But generally, when we think about eating disorders, the words Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa spring to mind. You've heard these words batted around for years now, but in simple terms, what do they mean? Just how harmful are they to YOU? Begin with this short quiz…

1. Do you have a fear of being overweight?

2. Do you 'not eat' on a regular basis.

3. When you look into a mirror, do you see an overweight person? If so, do the numbers on your scale indicate that you are in your normal weight range, or over your normal weight range?

4. Do you binge on a regular basis, then purge the food?

5. Do you feel out of control where your weight is concerned?

Did you answer 'yes' to any of those questions? (Okay…no cheating here.) The third question was a bit tricky, and we don't know if you noticed or not, but part of Question #3 was not a 'no or yes' answer. This one took a little more effort.

Now for the fun stuff! What do we do next? Well, if you answered 'yes' to any of the questions, please read on. However, if you answered 'no' to any of the questions, please read on. (There's no easy way out, is there?)

DEFINING THE DIRTY WORDS IN SIMPLE TERMS
Bulimia - gross feeding frenzy, then gross purging by self-induced vomiting to get rid of the food as quickly as possible. Sometimes, large doses of laxative are used. The person who has Bulimia almost always keeps their condition secret.

Gee…doesn't this sound lovely?

Calculating the Damage:

• PAIN: dehydration as well as potassium depletion which in turn causes weakness and cramps

• STAINS: stained teeth from the 'purge'

• DARK RAIN: depression

• DEATH TRAIN: the 'victim' may become suicidal

So what causes Bulimia? (This was a shocking discovery to us! Hook your seatbelt for this one…)
- Bulimia is generally caused from Anorexia Nervosa. YIKES!!! This is the low-down. A person who is Anorexic has eaten very, very sparsely for years on end, and may develop a constant craving for food and begin to binge. Then the fear of becoming overweight causes them to do a self-purge.
- Occasionally, Bulimia will occur in a person without a history of Anorexia.

So, what is Anorexia Nervosa? Well, let's just find out!
Anorexia Nervosa is an intense fear of being overweight and is also known as the 'slimming disease'. An individual experiences severe weight loss and has a distorted body image. Sometimes sufferers of Anorexia actually see themselves as overweight when in fact they are normal weight.

Calculating the Damage:

• DEATH CAN OCCUR (This is serious, guys - we aren't talking Death by Chocolate here, either. This is the big one - the Big Kahuna with no turning back.)

• THINNING OF HAIR - (the Kojak Syndrome)

• WEAKNESS - Too tired to shop or shoot hoops.

• VANISHING PERIODS - Yes, we know this sounds like a plus, but this is merely a deception. Remember that anything too good generally isn't. (Does that make sense?) Nonetheless, 'under eating' will totally confuse your harmones. This is 'bad karma' at its worst!

• VITAL ORGAN DAMAGE - It's what you can't see that can hurt you. Think of this example: You have a plant, so you put it into a BEAUTIFUL container. You continually admire this beautiful container. As time goes by, you are so busy admiring the beautiful container that you don't water your plant or give it plant food. Soon, the plant withers. The roots began to rot. The poor little plant begins to shrink from lack of nutrients and slowly sinks into the soil. The plant dies. In this case, it's not a biggie. You can just go buy another plant to take its place. However, in real life, we are the beautiful container and our little insides cannot be replaced. The bottom line is that root rot kills.

SUMMING IT UP - What to do.
The first step is to recognize and admit that you are in trouble and that you need a little help.

If you are suffering from Bulimia or Anorexia Nervosa, please, please - pretty please with sugar and butter and cinnamon on it - get someone to help you.

If you are afraid to get help, or if you don't have anyone that you feel will help you without coming down hard on you, then please leave a message at Diet Bites. Tom and I promise to contact you. We PERSONALLY answer ALL comments and questions. Your comments and questions are always kept confidential when requested.

If you know someone that you think is suffering from Bulimia or Anorexia Nervosa, for gosh sakes, DO NOT condemn or criticize this person. So, what can you do?

• UNDERSTAND BY LISTENING!!!! One cannot learn with an open mouth.

• LOVE

• ATTENTION

• PATIENCE

Help make a plan for 'recovery'. You'll want to get your physician included on this one. One note that's 'sad but so': Finding a good doctor these days is a HUGE challenge. Most tend to run people in and out of their offices like cattle, giving a total new meaning to 'Rawhide'. You may have to search a while, but when you finally locate a good doctor, you've got a GEM!!!