Having had bulimia for 20 years I know firsthand that people with bulimia are very good at what I call "hiding out" - hiding their binging and purging and even hiding themselves from the world. I've read many bulimia stories and they all talk about how efficient they became at hiding their behaviors and preventing people close to them from detecting the telltale signs and symptoms of bulimia.
Often in the beginning bulimics hide their overeating because they want to lose or maintain their ideal weight, but want to eat foods they enjoy. Unfortunately, it becomes a slippery slope. In time, they find themselves with more reasons to hide out. Their secret makes them feel ashamed and lonely because they don't feel comfortable telling anyone. The hiding out causes them to isolate themselves physically, emotionally and from life really. This is why so many bulimia stories are about women who feel very alone in their battle to overcome bulimia.
Masters of disguise and deception
The practice of bulimia involves eating massive quantities of food and purging it from the body. Purging is most often thought of as vomiting, but it can also include laxative abuse and over exercise. Bulimics don't want people to know they bought a dozen donuts and/or two gallons of ice cream and it's all gone. So, they use various strategies to avoid detection.
You may know someone with bulimia and not even realize it. Outwardly bulimics look healthy, often maintaining an ideal or normal body weight. Their physical appearance won't give them away like someone with anorexia who is more often underweight.
Bulimics often eat a very healthy diet and watch their calories carefully (in fact they are often compulsive about nutrition). It's the hidden eating when no one is around that leads to their purging. Bulimics can consume double, triple, or even quadruple the normal amount of calories you would in a single sitting.
If you suspect someone you know has bulimia you may think to look for purging behavior by watching to see if they go to the bathroom immediately after a meal. But it isn't always the toilet where they purge their food if they're trying to avoid detection. They could use Tupperware jars under their bed, plastic bags in their car, or even the bushes in the backyard. Whatever they have to do to avoid someone detecting their signs of bulimia is what they'll do.
Everyday isolation
Whether their isolation is deliberately contrived or incidental doesn't matter. The fact is that this isolation has bitter consequences. The hidden nature of this addiction keeps bulimics from being with people. They may go about their day and be around people, but the shame and guilt they carry with them in every moment is a hidden barrier between them and the rest of the world. Their blanket of fear of anyone finding out possess their every move, every action and is a constant obsession.
There are so many bulimia stories about women in recovery wishing that their friends or family had known sooner about their eating disorder. The hiding, isolation and shroud of secrecy falsely serves their purpose. Ask any recovered bulimic if all the years of guilt, shame, loneliness and fear were worth it and they'll say no. Giving up happiness and connection to people is a costly price bulimics pay to avoid dealing with life.
Read real life stories of women who battled bulimia and won. Start to learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of bulimia so you can help a loved one if you suspect they may have bulimia.
Polly Mertens is an online pioneer in the eating disorder recovery community. She recovered from bulimia after 20 years and it's her mission to help others recover, too. Read her amazing recovery story at http://www.help-with-bulimia.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Polly_Mertens
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