Preoccupation with food and irresistible cravings: causes and symptoms of bulimia, personal experience and doctor's opinion

certified nutritionist-dietitologist, member of the International Association of Nutritionists

At one time I was on diets, I was obsessed with my figure. I was horrified when my weight increased. At one point my psyche simply began to put my weight and female attractiveness on the same level. Like if I didn’t lose weight, men wouldn’t like me. I ended up with bulimia, which “paralyzed” me for three years.

This is a disorder of eating, which is characterized by repeated bouts of overeating and forced cleansing of the stomach by inducing vomiting, using laxatives, forced exercise.

She could eat a really large amount at a time: for example, half a torta, chocolate and a large burger or large fries, cheeseburger, ice cream, shrimp in batter, milkshake. After that, I would induce vomiting. Blamed myself, went back on the diet until the next breakdown. And so on and so forth.

Bulimia diet, when I restricted myself in food, was like this:

coffee for breakfast;
lunch an egg;
salad or kefir for dinner.

At first I was happy that I could eat a lot of junk food and not gain too much. I thought it was the perfect way to cheat my body, but then everything turned into a nightmare. I started to eat literally until my stomach hurt, my daily ration was about the same as a person with a weight of 200 kg. I couldn’t stop myself, and then I cried because I was so weak.

Nevertheless, I did not go to a doctor, because it is not customary to talk about eating disorders, and I was afraid to go anywhere and admit that I had problems with eating behavior. I was helped by studying neurobiology, psychology, my love of learning, my own resilience and tendency to stand my ground.

Thanks to the ability to work with my psyche, I even quit smoking. It’s a very powerful tool. I stopped blaming myself for eating, got rid of the urge to vomit, and started listening to my true desires more often. When I wanted to eat, I distracted myself with a walk or other activity. Also, I was helped by the method of realizing my own value, where I wrote out a hundred of my achievements and praised myself for it.

But it is not always possible to deal with RPP on your own. A psychiatrist usually works with it, it’s important.

Now I talk openly about my experience, I give myself permission to snap and live my overeating in peace. I no longer let my emotions take over and always prioritize myself and my health, longevity and well-being. I have a balanced diet now, I’m studying to become a nutritionist and now I help others.

Now my diet looks like this:

for breakfast porridge on milk, a piece of chocolate, coffee or tea;

for lunch, protein, carbohydrates and vegetables (e.g. beef, vegetable salad and rice);

cottage cheese for dinner.

Doctor’s opinion

nutritionist, gastroenterologist, candidate of medical sciences, clinical pharmacologist

Bulimia is an eating disorder that can be caused by a variety of factors: from stress to taking medications and physiological diseases.

Reducing the diet to eggs, salad and kefir, as in the case of the heroine, leads not only to a calorie deficit and slower weight loss due to energy conservation. Such a diet for even the first week can harm the gastric mucosa and cause a deficiency of nutrients. And because of the subsequent overeating provided blood sugar spikes, insulin resistance (low sensitivity to insulin) and hormonal failures.

In this case, bulimia is caused by hypercontrol. This is why I never advise patients to restrict their diet and count calories, because it often turns into an unhealthy race.

Very true to the girl’s point that in this case, 50% of success depends on proper head work. Another 50% is choosing a diet and supplements that can help you eat less. For example, magnesium, the deficiency of which causes attacks of “what would be a snack”. But here it is important to consult a doctor.

As for the new diet of the heroine, of course, it is much more complete than the original, but still insufficient.

Breakfast I recommend fats and protein, carbohydrates a little, preferably without sugar and fruit.
For lunch – fiber, spices, protein, carbs.
For dinner – fiber and protein.

For each person the set of foods will be different, because we digest the same foods differently. I’m all for variety and fullness, without reducing portion size.