Expert: Nafeesah - 4/22/2009

Question
hi i am a junior in highschool and i am almost always thinking of ways to lose weight and how many calories im eating.  in the past i have tried to make myself throw up but nothing worked until this year.  it totally came as an accident.  the good thing, in my mind, is that it gets rid of the food when i over eat.  
ive been dieting since eighth grade and have lost a lot of  weight, but i want to lose more and become the best i can be.  i do not eat ANY sweets until certain holidays then i binge.  it gives me the feeling that i gain weight and i feel absolutely miserable.  ever since i found the way to throw up ive been doing it more often....at least once a week.  i know the foods that make me throw up and if i drink a lot of water really fast after eating and put the slightest pressure on my stomach then all comes up.  
i talked about this with an adult and she said its probably because of my period and that time is when i do eat more, but that would mean im pmsing all month. i was also told this could be acid reflux but after further investigation i found it is not.
i really need your help because i am a singer and my friend (who has recovered from bulimia) says throwing up ruins your vocal chords.  
                         thank you,
                              v

Answer
I am going to keep it real to you and YES you do have an eating disorder I would look at an outpatient treatment program for yourself. Whoever told you it was attributed to your period is not very educated in the area of eating disorders. I would seriously stop doing this to yourself and excessive vomiting can cause some serious health complications. I would Google what those things are and constantly throwing up can damage your esophagus after a while. It won't exactly ruin your vocal cords you'll just sound really raspy which doesnt help you as a singer.