Bulimia symptoms range from binge eating to vomiting and are sometimes coupled with other disorders such as anorexia, making it hard to discern exactly what the problem is. In addition, many people with bulimia maintain a reasonable body weight, meaning an eating disorder may not be the first thing that comes to mind. If you suspect your child has an eating disorder, here are some bulimia symptoms to watch out for:
Binge Eating
Since people with bulimia have trouble controlling how much they eat, they often eat to the point where they feel sick. Binge eating is generally more extreme than a binge a typical person experiences every once in a while. Bulimics consume up to 3,000 to 5,000 calories in one hour and then go to excessive measures to undo their calorie intake.
Purging
There are two types of bulimics: those who purge and those who don't. Throwing up after a binge (or after eating other meals as well) is one of the biggest bulimia symptoms. Other ways that bulimics rid their body of food include laxatives, diuretics and enemas.
You can suspect purging if a person goes to the bathroom shortly after meals or if the bathroom smells like vomit after they have been in there. They may try to cover up the smell with air fresheners, mints or gum.
Excessive Exercise
Exercising to extremes is another way that bulimics try to rid their bodies of calories. Some people with bulimia don't purge and solely exercise excessively after binges. Aerobic activity such as running and other forms of cardio are the primary forms of exercise for bulimics.
Hiding Eating Habits
Another bulimia symptom is hiding eating habits. A person with bulimia may eat in private and have secret stashes of junk food. You may find a lot of empty food wrappers and containers in the trash without knowing their origin.
All or Nothing
A person with bulimia has trouble finding a middle ground when it comes to food. They may not eat normal meals and instead either starve themselves or binge.
Discolored Teeth
The teeth of a bulimic person may be yellowed or appear clear because of the stomach acid from purging.
Calluses on Hands
These can come about because a bulimic person sticks fingers down the throat to induce vomiting. Scars may also occur.
Puffy Cheeks
Puffy cheeks happen because a bulimic person vomits often.
If you suspect that your child or someone you know has bulimia, it is important to get professional help. Although it can be tempting to try to help a bulimic yourself, bulimia is very rarely cured without the help of professionals.
 | It's important to recognize the symptoms of bulimiaso that you can begin treatment early. Bulimia can cause serious health conditions and even death. |
 | The dangers in bulimia are many and exceed dramatic weight loss. In fact, many people with bulimia are able to maintain a normal weight. This can trick people into believing that bulimia isn't so bad, but the health risks associated with the eating disorder are quite severe. |
 | It's important for parents to recognize bulimia signs and be aware of behavior that may be covering up a serious problem. When parents have concerns about their teen, it seems the last thing they will do to get the truth is to ask their teen directly. It's the natural way that parent-child relationships progress; kids are naturally more secretive during their teenage years. |
Bulimia Nervosa is a long term disease. Recovery is often a hard and a long process with its ups and downs. That is why bulimia nervosa testimonials of recovery are interesting to read. You can always learn something interesting about how other people managed to beat this distorting body and sole disease. |
Bulimia affects the whole body. But the most obvious effects it has is on the nervous system, mental state, gastro-intestinal, cardio system, kidney, skin, bones and the hormonal system. |
