Someone I work with started dieting and last night they messed up big time. He said he piged out and then threw it up. I know it's bad to do this frequently, but I couldn't tell him why it was bad to do occasionally when you realize you've just done something really really bad. I know your stomach acid can harm your asphogus (sp?) and do damage to your teeth, and it's overall not healthy. Not to mention a waste of $$!

Can someone help me here? Is it okay to purge every once in a while as long as you dont make it a habit?

im going to go ahead and say ... NO!

My only reason for saying so is that is just how things get started. I've been bulimic for 10 years ... and i remember the exact day that i purged for the first time. I did it because i was uncomfortable ... i had ate that much. It became easier and easier after that ... then it was a lifestyle. Right now i good and eating just fine ... but i know its a slippery slope that i'll always have to be on the look out for.

The reprocusions of this will be with me for life. Now, its not uncommon to not be able to hold food down... not because i looking to get rid of food, but becuase i've done so much damage to my insides. I will honestly just get sick ... almost like a reflex.

Just my two cents ...

So... occasionally vomiting in itself has no adverse affects?

Yes there are adverse affects. Purging throws your electrolytes, potassium, all other chemicals in your body out balance, and it will affect your heart. When you purge your not actually getting rid of all the calories. You're emptying your stomach, but some of the calories have already been absorbed. In short purging is not an effective way to maintain weight.

There is no way anyone can rationalize this behavior. It is called bulimia.

justjenn - I agree it's not an effective way to maintain weight. And I figured some calories had already been absorbed. Thanks for your explanation, that makes sense.

kittycat - Um, I dont think it's bulimia...yet. Bulimia is really when you dont have control over the problem. This person seems to have control and only does it maybe once every couple weeks.


***EDIT: I think I put words into my friend's mouth when I said "maybe once every couple weeks" I don't recall him actually saying that, thats just what I gathered. We were actually talking about a one time occurrence. Sorry for the confusion.

I just have to jump in with the definition:

Bulimia - Periodic food binging followed by self-induced vomiting or laxative-induced diarrhea to prevent weight gain.

"Every couple weeks" = periodic

If a person is in a cycle where they are periodically binging and making themselves vomit, this is bulimia, whether it happens every day or every 2 or 3 weeks.

Uh. No.

Bulimics often force themselves to vomit - either by drinking something like Ipecac or pushing their fingers down their throats. They have every physical control. Whether or not they have a mental control is the question... and if he does it "once every couple of weeks" (which isn't an "only" btw) then he most likely doesn't have control of his eating/binging/purging urges.

Why is it bad
* damages your esophagus
* damages your teeth, your gums
* can cause infections in your salivary glands, etc.
* puts a strain on your body (when you force yoruself to vomit, it's a more stressful process than when your body naturally vomits - I've known people who have burst vessels in their eyes or cheeks from forcing themselves)
* you become deyhdrated (repeated vomiting messes with your electrolytes on a more serious level)
* when you binge and purge you don't get the nutritional value of the food you eat. Many bulimics are malnourished
* ultimately all of the above can damage your heart

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Oh my goodness. People... I respectfully disagree about what your defining bulimia as. I've been doing quite a bit of research on the subject and every single thing I've looked into basically says "frequent" binging and purging.
Mayo Clinic: "With bulimia, you engage in episodes of bingeing and purging, where you eat a large amount of food and then try to rid yourself of the extra calories by such unhealthy ways as self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise."
Wikipedia: "Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors, referred to as "purging"."
Dictionary: a habitual disturbance in eating behavior mostly affecting young women of normal weight, characterized by frequent episodes of grossly excessive food intake followed by self-induced vomiting to avert weight gain.
And on and on...
This is nothing like what I'm taking about. This person had a craving, acted on the craving, felt bad afterwards, and then threw it up. It was not premeditated, not frequent, recurrent, it's not excessive food intake, it's none of that.

**But it's really so far besides the point anyways. We're getting a bit away from my original question. Please don't focus on what defines bulimia. That's not my question.**

I'm not saying I encourage it. I dont endorse it. I think it's disgusting. I'm trying to help someone to stop. I just posed to get some ammo about how to help them and find out what it really does to their body.

Thank you for your helpful posts. I dont disagree with anyone about the effects of the disorder. But this is not bulimia that I'm taking about.

A poster answered my question earlier when she said it messes up electrolytes, the heart, etc. Thank you for your responses. I have my answer.

Quote you:
"only does it maybe once every couple weeks."

From your definitions:
- recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors, referred to as "purging"."
- eat a large amount of food and then try to rid yourself of the extra calories by such unhealthy ways as self-induced vomiting
- a habitual disturbance in eating behavior
- characterized by frequent episodes of grossly excessive food intake followed by self-induced vomiting

That's not what you said. What you said was he "pigged out" and then made himself throw up. You said he does it once every couple of weeks. Now I don't know about you, but forcing yourself to throw up 2x a month or so is pretty frequent.

You are also contradicting yourself, first saying that bulima isn't "intentional", that it's about a lack of control and your friend did this intentionally. Now you're saying that this wasn't "premeditated" and there wasn't "excessive food intake", yet he "pigged out".

You asked why is it bad - is it ok? And the resounding response you've gotten is NO it's not ok. It's an eating disorder and it's called bulimia.

You can say you don't believe it is, but everything you've described is picture perfect bulimia - eating to excess through a loss of control (pigging out) and then forcing yourself to throw up to rid yourself of the food you ate.

.

2x a month frequent?!? Not in the world of diagnosed disorders.
I KNOW it's bad! Please find where I said it's ok. My original post:

I know it's bad to do this frequently, but I couldn't tell him why it was bad to do occasionally when you realize you've just done something really really bad.
Not premeditated. REALIZED YOU'VE JUST DONE SOMETHING BAD.

I'm just trying to help someone out. Geez.

All I wanted to know were the reasons.

It's all relative. Making yourself puke 2x a month? I dunno. I'd say that's "frequent". Given that most people probably only throw up 2x a year or so due to illness.

If I were naturally throwing up 2x a month, I'd be going to the doctor to see what was wrong.

Edited: Anyway, I'm not trying to be argumentative. I just think you're a little in denial about your friend's problem. But really it's not our business. I hope you got your question answered.

.

Okay, as a bulemic in recovery (every day is a struggle), I personally don't care if you do it once a day, once a month, or twice a year -- if you are intentially making yourself throw up -- by overeating or other means -- there's an issue. If you don't fit in what others "define" as bulemic it doesn't mean there isn't a problem. I haven't purged in probably one or two years -- but I still feel that I'm bulemic as the urge is there.

You can try to pigeon hole your friend and maybe it would make you feel better that he doesn't fit in the defined category, but it doesn't mean what he does is healthy.

Photochick - I'm not trying to be argumentative either. Sorry, this escalated too quickly. Just frustrated that people (not necessary you) try to diagnose someone they don't know without having any medical background. And my whole post was about a conversation I had with a co-worker. I could have misinterpreted the info or whatever. I just wanted to know the immediate effects of throwing up one time.
Shelby - I understood where he was coming from... if I'm on a diet and I want a whopper meal so badly I would kill for it, then I indulge myself (thinking I've been doing such a great job on my diet). But afterwards I feel bloated, full, and uncomfortable. I want the pain gone. I mean, honestly, I've considered doing the same thing. I know where he's coming from. I've read the stories, I know the facts, I know it's a slippery slope that I never want to even approach. Your on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. You've been there and are probably super suspicious about anyone throwing up. So, and please dont take offense, you might be a little bias. For good reasons, though- Dont want people making the same mistakes.

I've gotten my answer to my post. Thanks!

you sure about that? who do you have your medical degree from? have you talked to this person? it happened once...did one bad meal make people around here overweight? no...

please, look at what is at the bottom of every thread:

Posts by members, moderators and admins are not considered medical advice
and no guarantee is made against accuracy.

im not asking you to rationalize it, just look at the issue. can you honestly tell me you have never either done it once or considered it? if you can, good for you, honestly. because i think most people have done it or thought about it if they are honest with themselves

from what i understand...this wasnt a binge. it was just a lapse with taco bell, like 3 tacos and a burrito. not the normal 5000 or more cal binge that most bulimics do. look at the bold and underlined part...GROSSLY excessive food intake. eating a LARGE amount of food, not a few tacos. ask the girl that said she deals with bulimia...ask if it was ever just a couple tacos and such, i doubt it ever was. when TRUE bulimics binge, they go all out, eating over 10,000 cals in one sitting some times.


she never said 2x a month in the first post...from what i know, it was once and she was wondering about the side effects of doing it ONCE. so, what denial is there?

now, i know everyone will say "he is just defending his girlfriend" but no, the things you have said have upset me....this is no place for diagnosis esp. when no one knows the whole situation. no one here is qualified to say, with any certainty, that this person has bulimia.

im sorry if i have upset anyone but someone needs to bring a different perspective here