Bulimia can present in many ways, but the disorder almost always involves episodes of binge eating followed by “purging” through vomiting, laxatives, or other means. At the same time, a person constantly thinks about food, tries to control his diet for fear that excess weight will appear.
What is binge eating?
During a bout of overeating, a person eats too much food – much more than is needed to be satiated. At the same time, he loses control: he eats too quickly, does not choose products, he may not even distinguish their taste. The attack ends with a feeling of guilt, a feeling that it is necessary to immediately get rid of what has been eaten. For such deliverance, a person can provoke vomiting, take a laxative, and do enemas.
Each breakdown is accompanied by painful emotions. It is preceded by a depressive, depressed or anxious state. A person feels the approach of a breakdown, tries to maintain control, because of which anxiety and anxiety only intensify. When overeating, there is a feeling of loss of control, and after it – a feeling of shame, regret, self-abasement, guilt.
The symptoms of bulimia can be physical, behavioral or emotional.
In this state, behavior changes in everything related to nutrition or weight control:
There is a preoccupation with nutrition, diets, weight loss or weight control.
After eating, almost always a person goes to the bathroom or to the toilet, there are signs that he makes himself vomit.
It becomes difficult for the patient to eat with other people and especially outside the home (for example, in a cafe).
Meals become irregular: a person skips breakfast, lunch or dinner, tries to eat as little as possible.
A person tries to limit himself in food or follow a strict diet, excluding entire food groups from the diet – for example, completely refuses carbohydrates or animal products.
Constant use of chewing gum, air fresheners, or other products that mask sour breath.
Frequent, too intense exercise.
Wearing bulky, figure-hide clothing.
Constant measurement of weight or looking at your reflection in the mirror.
Weakness, trouble concentrating, sleep disturbances.
A characteristic feature is the appearance of rituals associated with food, for example:
long chewing;
eating very small portions;
drinking plenty of water during meals;
complete rejection of certain product groups;
food only under certain conditions;
cutting food into very small pieces;
desire is in solitude.
Bulimia affects well-being and health, so it has many physical symptoms:
a sharp decrease or increase in weight;
digestive problems: stomach pain, constipation, acid reflux;
cuts or hardening of the skin on the fingertips, if after overeating a person constantly vomits;
plaque on the teeth, discoloration;
in women – hormonal cycle disorders;
dry, brittle hair and nails;
dryness, pallor of the skin;
feeling of constant cold;
slow healing of any wounds (scratches, cuts), hematomas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematoma.