I agree with others, this really screams to me of someone that doesn't have a healthy relationship with food. I would be more interested in exploring that, then trying to figure out how to over eat and somehow make it ok.
I had the flu yesterday and couldn't even keep water down...I have never been so sick. I kept think about how do bulmic's do this? I would cry every time I would throw up because its a horrible feeling, I feel like my body is out of control...
The fact that you are considering it makes me feel you are desperate, but this won't solve your problem...working on WHY you over eat will, and you will feel a lot better in every way if you figure it out.
Yeah, that is bulimia - I know because I was (am? are you ever recovered?) a bulimic. Regardless of when you CHOOSE to binge/purge - if you are forcing yourself to vomit food that you've eaten, you need to get help.
actually, you'll be adding one. Not only do you seem to have a binge eating problem that needs to be figured out and overcome, you'll need to get over purging later.
Save yourself the therapy and take some tips from the healthy ladies here who have a good head on their shoulders. Your friend is disordered and is going to end up with problems, you can avoid ending up with those problems right now, and deal effectively with the ones that you already have instead of compounding them.
Alcoholics don't wake up one day an alcoholic...they get there one drink at a time. Binging/purging 1 time won't make you a Bulimic that day, it's just the first day of however long it takes to get there. First it will start off as, this one time. Then it will progress to "I sure would like some Doritos, I can eat the whole bag because I will just purge when I'm done." Next thing you know, you are doing it 7 times a day EVERY day. You already have an unhealthy relationship with food because your first thought to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling of eating too much is to throw up...if you had a healthy relationship, your first thought would be to just not eat that much. Seek counseling and encourage your friend to do the same.
It Is Definitely Bulimia. I Know Because I Am "her". I Thought That I Was "cured" Because I Didn't Do It For A Very Long Time, Until Recently. I've Been So Down And Out...i Began Emotional Eating And Over The Past Few Weeks I've Gained Weight. I'm Even More Upset. Now When I Feel Like I've Eaten Too Much, I Excuse Myself. I Joined This Group 4 Years Ago When I Was On The Right Track, Then When I Felt Myself Slip, I Left...i'm Still Not Sure How To Maneuver Around, But I Do Know That The Road You Are Talking About Is Faaaaar From Healthy. "occasional" Does Make It So, To Deny Is To Not Be Able To Accept It. A Spade Is A Spade.
DoinIt200 --- You have already lost over 100 pounds! 100 FREAKING POUNDS, my dear! That is a HUGE accomplishment that speaks to a strong commitment to change your life for the better and making your health your main priority. Making yourself vomit just doesn't really fit into that set of goals, does it?
If you didn't need this kind of unhealthy behavior to lose that 100+ pounds, then you don't need to to lose the rest of your weight, either, in my opinion.
Don't do it. That's how people start smoking, become addicts, develop full blown out of control eating disorders. Best not to start. And like people have mentioned, it doesn't even eliminate all the calories. Much more trouble than it is worth.
This is extremely destructive behavior both mentally and physically.
My mother is a bulimic and I can tell you that she has suffered enormous physical and mental damages. She has ulcers, dentures, and a bunch of other things due to throwing up her food. The acid from your stomach will eat away at your teeth and gums and you are depriving yourself of nutrients your body needs to survive.
If you are thinking of doing this because you sometimes binge and eat too much, then maybe the problem is that you binge and eat too much and THAT should be taken care of not encouraged through negative behavior.
It doesn't matter if this is done once in awhile or everyday. We are not meant to throw up our food because we've eaten too much. The logic doesn't compute.
I recently learned that, with purging, you lose maybe 25% of the calories you just consumed (I don't remember the exact percentage, but it was around 25). So without going into whether or not it's healthy (no need for me to echo the wise words posted above), it's really not practical. With all of the negatives, and only an insignificant loss of calories, not worth it.
The potential cavities from the stomach acid and the inflamed/bleeding esophagus would be very real things that can happen. Don't fool yourself this is NOT HEALTHY for you.
I have lived with digestive problems since I was 30 years old. I turn 50 this year. I have Crohns disease and have had multiple surgeries because of this. I also have had stomach ulcers, gerd, gall bladder disease, hiatal hernia. I have taken medicines and seen doctors and surgeons for years. After saying all of that I don't understand how someone with a healthy beautiful body could purposefully damage themselves? I read this from an article:
Dangers of Bulimia There are many dangers of bulimia. Serious medical problems can result from the condition. Without treatment, it can even result in death. Bulimia can cause intestinal problems such as diarrhea and constipation. The acid content of vomit damages the esophagus. It also damages the tooth enamel, causing the teeth to take on a clear appearance. It can cause stomach ulcers and sores inside the mouth. It can even cause the stomach to rupture. Dehydration, vitamin deficiencies, and low blood pressure can lead to kidney problems and damage. Liver damage may also occur. Bulimia causes dehydration, anemia, and low levels of sodium, potassium, and magnesium in the body. It causes hypotension (low blood pressure) and a slow or irregular heartbeat. Over time, it weakens the heart muscle and can lead to heart failure. Blood vessels in the eyes may break from excessive vomiting. This may interfere with vision. Overall muscle weakness, lethargy, and fatigue may occur. Bulimic people may lack the energy for day-to-day activities. It can cause hormonal imbalances leading to an irregular or absent menstrual period in women. Over time, it can cause infertility. There are also psychological dangers of bulimia. While bulimia may be caused by feelings of depression, shame, anxiety, and low self-esteem, these feelings can also result from bulimia. It can become a vicious cycle. Bulimic people tend to be obsessed with their weight and appearance to begin with, but the longer the bulimic behavior continues, the stronger that obsession becomes. People with bulimia may become clinically depressed or even suicidal. If you are doing this please think about the damage you are doing to yourself. Please think about your family who loves you. Most importantly think about your precious healthy body- you only get one- take very good care of it!
Why binge and eat so much in the first place? Whatever emotions you are trying to "stuff down" with the food eating... seems easier to just deal with the root emotions. Apart from making yourself throw up NOT being normal -- taking that route is still avoiding the main issue -- "Why am I overeating/binging?"
It isn't "solving" anything. It's just adding a new problem on top.
You friend is fooling herself by playing it down like "I only do it once every few months." Who knows if that's even true. She may be doing it more and fibbing.
I'm sorry, but doing it at all is just not normal eating habits. And why's your friend trying to recruit you to be a throwing up buddy? That's weird sounding too. Some friend!
Educate yourself on the red flags, and step away from those kinds of temptations. You do not want to head down that road. And if you already have, seek help.
This is a very touchy subject and I dont mean to offend anyone but this is something I dont agree with. First of all you know bingeing and purging is going to lead to full on bulimia. I dont understand why someone would knowingly do this to themselves. I have been overweight my whole life and I know the emotional ups and downs it brings and I think having to hide a disorder like this would just add to it, not to mention being overweight takes enough of a toll on our body why would we want to add to that damage?? I would strongly suggest that you girls stop this behavior immediately if you need to talk to someone you trust to get some help. Make a commitment to yourself that you arent going to binge anymore.
Oh Sweetie! The answer is simple. DON'T DO IT. We can rationalize anything..."I'll do it just this once"..."One or two times won't hurt"...."I will have just one slice"....the list goes on and on. But, when it comes right down to it.....the answer is DON'T DO IT.
