Expert: Joanne - 3/29/2008

Question
Im not sure anymore what it is i have;I no i've had an eating disorder of some kind for 10 years now. Ive not really eaten much and exercised excessively in the past; i use laxitives when i eat too much and am scared at the damage they have done to my body, even though i no, they don't actually help you loose weight. I never throw up though as i physically can't do it so i don't no if i have bulimia. Lately i seem to just binge on junk food about once a week, binges seem to last two days and im slowly getting bigger and bigger. Im at breaking point and my self estem is at an all time low. Im not sure what to do or where to go for help, can you recomend anything.

thank you, so much for your response.

Answer
Camella

It is possible to have bulimia without throwing up!  Abusing laxatives or excessive exercise is another form of purging the excess calories!

It sounds as though you could be developing a binge-eating disorder which is very common in people that have suffered from anorexia or bulimia in the past!

The underlying issues that led you to your eating disorder is what is what is causing your binge-eating now!  You need to deal with those issues in order to put the eating disorder behind you!  Binge eating often stems from a need to fill an 'emotional void' in your life, or a way if coping with daily stresses - this needs to be addressed!

I would urge you to visit your Dr as soon as possible to discuss this with him.  Not only are you possibly doing yourself damage through laxative misuse, possibly damaging joints through excessive exercise, but binge-eating can cause problems itself!  You are putting yourself at risk of high cholesterol, blood pressure, heart attack, kidney disease/failure, strokes, arthritis....the list goes on!  The junk food can cause these itself, but if you are beginning to put on weight, becoming overweight increases the risk dramatically!

I think that you should go and speak to your doctor as soon as possible and ask for a referral to a counsellor and possibly a dietician in order to help nourish your body in the hope of couteracting any damage your 'junk' food may have caused!

Joanne