Learn to Recognize the Stages of Bulimia

Eating disorders can be one of the most harmful and stressful things that a person ever deals with in their life. Millions of men and women from all over the world are affected by one eating disorder or another and because the stages of them can be so subtle, it is important to identify the stages so that you can recognize them in you or in others as well so treatment can be sought at the earliest signs possible.

Of the various eating disorders that have been identified, bulimia is one of the most prevalent in existence. It is characterized by activities known as binging and purging which is basically, eating and then throwing up. Now, not all bulimics binge, some will force themselves to vomit after any meal, but those that binge often consume thousands of calories at one sitting, often in private, and then vomit to rid themselves of all the calories to as to avoid possible weight gain. This eating disorder can be extremely harmful to one’s health and lead to a variety of ill effects including high blood pressure, anemia, and even stroke or heart disease. It is extremely important to try to identify the various stages of bulimia so that if it is discovered, treatment can follow soon thereafter. The sooner it is diagnosed, the less likely it will be that long term negative side effects will occur. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of bulimia now.

First of all, bulimics, like most people with eating disorders, have an unhealthy body type image. They often don't see the reality of how their body truly looks in this distorted image causes them to have an unhealthy and harmful relationship with food. Making comments about one's body that don't seem normal are one of the first stages of bulimia. If you overhear someone obsessing about their body where there weight, it may not be best to intervene immediately, but do take note to see if this condition worsens over time.

The next stage of bulimia occurs when a person begins to force themselves to vomit after eating a meal. Now, this will usually be done in private so you want to look for signs such as someone excusing themselves quickly after meals and spending several minutes in the bathroom. This will quickly become a regular behavior if the person truly suffers from bulimia and will be fairly easy to diagnose.

Aside from just purging after regular meals, bulimics often progress to what is known as binging as well. Binging is a term used to describe eating massive quantities of food and in the case of bulimics, they usually throw this up as well. This binging and purging is often done in private so you'll want to look for irregular activities of the individual such as being gone for an inordinate periods of time without any reasonable explanation. Another sign of this stage of bulimia is an extra expense for food and the existence of food wrappers or containers in their car or in their home.

These are just a few of the stages of bulimia and they can vary slightly from person to person but the most important thing to remember is, if you sense that yourself or someone you love is suffering from this disturbing eating disorder, do what you can to help them to seek treatment from a qualified professional.