What Is Bulimia Nervosa?

Before we begin, let’s define what exactly is Bulimia Nervosa? Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by episodes of compulsive eating that are followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, and/or abuse of laxatives or diuretics.

It can lead to detrimental impacts on physical, mental, and emotional well-being. On the physical side, this may include but is not limited to digestive issues, dental problems, cardiovascular complications, and irregular menstrual cycle (or complete loss of periods).

On the psychological and emotional side, symptoms include intense feelings of guilt and shame after episodes of food compulsions and purging, anxiety around meal times, negative body image issues and increased isolation.

Since the binge-purge cycle can lead to damaging effects on several spheres of your life, it is important to take actionable strategies to break the vicious cycle. Here are 5 ways to break the binge-purge cycle:

1) Stop Restricting Food Intake To Stop The Binges

Often, binge-eating episodes occur when the body is deprived of food throughout the day. As the body doesn’t get enough food to meet its needs, it will give you the urge to eat to compensate.

While it may be very difficult to not skip meals and/or snacks and not eliminate some food groups, it is strongly recommended to eat regularly throughout the day, ensuring that each meal contains carbohydrates and proteins and that the food is satisfying for your taste buds while not being too anxiety-provoking. If you need help with this, one of our eating-disorder nutritionists is here to provide you with guidance.

2) Identify The Triggers For The Binges & The Compensatory Methods

Binge eating and compensatory methods are often used as coping mechanisms to deal with certain emotions and situations. Frequently, these urges arise in a way similar to waves which will reach a peak and the decline.

Identifying the triggers can help devise a plan of action to help you “surf” the waves. Making a list of 5 things you can do instead of engaging in binges and compensatory methods can be an effective exercise.

3) Work On Decreasing The Compensatory Methods

As mentioned above, compensatory methods are damaging to the body. Being aware of those detrimental impacts could be a first step to motivate you to stop those behaviours.

However, since compensatory methods are hard to stop drastically, it is better to attempt to delay them gradually. For example, start by delaying the engagement in the behavior by 5 minutes. From there, gradually work your way up to longer periods of time. Doing so may offer the time needed to formulate a different method of coping with your emotions and give you the opportunity to break the autopilot mode of purging right after eating.

4) Try To Neutralize The Negative Body Image Dialogue

Focusing on weight and meeting unrealistic standards of thinness can lead to restriction which, in turn lead to binges and compensatory methods. When such thoughts and possibly negative self-talk come into the equation, try to change the narrative. The following are a few ways in which this may be accomplished:

Replace Negative Self-Talk

We’re still human; everyone experiences moments of insecurity. However, before these negative thoughts about your body become a loop in your head, try to neutralize the thoughts. For instance, if you have thoughts such as “my legs are fat and I hate them”, you can neutralize that thought by saying “my legs do not define me as a person or does not define my self-worth and value.”

Focus on Body Functionality

Rather than focusing on the appearance of your body, think about all your body enables you to do. For example, “My legs are strong and help me walk long distances”. Or, “My arms are the reason I can lift heavier objects.”

Curate Social Media Feeds

Social media can definitely be a trigger in reinforcing negative body image issues. If there are accounts that promote unrealistic or unhealthy body standards, unfollow them. Instead, try to find accounts about body neutrality and diversity and even accounts about your hobbies and interests that are non-body related.

5) Seek Professional Help

Help from a psychologist, doctor, and an eating disorder dietitian is highly encouraged for bulimia recovery. Each professional will help cover different components of the eating disorder and offer various treatment methods.

Psychologists

There are a range of psychological treatments available to help treat eating disorders. Some of the most effective therapies for bulimia include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).

Treatment will vary depending on the patient, therefore speaking to a professional is advised.

Doctor

Having a doctor know the specific details of the case is integral in recovery. Because bulimia could have many detrimental impacts on physical health, a doctor will be able to monitor vital signs, weight changes and specific blood markers to offer the right plan of action on a case-by-case basis.

Bulimia Recovery Dietitian

The help of a licensed eating disorder dietician/nutritionist specialized in bulimia is undeniably important for bulimia recovery. They can help you or your loved one by creating a plan to make sure they eat enough to meet your needs, normalize fear foods by demystifying any belief around food, explain your body’s and metabolism needs and help you eat intuitively on the long term.

To help in your journey to healing your relationship with food, we at NutriVie Sante are here to support you! Contact us today to discover how we can begin the process together.

5 Steps for Bulimia Recovery