WEIGHT LOSS: MORE ABOUT BULIMIA
In bulimia, over-control produces lack of control. Trying to govern something that is ungovernable—the need to eat—just leads to the feeling that one is out of control. That feeling in turn drives a woman to exert even more control—and so the vicious cycle continues.
How does this happen? In several ways. After a binge-purge episode, a woman usually skips the next meal or two. Her hunger increases. Her body’s cry for food grows stronger, pushing her closer to the inevitable binge.
Unrealistically strict diets have the same effect. Under such regimes a woman sets up rigid rules. She believes she must follow these rules perfectly. There is no margin for error. The trouble is that such rules are impossible to follow all the time. Once she breaks a rule, as she inevitably will, her thoughts spiral out of control. She thinks, “All is lost! I might as well go ahead and eat anything I want now, since I’m such a failure anyway.” And voila-a binge.
Some women go a step further. They try to hold off bingeing by distracting themselves through abuse of alcohol or illicit drugs. Unfortunately, these substances cause the woman to “let her guard down.” Once she surrenders her willpower, the urge to binge takes over. Now she not only binges and purges, she suffers from substance abuse as well.
One last point: Many women create strict rules about their personal appearance. As one patient said, “If I weigh more than a hundred pounds I can’t go out. I’ll call in sick at work. And I won’t be lying either – weighing more than a hundred pounds is sick!” The more such women stay home, the more isolated they become from other people. Lonely, depressed, and bored, they succumb to the temptation to binge.
The bulimic process, like the process of anorexia, eventually takes on a life of its own. The metabolic damage of purging impairs the ability to think clearly. Patients may describe themselves as being “in a fog” all day long. In time, the illness produces devastating feelings of depression, sometimes leading to thoughts (or even acts) of suicide.
There is much more to say about these illnesses, their patterns, and the impact they have on those who suffer from them. I include these brief sketches here hoping that you will recognize whether your own pattern, or that of someone close to you, reflects an eating disorder—and, if so, that you will recognize the stage the illness has reached.
Remember: The sooner you seek help, the greater the chance of recovery.
*23/35/5*
