| Bulimia
Question:
I have recently lost 20 pounds by dieting. I am now 5\'1 and 113 lbs. This
is actually the thinnest that I have ever been due to my muscular base. I
am 28 years old and I run marathons, just finished my third this year. I
purge by vomiting but I only binge on occassion... I allow myself one meal
a day, that is toast in the morning. My subsequent meals, dinner and a
snack must be purged by vomiting. I am obsessed with my running and must
run 5-6 miles three times a week and one long run a week of 14-20 miles. I
eat the same exact thing every single day so I know what the caloric
intake is. I had a history of bulimia with binging and purging about 6
years ago where I was treated for about a month but had to stop therapy
due to funding. I ceased my bulimic habits up until 4 months ago when I
decided to start dieting. I have been running for over 3 years now but
have not dieted, and my usual weight is 125 pounds but about 3 months ago
prior to dieting I weighed 132 pounds. By body fat was tested a couple of
months ago and I was 23, now I am 18. Nothing goes in my mouth unless I
know the caloric intake, if the calories are more than 200 for a serving I
will not eat it. I recognize several of these traits as some being that of
a bulimic tendency; however I also see some anorexic habits. What is your
opinion about my situation?
Response:
Bulimia is characterized by binging and purging, the purging takes various
forms… from vomiting, to abusing laxatives or diuretics or excessive
amounts of exercise. Binging
is subjective, some binge on large amounts of food and others consider
eating a carrot a binge. Restrictive
food intake is also not uncommon with bulimics.
Long-term bulimics sometimes do become very restrictive with their
food intake. Obsessive traits are common with both Anorexia and Bulimia.
You did not mention how
many calories a day you are consuming, but from what you have presented,
my guess is that you are below your daily calorie requirements, especially
with the amount of exercise you do. You
are not purging by vomiting but you are still showing all symptoms of
Bulimia. Depression and
anxiety are also associated features with bulimics.
You can call it dieting if you want, but bulimics are incapable of
going on a diet without the bulimic tendencies getting triggered.
This is often due to their denial about their condition.
My recommendation is to
start treatment as soon as possible, see a psychiatrist and a counselor
who specialize in Eating Disorders. You
will need medication and counseling for treatment to be effective, since
this is a chronic problem. A
combination of mood stabilizer and a mild anti-psychotic medication is
extremely effective for the obsessive-compulsive tendencies of Eating
Disorders. Treatment for Bulimia takes a long time so one month is
definitely not enough… as a matter of fact a little treatment is more
dangerous since it provides just enough knowledge to the bulimic to misuse
and manipulate it to their advantage.
Regards
Uzma Mazhar
|
