This heartfelt story was sent to me via email.  With the author’s permission, I’m reprinting it here in its entirety so everyone can see how devastating bulimia is to the sufferer and his/her family and friends.
I am the mother of an 24 year old daughter with an ED (1.bulimia..binge eating..and sometimes falls into the anorexic trap)…..she has been in recovery for at least 3 years…she has been under the influence of her ED for about 14 years give or take a day???
I really can’t remember when I knew she had an ED…or found out about it. Maybe a couple years …read more

I may paint a seemingly-bleak picture of my eating disordered teen years, but as I look back, all was not terrible.  In fact, there were some reasonable times when I abandoned my anorexic ways for a few weeks… but I would always return to them.
Eighth grade, the first year of my “official” ana status (in my opinion), was exciting but always somewhat overwhelming.  I was quickly losing weight, but confidence in my appearance wasn’t occurring simultaneously.  That school year was definitely spent experimenting with different ways to starve, hide food, avoid eating, and the like.
The next year, ninth grade, was …read more

I recently received an email from a graduate student who has put together a survey regarding eating disorders.  A snippet of her message to me goes as follows:
My name is Colleen Schreyer and I am a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
As part of my master’s thesis, I am collecting data on individuals who have engaged in binge eating. I am hoping to collect survey information from large groups of people to provide a more accurate picture of binge eating and how
people feel about their relationship with food.
The survey takes approximately 30 minutes, and …read more

Yesterday, I asked readers to send me questions they would ask of someone with an eating disorder. 
The first question I received is:

Do anorexics secretly (or not so secretly) really think less of bulimics? Or binge eaters?

I think it’s a fair inquiry and I encourage you to reply in the comments section. 
Honestly, when I was actively restricting, I didn’t even think of bulimia or binge eating.  It wasn’t “my thing” and I was too self-absorbed to worry about what someone else was doing.  But I’ve heard that there is indeed some “class warfare” among different ED sufferers.  (Want to read some …read more

One of the “themes” running through most eating disorders is a general dislike of and disdain for one’s body. Certainly, this stems from psychological issues; eating disorders are not the fault of the body. However, the body ultimately pays the price.
Therefore, I suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising that plenty of women and men with eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating turn to self-mutilation.
Don’t believe me? Just head to any pro-ana or pro-mia discussion board. (Or don’t – I wouldn’t want them to trigger any latent EDs.) The subject of “cutting” appears far more frequently than you …read more

You’re a parent and you’re concerned about eating disorders.
I understand.  I’m a parent, too, and I’ve battled anorexia as both a teen and an adult.
To help you gain an understanding of how insipid anorexia, bulimia and binge eating can be, I’ve compiled a list of eight warning signs that an eating disorder could be on the horizon.
1.  Your child constantly complains of being “fat”.
I don’t care if your child IS currently overweight — do not ignore this sign!  If all your kid talks about is how big he or she feels, it’s a problem.  And even if your son or daughter …read more

I’m noticing that the poll at the sidebar is showing that plenty of readers are currently engaged in bulimic behavior.
Obviously, that’s not healthy.  But it’s not surprising, either; this is an eating disorder recovery community, after all!
Consequently, far be it from me to judge.  However, I do have a question for those who binge and purge (or simply binge):

What’s your binge food of choice?

If you feel that’s too sensitive an area to talk about, I understand.  But as a recovering/former anorexic, I have always been curious about bulimia.  Do you eat whatever you can?  Or do you tend to eat …read more

This is a post I’ve considered writing for a while now.  It has to do with parents ignoring the warning signs and symptoms of eating disorders in their children.
I always ask myself, “Why didn’t the mom/dad know?  Why didn’t she/he do anything?”  See, I’ve witnessed a lot of parents turning a blind eye to anorexia, bulimia and binge eating in their kids. 
I have some personal theories on the subject that I’d like to share.  They aren’t definitive by any means, of course, but are only thoughts.  Feel free to share yours, too.
1.  They don’t understand what an eating disorder is.  This …read more

Which is worse:  Anorexia, Bulimia or Binge Eating?  Why?
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I’ve had plenty of dumba&* advice over the years, including:

“If you’d just eat, you’d get over this thing.”
“Just stop thinking about it and it’ll go away.”
“Be logical — stop thinking emotionally.”

What really stupid advice have you gotten for your anorexia, bulimia, EDNOS or binge eating?