Making Yourself Throw Up: Living With An Eating Disorder

Some people may believe that eating disorders are a lifestyle choice for those wanting to lose weight. However, eating disorders are serious illnesses that affect roughly 9% of the global population, regardless of age, race, size, or gender. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. People who live with an eating disorder often have a preoccupation with food, body weight, or the same of their body.

Individuals living with bulimia may have frequent episodes of binge eating where they consume large amounts of food over one stretch of time. They may often feel as though they can't control their binge eating. Afterward, the individual may feel guilt or shame over the amount of food they ate and compensate for binge eating by taking laxatives, inducing vomiting, fasting, excessively exercising or performing a combination of these behaviors.

However, bulimia nervosa is more than just an eating disorder. It is a mental disorder and has far-reaching effects on both the body and mind. It is easy to misunderstand bulimia and think that inducing vomiting can accelerate the weight loss process; however, the negative effects of bulimia nervosa on the body can be very serious and even fatal. If you have wondered how to make yourself throw up, consider the detrimental effects that bulimia can have on the body and the mind.

How bulimia affects the central nervous system

Inducing vomiting has more than just an impact on your body. Even though it is classified as an eating disorder, bulimia is also a mental health disorder with several health concerns attached to it.

Those living with bulimia may have a misguided vision of their body, also known as body dysmorphia. This is a mental health condition where an individual obsesses on flaws in their appearance that may not even be visible or considered flaws by other people. Those living with bulimia can experience anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive actions.

Bulimia can also lead to irritability and moodiness since your body won't get the vitamins it needs. Even worse, throwing up quickly or self-induced vomiting can lead to an obsession when it comes to body weight and the monitoring of food. That obsession with throwing up quickly can lead to self-exclusion from activities that you used to enjoy. The obsessive thoughts over how to make yourself throw up may dominate your thoughts.

In the most extreme cases, people living with bulimia may feel like they have secrets to contain. This keeping of secrets leads to anxiety and stress on top of those feelings when keeping track of food intake and body weight. Those living with bulimia may also keep secrets from friends and loved ones, leading to stress in their relationships. With new feelings of shame and embarrassment, the person with bulimia may resort to making themselves throw up, a process which can quickly transform into an all-encompassing cycle.

How bulimia impacts the digestive system

Perhaps the most well-known impacts of bulimia on the body can be felt in the digestive system. When someone binge eats and then tries to induce vomiting, this can take a heavy toll on the digestive system.

Bulimia can also be physically demanding on the body. In addition to an upset stomach, your body can experience weariness and fatigue from the physical convulsions that happen when you induce vomiting.

However, stomach acid has the most significant impact on the body. When vomit makes its way up from the stomach, it is food that has already been digested by the stomach and is largely made up of what is known as gastric acid. That gastric acid is made up of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and hydrochloric acid. It is the last one that is particularly dangerous. While making yourself throw up may not seem so serious to some individuals, there are a series of reactions that happen that can take a serious toll on the rest of your body.

The most obvious, and usually first, side effects of bulimia are stomach pain, a sore throat, or a combination of the two. It might not seem like a big problem at first, but continuous self-induced vomiting can lead to serious damage over time.

Those stomach acids can start creating permanent damage to your body, beginning with the mouth. If continued over time, that high acid content in your vomit can lead to enamel erosion and even permanent damage to your teeth. Gum disease and tooth sensitivity are also possible side effects of continued self-induced vomiting.

That heavy acid content in your vomit can also lead to several other different conditions like heartburn, stomachaches, and acid reflux. Not only that, but the acid can also lead to minor inconveniences like diarrhea, bloating, and constipation, up to seriously damaging your intestines.

Even if you can ignore the acid's damage to so many areas of the body, the physical convulsions of vomiting can also have a tremendous impact. The violent motion of vomiting can irritate or possibly tear the esophagus, irritate your stomach regularly, and even rupture the esophagus, leading to blood in your vomit.

If that isn't enough damage to the body, there can be damage done to the hand if you regularly stick your finger down your throat. Known as Russell's sign, the acidity of the vomit can scar the skin on your fingers and hands, becoming a clear sign of bulimia to someone familiar with it.

How bulimia affects the circulatory system

If the impacts of bulimia on the body weren't enough, it could have substantial detrimental impacts on your circulatory system as well. Consistent and frequent purging leads to dehydration. And serious, clinical dehydration leads to the weakening of muscles as well as extreme fatigue.

Feeling tired and exhausted may be difficult to manage, but it can also make your electrolytes go awry, which puts a strain on your heart and may even cause an irregular heartbeat. In the most extreme cases, bulimia has led to weakened heart muscles and even heart failure. And while it seems like that is a laundry list of things that be impacted by bulimia (because it is), consistent vomiting can lead to anemia, low blood pressure, or a weak pulse. And the sheer force of vomiting is enough to burst blood vessels in your eyes.

Further, throwing up puts the body into a state of deprivation and possibly starvation as one is not getting the nutrients they need to survive. When the body is in a state of starvation, it signals to the brain to get as much food as possible to be stored for future use, thus potentially setting you back into a cycle of needing to binge again, which leads to further purging.

How to overcome bulimia

The first step in getting help is to realize that this behavior can be changed with the right guidance and support. Seeking professional advice is highly advised for those living with an eating disorder or partaking in vomiting regularly.

Talking to a therapist is highly advised as well. Because self-induced vomiting serves a function in that person's life, there has to be a reason for it. Exploring those reasons can help to identify the issue and allow for self-correction to begin.

Talking to family and friends for support can be incredibly helpful as well. They may not be going through the exact situation you are in, but they are there to help guide you through it in a supportive manner.

Another important step is to identify potential triggers for self-induced vomiting. Ask yourself what situations, eating habits, or emotions lead to that need for self-induced vomiting. Keeping a journal documenting these triggers can help you better understand what sets you onto that path and how best to avoid those specific triggers.

One of the most helpful suggestions is speaking to a nutritionist specializing in helping those living with eating disorders. Body image issues are often the biggest factor when it comes to bulimia. Talking to a nutritionist specializing in eating disorders can help you get a better idea of stopping the binge/purge cycle and begin to eat in the best way for your body.

Talking to a nutritionist can show you that it is okay to eat different types of foods and that eating the right things can not only help you avoid the binge/purge/restrict cycle but ensure that your body is getting the proper nutrition that it needs. Being misinformed about diet is one of the leading causes of eating disorders, and having professional advice – or getting professional help from a service like Regain may help.

Making goals can also be greatly beneficial. Instead of focusing on specific weight, set meal goals. It may help to plan a meal and don't let yourself feel deprived of food. Feelings of deprivation start that cycle of purging/restricting and may hinder any progress.

Most of all, lean on those around you whom you trust. A support system of family and friends can be incredibly helpful when it comes to overcoming difficult situations. It is important to know that you're not alone, and it's okay to ask for help.

The Benefits Of Online Therapy

Many people are turning to online therapy platforms like Regain for support in healing from an eating disorder. Because of the shame many people feel as a result of keeping an eating disorder secret, they may fear that anyone – including a mental health practitioner – might judge them for their behavior. While a therapist will always approach a new client with empathy and curiosity (versus judgment and criticism), it is understandable why some people would feel apprehensive about meeting with an in-person therapist.

With online therapy, participants can schedule appointments at times that are convenient for them. Even better, they can send in-the-moment text messages to their counselor. This particular feature may be advantageous when someone with bulimia is striving to stave off a binge/purge cycle and could use a reminder of their tools and capabilities from a helpful and qualified resource. Additionally, you can schedule sessions from any preferred location with safe internet connection.

Online therapists can utilize a variety of methods to assist all kinds of people in overcoming bulimia and other eating disorders. Results showed that participants in both cohorts experienced similar improvements regarding eating disorder symptoms, levels of weight gain, and satisfaction with services. 

If you are curious to learn about others’ experiences with online therapy for eating disorders, consider reading some of the reviews of Regain counselors from satisfied participants below.

Counselor reviews

"My experience with Priscilla has been immensely helpful in better understanding myself and providing me with the tools to see my life and relationships with more clarity and compassion."

"I don't know what I would have done without Harry. I was in a super low place, and I was not sure what my problems were or how to solve them, but he was able to help me get to the bottom of my problems and work through them. Today I am happy and feeling like myself again. He was so easy to talk to and worked with me whenever I needed him. Even on vacation, he took the time to call me and talk through whatever I was going through. I would highly recommend him."

Takeaway

Eating disorders are very common in the United States and across the globe, and is one of the most common psychiatric diseases among women. Battling them is not something to be embarrassed about, but it needs to be addressed as they have serious mental and physical health implications. Get the help you need today.