Bulimia Versus Binge Eating: It's the Same Thing, Isn't It? You Can Stop Right Now!

Bulimia versus Binge eating? What's the difference?

The only real difference between a bulimic and a binge eater is that the bulimic has a rule that they mustn't go over a certain weight, so use the process or purging as a method of maintaining their weight. A bulimic usually only allows themselves to be ½ stone heavier than their perceived ideal weight, although to them this isn't the weight they want to be, they dream of being their perfect weight but are stuck on the binge-eating and bulimic merry-go-round and can't break free.

With bulimia its difficult to connect to the end wretched feeling of how it feels over time once the feeding frenzied behaviour has stopped, then the unpleasantness they have to go through to get rid of all the food is the next step in the process for the bulimic to endure.

The dots are never joined up with the first thought triggered in the mind, lets have a binge. At first it seems like a good idea to be able to eat anything and then sick it up but then, like an addiction it takes over so now the person is compelled to follow the bulimic behaviour of overeating then purging - they have no choice. With all the guilt disappointment and misery that accompany it, it does nothing for the persons Self Esteem.

Contrary to popular belief even people with high Self Esteem end up stuck in the binging cycle which then can lower their esteem especially if they find themselves taking food back out of the garbage to eat or other unsavoury behaviours.

The initial pleasurable thought of ''Let's have a binge'' with the internal movie of how brilliant this will be in this instant to have all the yummy food that they never allow themselves to have when they are trying to be ''Good'' of course all of this is an incomplete picture, and until they can break this cycle of only seeing the initial enjoyment up front of the idea of gorging on all the food that they would normally deny themselves, then this behaviour with all it's unpleasantness is set to continue again and again.

They have totally disconnected with how it feels to feel bloated in the overstuffed phase then the pain of purging it all out. Like a drug addict they don't connect with the come-down afterwards upfront, in fact it feels as powerful as any drug addiction does with much of the food chosen for a binge being highly processed sugary, starchy or fatty food, this also can unbalance the bodies delicate systems and knock everything out of kilter.

There are many ways to halt a binge, a simple phrase asked at the beginning of the idea to binge can help stop it in it's tracks, the phrase is ''How will it feel over time?'' or a longer version ''If I eat this now how will it feel over time and is it worth it?''

I recommend writing post it note (or even poster sized notes) and putting this question everywhere, especially on the fridge and on kitchen cupboards.What will happen is to begin with the person may still binge but the difference being is the consequences of that decision will slap them in their face immediately after the binge and help with the realization it wasn't all that good having to go through the pain of getting the food back out again afterwards therefore the next time their brain suggests ''have a binge'' they have the memory installed of the previous time of it not being worth it, this will help break this self-destructive cycle.

I have many more simple strategies that can help bulimic's and binge eaters to learn to eat like a lean healthy happy person does and finally be at peace with food and themselves.
The author too suffered from bulimia and binge eating for nearly 15 years and have been free of it for nearly 15 years now if you'd like to find out more please feel free to visit my website.

Debbie Williams

Debbie S Williams NLP Trainer and Hypnotherapist and producer of self help hypnosis recordings and free tips booklets available from http://www.stopbulimia.co.uk and http://www.debbiewilliamsassociates.co.uk
Debbie specializes in helping people with eating disorders and processing emotions that sometimes drive a compulsion to overeat.
Having been overweight herself as a child and then suffering from bulimia and binge eating for nearly 15 years she has been free for nearly 15 years now and has done it by studying meticulously what lean healthy happy people seem to be able to do naturally.
Debbie has turned the lessons she has learned into products where you can have the benefit of a therapy session for the fraction of the cost of a one to one.

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