Bulimia is a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People who suffer from this disorder can eat large amounts of food, then try to make up for it by forcibly removing the food later. If you are currently suffering from bulimia, it is important that you seek professional help immediately. The longer you have bulimia the more damage it can do to your body, and the harder it will be to cure the habit. Learn the steps you must take to overcome bulimia and recover from this deadly eating disorder.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Recognizing the Serious Danger of Bulimia
Step 1. Educate yourself about your illness
The only way to truly understand how dangerous bulimia is is to learn more about this eating disorder. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by eating large amounts of food in excess (sometimes over a short period of time) and then making up for the excess calories by vomiting or using laxatives. There are two types of bulimia nervosa:
- Purging bulimia or bulimia with purging involves inducing vomiting to oneself or abusing laxatives, enemas and diuretics to make up for overeating.
- Non-purging bulimia, aka bulimia without cleansing, involves using various other tactics to prevent weight gain, such as strict dieting, fasting or excessive exercise.
Step 2. Know the various risk factors
If you have bulimia nervosa, there may be certain characteristics about you, your mindset, or your life that make you more susceptible to the disease. Some common risk factors for bulimia include:
- Is a girl
- Is a teenager or young adult
- Have a family history of eating disorders
- Falling into the ideal of a thin body that is always shown by the media
- Coping with psychological or emotional problems, such as poor self-esteem, poor body image, anxiety, or chronic stress; or dealing with a traumatic event
- Constantly being pressured by others to look great or perfect like athletes, dancers, or models
Step 3. Be able to recognize the various symptoms
People with bulimia, whether purging or non-purging, experience a unique set of symptoms. You, your family members or close friends may notice some of the signs and symptoms that you have the disorder as below:
- Losing control when eating
- Keep secrets about your eating habits
- Alternating between overeating and fasting
- Recognizing the missing food
- Eating large amounts of food without noticing a change in body size
- Go to the toilet after eating to clean the stomach (purge)
- Exercising is very hard
- Using laxatives, diet pills, enemas or diuretics
- Frequent fluctuations in weight
- Cheeks look bloated from vomiting repeatedly
- Have excessive or average body weight
- Shows discoloration of the teeth due to regurgitating stomach acid
Step 4. Realize that the disease can be life threatening
There are many dangerous consequences of bulimia nervosa. The habit of cleaning food or purging can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances that ultimately lead to irregular heartbeats, heart failure and even death. Vomiting regularly can also make the esophagus leak.
- Some people with bulimia use Ipecac syrup to induce vomiting. This syrup can accumulate in the body and cause a heart attack or death.
- Apart from the physical risks associated with bulimia, people with eating disorders are also at high risk for psychological problems, such as alcohol and substance abuse, and suicidal tendencies.
Method 2 of 4: Accessing Professional Help
Step 1. Admit that you need help
The first step to curing bulimia is to accept the fact that you have a serious problem, and that you can't deal with it alone. You may actually believe that if you are sufficiently successful in gaining the desired weight or successfully controlling your weight, you will be happy. However, the only way you can heal is to admit that you have an unhealthy relationship with food and your own body. You have to open your eyes and heart to the possibility of healing.
Step 2. See a doctor
To start the healing process, you should see a doctor. The doctor can perform a thorough examination and assess the results of your blood tests to determine how much damage has been done to the body. Your doctor can also help you and your loved ones determine the level of care needed to help you heal.
Step 3. Get a referral to an eating disorder specialist
Primary care doctors are not enough to cure bulimia alone. After you have your first evaluation, he or she will likely refer you to another professional who has a special background in treating eating disorders. These professionals can be therapists, psychologists, or certified psychiatrists.
Step 4. Participate in therapy
An effective treatment program for bulimia will focus on helping you identify and avoid triggers, manage stress, build a better body image and resolve any psychological or emotional issues that are contributing to the eating disorder.
A study has proven that cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective treatment approaches for bulimia. In this type of therapy, patients work with therapists to combat unrealistic thought patterns about their appearance and body, and develop a better relationship with food. Find a cognitive behavioral therapist who specializes in eating disorders for the best chance of cure
Step 5. Get counseling on nutrition
Another aspect of treating bulimia is meeting with a registered dietitian. The dietitian will help you figure out how many calories and nutrients you should be consuming each day and work towards getting you to adopt healthier eating habits.
Step 6. Join a support group
A common complaint of many sufferers of mental disorders such as bulimia is that no one understands what you are going through. If you feel the same way, joining a local bulimia support group or online can soothe you.
Parents or loved ones can also benefit from joining a family support group. In this meeting, participants can discuss and learn about ways to take better care of you and promote successful healing
Method 3 of 4: Managing Your Symptoms
Step 1. Share your story
Eating disorders are often kept secret from those around you. Breaking out of this routine means you are talking to someone about what you think, feel and do every day. Find a good, non-judgmental listener who is willing to offer you support and may be a reliable partner.
Step 2. Monitor your nutrition
Recovering from bulimia will require regular appointments with a dietitian and an at-home effort to ensure you are meeting your nutritional needs. Learning to listen to your own body to identify what is hunger and what is an emotional need, such as loneliness or boredom, are big aspects of nutritional therapy for bulimia. A dietitian can also guide you in choosing foods that will satisfy your hunger and prevent overeating.
Step 3. Learn alternative strategies for dealing with bulimia
Think of your problem-solving skills as a box of weapons-the more behaviors you pack in, the more prepared you'll be to fight bulimia. Get together with your therapist and dietitian to brainstorm ideas for strategies for dealing with bulimia. Some of the suggestions include:
- Take up a hobby or interest to boost your self-confidence
- Call a friend when faced with a trigger
- Connect with a friend from an online support group
- Make a list of positive affirmations to read aloud
- Take a walk or play with your pet
- Start writing a journal about gratitude
- Reading a book
- Get a massage
- Exercise, if it fits into your healing program
Step 4. Avoid various triggers
As you participate in therapy and support groups, you will gain more insight into the things that trigger the overeating cycle. Once you've identified these things, stay away from them as much as possible.
You may need to get rid of your weight, get rid of fashion and beauty magazines, unsubscribe from sites or forums that support bulimia (pro-mia), and spend less time hanging out with friends or family members who often speak ill of their bodies. alone or obsessed with diet
Method 4 of 4: Developing a Positive Body Image
Step 1. Exercise to improve your mood
Regular physical activity provides many well-known benefits such as greater immune function, improved cognitive function, better attention and concentration, reduced stress, boosts self-confidence, and improves mood. Numerous studies have shown that moderate amounts of exercise can also benefit those recovering from eating disorders, and even prevent them from occurring.
Don't forget to consult with your treatment team before starting a series of exercises. For non-purging bulimia, exercise may not be recommended if used to make up for calories after overeating. Work with your doctor to determine if exercise is a good option for you
Step 2. Change your thoughts about diet and weight
Having dysfunctional thoughts about your body and your negative relationship with food are two of the biggest contributors to bulimia nervosa. Overcoming this mindset is important for healing. Instead of falling into these negative thought patterns, try to change your response and be kind to yourself as if you were being kind to a friend. By changing your response, you can begin to love yourself more. Common thinking errors that affect people with eating disorders include:
- Jumping to conclusion (making conclusions without going through the right line of thinking): "Today is difficult, I will never be able to overcome this eating disorder." Expecting the worst can undermine any positive changes you make. Instead, say something like "This heart is heavy, but I made it through. I just need to do it one at a time."
- Black and white thoughts: "Today I ate junk food. I'm a complete loser." Thinking to extremes and believing that in this world there is only right and wrong can trigger overeating very quickly, if you're not careful. Instead, try to tell yourself, "Today I ate junk food, but that's okay. I can eat junk food every now and then and still eat healthy. I have to eat a healthy dinner tonight."
- Personalization: "My friends don't want to hang out with me anymore because I think too much about my health". Thinking about other people's behavior and being offended by it isn't fair to them. Your friends may just be busy or want to give you room to heal. If you miss them, call them and tell them you miss them.
- Overgeneralization: "I always need help." Applying negative patterns to your life is like beating yourself up. You can find so many things you can do without help. Try it now!
- Should, actually, should, should: "I have to be the single best in training today." Such rigid thinking is irrational and restrictive. Even if you don't get the best results, it doesn't detract from the fact that your results are still good.
Step 3. Re-instill a sense of self-worth that is unrelated to your body
It's time to rethink the belief that your self-worth is linked to your shape, size or weight. Stop destroying yourself and build yourself up by associating self-worth with other characteristics.
- Dig deep and find other things you like about yourself that have nothing to do with your body or appearance. Make a list of your best qualities. For example, you might say because "I'm smart" or "I'm a fast runner" or "I'm a good friend."
- If you're having trouble thinking about these things, ask your best friends or close family for help. Ask them to share some things they like about you that have nothing to do with your appearance.
Step 4. Focus on loving yourself
In the weeks, months, or years that have passed you have been mean to yourself. Replace this neglect with abundant compassion and love for yourself.
Give yourself a "hug". Watch your favorite movie or read your favorite book. Swap negative talk about yourself with positive statements about yourself. Be kind to your body by giving it a massage, facial, or manicure-don't hide under your clothes. Be gentle and nurturing by treating yourself like you would your best friend
Tips
- Seek advice on healthy nutrition instead of overeating.
- Be gentle with yourself and engage in various activities that help calm your mind and body.
