively impaired, that is, you are physically unable to think clearly and your thoughts with be illogical and irrational. You may believe it is everyone else that has the problem, that you are fine, that there is nothing wrong and that it is your body, your choice, your life. But when you are at such a critical weight it the medical professions duty of care to step in and overrule what you are doing, trust me, years later you may feel differently and be pleased that someone took over and went against what you thought you wanted. I would have been dead several times by now if doctors had stoped me from starving to death, pulling me out of a state where my heart was barely beating, white blood cells had disappeared and my body was shutting down. I thought skinny was everything, but although I still have severe anorexia I now realize that whatever size I am I will be no more happy or unhappy than I am now. At their (and my) lowest weights anorexics will still think they have to lose that little bit more, seeing themselves as fat, believing happiness will come if the scales go down that little bit extra, it's not true- the scales may go down but the happiness doesn't follow, the goal just shifts. That is why is is wrong to starve yourself to death, when you are that close to death you are not capable of making life and death decisions, no matter how 'fine' you may think you are, other medical professionals must assume responsibiltiy.
New AnswerThe reason for this is, there are way worse things then death,trust me on this one!Often anorexics will suffer & live long, if you starve yourself you may not die right away. But at first your body stops functioning properly. Even your speech goes funny, you're vision is blury, & you could live with this up to 8yrs. before you die,depending on the person & they're body! Is it really worth it? Anorexia is a physcologacol issue,not just a be skinny issue. Many people 'want to be anorexic' or think 'they are', when this is not true. As a recovering anorexic,i can honestly tell you, anorexics don't normally start out with intentions of dying! Its a disease that takes years to build up & come out. Its AWFULL, and more importantly, anorexia is defined often as an obssesion with not being fat,if you are obssesed with not being fat you will not have time to think about dying, to many young girls out there don't realize, i cant stress this enough, you cant just 'get anorexia' it doesnt work like that. People who just starve themselves don't have anorexia, anorexia is more complex, & if it were only about skipping meals & over exercising, i would have a WAY easier life. But the truth is its SOOO much more then that.
Die Skinny or Live Fat?When you starve yourself, the small quantity of food that you do consume turns into fat and is taken into your body. So basically every meal you eat will turn into fat if you are starving yourself. Eating small meals will make you lose weight.Honestly. Starving yourself is a big deal because your food contains VERY important minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, iron and fats. ALL of which your body needs. For example, iron will stop you from becomming Anemic and undiagnosed Anemia that becomes severe can cause organ damage.
Minerals and Vitamins promote good bacteria in your body and keep your organs working properly and keep you healthy and prevent infections and illnesses setting in and making you poorly. The same applies to Carbohydrates and fats.
I know its difficult to imagine that food does all of this apart from make us gain weight, but it honestly does. Trust me ok? I starved myself a few years back, lost loads of weight but I also made myself very ill and I wasn't Anorexic. It was just normal starving of food and because I wasn't getting any of the ingredients I needed, I made myself very will and went into a coma, then when I woke up out of the coma I was ill for 7 months with various immunity problems due to infections and not eating the food. So please eat your food. Have small meals.
Here is more advice on this very important question:
- Why does it have to be one or the other? Starving yourself is certainly unhealthy, but eating a reasonable and healthy diet will help you lose weight and keep you healthy. If you think your only option is to go anorexic, perhaps you just don't have enough self restraint to eat sensibly, keep yourself healthy and lose the weight.
- If you excercise and stop eating junk food, you will lose weight. I think you are taking your self-image too seriously. Life isn't always about being pretty and skinny. Appreciate your body instead of trying to look like everyone else.
- Look at this way: starving yourself is unsustainable and will make you unhappy. You won't be happy just because you're skinny. Eventually you will die unhappy. Choose to save your own life instead. Life will get easier as you get older, I promise.
However, exercise works better than changing anything about your diet for losing weight. The more you work out, the more you can eat without really even trying to burn it.
Also dying is exactly what you could end up doing. I almost killed myself and I ended up with a disease that makes me gain like, four dress sizes every time I eat something my body doesn't like. My doctor just handed me a four page list of things my body doesn't like. Not eating can cause swelling in your internal organs, irritable bowel syndrome, some forms of cancer, rotting teeth, thinning hair, etc.
So why be skinny if you have to look like the cryptkeeper?
I guess what I'm saying is: don't mess up tomorrow today.
Which of the follwing methods people with bulimia might use to purge food?
Of all the times you may have heard this, becoming bulimic is not a good thing. I am not trying to be a member of society just trying to make you look better either, Bulimia ravages people's bodies and organs.
How much food do bulimic people binge on?
A person who binge eats can be seen eating a lot very quickly. The person is so worried about weight that they can't bear to be eating a lot, but then again they are thinking about throwing it all up afterwards. The easiest way is to eat without thinking and eating whatever is in front of you, even if you usually don't even eat it. It feels horrible. It IS horrible. I do not recommend doing this if you are planning to.
Will you lose weight if you do not eat for a week?
Answer Yes, but not very much. Ceasing to eat is called a fast and after the first 2-3 days you will stop feeling hungry because your whole metabolism will change. You will be cold, tired, absent-minded, grumpy and dizzy. It isn't dangerous for your health if you drink enough water (at least 32 ounces when you are eating nothing) and it doesn't last over a month. But, it is best to speak with a doctor before starting one and it is a terrible way to lose weight. You will lost 1-2 pounds a week. So, your net total will be a loss of 2-4 pounds after two weeks. And, some people end up putting on a lot more weight after they start eating again. A better way is to cut down to 1200-1500 calories and get more exercise and lift some weights.
How many people die from bulimia each year?
I am sorry but i do not know if you are bulimic and are reading this please stop doing that to yourself. You are not only hurting yourself but your loved ones. I know of a loved one and i am afraid to do anything this is conflicting with my life and if you have the control to stop do so now!!! unanimous
Who is affected by eating disorders?
Eating disorders can affect all of the organs in the human body. Some that are particularly hard-hit are....
Heart - low heart rate, heart palpataions, stress, failure
Lungs - fluid in the lungs, difficulty breathing, stress, failure
Kidnies / Liver - difficulties processing / functioning, stress, failure
Which makes you lose weight faster bulimia or anorexia?
I'll tell you in all honesty that neither of them work for 'sustained weightloss' like you are probably after if you are asking this question.
Anorexia will drive your weight so low that you will either die or you will get so ill that you collapse or have a heart attack from the damage you have caused your heart from not eaithing and be admitted to hospital and made to put on weight to save your life. There isn't an option of staying 'pretty and modelesque' with Anorexia. You don't get to choose when to stop losing weight. You think you can stop - but you're not in control after a while. Anorexia Nervosa is the most deadly of all mental illnesses. Malnourishment kills. So basically, Anorexia works if your aim is death. Several of my friends have died from it. A few in the 20s and 30s and several under the age of 18.
People with Bulimia Nervosa are often of average weight or overweight because the majority of the calories consumed are absorbed by the body before you can throw them up. Throwing up gets rid of very few calories, so is pointless in that respect, and it is very dangerous causing your body to be chronically dehydrated and stripped of vital minerals which can lead to heart attacks, strokes - death basically. Or the lining of your throat could tear from the vomiting, resulting in death also.
So if you want a painful death from rapid bodily decay, Anorexia works. And if you want a surprisingly swift death from a heart attack at any age, then Bulimia works. They both work if death is your aim.
And if you don't die? I've had Anorexia and Bulimia for 7 years, have been in and out of hospital, have nearly died several times, and have spent the last years so depressed because my condition makes me so ill and tired that these 7 years haven't been worth living at all. I've lost my teenage years and I'll never get them back. I never knew what it was like to go out and party with friends. I was too ill for the whole teenage era of my life. And I still struggle every day now. Even though my weight is now normal, 7 years of an Eating Disorder has left me with rotten teeth, severe anemia (so I'm tired all the time), terrible circulation (so my hands and feet always hurt and throb), I'm infertile and can never have children, and I have the beginnings of osteoperosis at the age of 20. I also have terrible eyesight now (which was perfect before Anorexia/Bulimia).
If your want to lose weight, honey, trust me, there are easier, safer, less painful and less dangerous ways. If you eat a healthy 1500 calories a day and do 45 minutes of exercise a day, you could lose a pound and a half a week. I know it sounds like slow progress, but at least it's safe and you'll still have your health and life at the end of it.
But if you are concerned about your weight, please talk to your doctor (or your parents or a teacher if you are of school age). Your doctor is the only one who can advise you how to lose weight safely for your body type and your activity level.
If you're having thoughts of throwing up your food or are tempted to stop eating, please talk to someone. Even if it's just phoning a helpline. I don't want anyone who doesn't have to to go through that I have. Anorexia and Bulimia will only work to make you very ill and very very unhappy. Please stay safe and talk to somebody xxx
What are signs and symptoms of anorexia and bulimia?
Anorexia Symptoms ---- In the early stages of anorexia, anorexia symptoms maybe hard to notice, but as the disorder develops, the signs become increasingly visible. People suffering from this disorder often hide their condition, mostly because they are not sure how to deal with it or they might themselves be unaware of the fact that they are suffering. Like most psychiatric diseases, it is hard to convince an anorexic the fact that they are indeed suffering.
The symptoms of anorexia that are mentioned in this page are from the doctors point of view. In cases such as anorexia, there is always a "no man's land" in between the person suffering and the doctors. We are always looking forward to updating and improving our pages keeping in mind the feedback we receive from people who have gone through the disorder.
The signs of anorexia have been split into four categories so that it is easier to spot if you or your daughter is suffering from any of them.
Anorexia symptoms in eating behavior ---- • Excessive dieting even after being thin or underweight • Obsession with calories and nutritional facts • Pretending to eat or skipping meals • Strange way of eating • Much more attention paid to nutrition labels • Hatred for foods that used to be favorites • Refusal to eat with others • Binge eating
Anorexia symptoms in appearance and body image ---- • Rapid weight loss • Feeling fat despire being thin • Obsession with appearance • Bone loss • Extra sensitivity to cold • Bloated stomach after eating • Lanugo-a fine hair that grows on the skin in response to the body's need for warmth • Yellowed skin • Thinning hair • Confused thinking or difficulty to understand simple things
Anorexia symptoms in purging ---- • Vomiting after eating • Major increase in exercise output, even when exhausted • Increased or unnecessary use of laxatives, diet pills or diuretics
Source: www.anorexiapedia.com
Why people develop eating disorders?
i think that the ppl that are most likely to get an eating disorder are the ppl that just want to go on a diet and loose a few pounds. they are like well i wont eat as much and i will loose a few, but after they loose a few pounds they are like hey i feel good maybe i can loose a few more. well once that starts they just cant stop and that is why.
Did Jackie Kennedy have bulimia?
I have a bok written by her maid/cook and she says Jackie liked to eat and she ate little but well. She loved fruits,vegetables,lamb,ice cream... I donpt think she had bulimia. She was just natrually thin all her life even as a little girl her pictures show her as a thin kid.
What organs have problems in bulimic or anorexic people?
As the body starves and is forced to try asnd function through malnourishment, the organs can suffer greatly. Muscles, eventually, begin to deteriorate and weaken and become thinner in anorexics over time. Thinned muscle on organ like the heart can cause many problems. Also, anorexics tend to have heart conditions, and things like low-body-temperature and low-blood-pressures. This, along with lack of food and a lot of exercise, can place great strain and stress on organs, causing damage or organ failure.
What does it mean when you throw up everything you eat but you also throw up some blood?
If you have blood in your vomit it very well could mean that you have a ulcer. It would be best that you go to a doctor. Better safe then sorry.
How much damage does 3 months of bulimia cause?
It depends on how you binge and purge. If you're talking about the usual 'throwing up' method via manually inducing vomiting after binging on food, then that's going to send stomach acid up through your throat and through your mouth over and over. That will damage your teeth permanently and maybe even cause them to fall out over time due to gum disease. If you're a smart bulimic, you would drink water slowly (or, even better, a dilute solution of baking soda) right after throwing up and rinse your mouth thoroughly (for 15 minutes) to prevent damage from the stomach acid to the cells lining your throat, esophagus (that pipe leading into your stomach), and mouth. However, even if you did that, repeated vomiting and neutralization of the acid that comes up is not completely effective - just like spilling acid on yourself and then even neutralizing it immediately still does not insure that you do not get hurt.
Be careful. If you induce vomiting chemically as with certain syrups, that can lead to death due to a buildup of the chemicals in your body. Will it happen within three months? It could.
Otherwise, if you were to be bulimic for three months, several things can happen:
1. If you do not drink water and replenish your electrolytes (especially potassium; these are not necessarily found in regular water) after each purge, you will also likely become chronically dehydrated. This leads to deterioration in organ function including your kidneys, liver, pancreas, brain, etc. and can lead to organ failure usually starting with kidneys. Eventually you'll either die or get very sick (it will be very painful) depending, amongst other things, on how bad you are at rehydrating yourself and keeping your electrolyte levels up. However, organ failure is near the end of the road - there is plenty of damage done to your body on the way to the point of organ failure, some of which your body may not be able to repair. The extent of the damage from dehydration alone in 3 months depends on how badly dehydrated you would be during that time.
2. Malnourishment is something that comes with bulimia - not in the sense that you will be losing weight, but in the sense that you will likely be eating unhealthy food and then only vomiting some of it out. Deficiencies in essential fats and protein come to mind - these lead to various cascade effects in the body on the regulation of your hormones and maintenance/healing of your body's cells (including brain cells). After three months (or before), with bad nutrition, you may become mentally unstable, cognitively impaired, and physically weak. As mentioned before, while the body is good at repairing itself, certain things can take a very long time to get fixed or may not be fixable. For example, you might regrow your hair (some or quite a bit may fall out during the three months) but you will not be able to build as much bone density as you need during your youth to prevent bone fractures and osteoporosis later on in life.
3. You could tear your esophagus or stomach lining with frequent vomiting. This may happen at any time during the three months with persistent bulimics. If you keep stressing your gag reflex the tissue of your stomach and esophagus gets thin from exposure to acid and gets torn by the physical strain of vomiting over and over again. This damage can often be deadly.
4. If you do make it through the three months of truly being bulimic, you will probably end up looking much worse than you did when you started. First of all, you would not have lost much weight - actually you will likely end up gaining weight from the food you do ingest. Second of all, your skin on your face will probably look worse due to the strain of vomiting and nutrient deficiencies. If you're a woman, your menstrual cycle may get very unstable for a while since your hormone levels will be irregular. This may affect your fertility permanently.
In summary, being bulimic for three months can still be pretty bad for you. Just how bad depends on how well you counteract the acid reflux, how often you choose to vomit, how well you replenish your fluids and electrolytes, and how well you are able to get important nutrients into your body. Sounds pretty challenging, doesn't it? And on top of that, most likely you will gain weight rather than lose it. It's much easier, safer, and better in the long term to save on medical bills and get a personal trainer or professional medical help to help you lose weight in a healthy manner.
Diet recommendations for people with bulimia nervosa?
Anorexics tend to have very strange eating habits and patterns. Some will go for long stretches of time without food or without solid foods (called fasting and liquid fasting, respecitvely). Many also have odd food habits, such as eating in a particular order, eating foods of only a certain color or texture, cutting food up into very small pieces, ect.
What do bulimics tend to look like?
Normal people. Bulimics usually are at a normal weight or tend to be over weight. After purging they may also have chipmunk cheeks and blood shot eyes.
What is the percentage of people affected by bulimia?
In eating disorder statistics, 40% of cases are bulimia. But in an entire population of healthy minded people, it's known that 1-4% of women may experience bulimia or bulimic behaviours at some point in their lifetime.
What are some of the long-term side effects of bulimia?
The stomach is a muscle and if the person continues to purge then their stomach will continue to do so and the individual won't be able to stop purging. Eventually they will starve and the body will eat off itself. Some people with bulimia take medications to cause vomiting
Is it possible to be anorexic but not be doing it on purpose?
Certainly. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a distorted body image, low body weight, and an obsesive fear of gaining weight. One characteristic of most disease-related obsessions is that the obsessed one often does not recognize the obsession, but believes he or she is applying a valid view of reality. While others may suspect anorexia nervosa in a freind or acquaintance, it is possible that other causes are at work. Such suspicions should be referred to experts for complete diagnosis. Non-experts acting on such suspicions can be as damaging as the suspected disease in some cases.
Of coursse bulimia can be provented. People bring it upon themselves usually when there is a problem in their lives. You are choosing to make yourself throw up and once you get into the habit it is hard to break.
Can fluoxetine help lose weight?
In my personal experience, Fluoxetine made me lose weight. However, I believe the general consensus is that in the short term it will cause weight loss, while long term use may result in weight gain.
