The Disorder of Eating Disorders

OK... This entry is a bit graphic... Just want to prepare you to step into the shoes of a bulimic... Well, at least, my experience as a bulimic... This is also an excerpt from my latest book, How Much Does Your Soul Weigh? (HarperCollins, 2003), p. 43:

"A half-eaten carton of ice cream, the leftover crusts from an entire deep-dish pizza, an empty box of pop-tarts, a portion of a two-liter bottle of diet soda, a few cookies, and crumbs all over the coffee table, couch and floor. This is all that remains as I continue with my hour-long binge and purge ritual. It’s a familiar routine. I eat so much that I can barely walk to the kitchen, where I lean over the sink and put my right index finger down my throat, forcing myself to throw up just enough food so that I can go back and eat more. “What are ya doin’?” asks Peppy, my parakeet, as I shove more cookies and ice cream in my mouth. “Shut up,” I scream back at him. Until finally, I can’t stand the thought of stuffing anything else down. Now, it’s time to vomit until I get everything out. Get rid of it all. I drink more diet soda to make the vomiting easier. I throw up as much as I can, praying that my esophagus doesn’t rupture in the process..."

Yeah, that was my life. Pretty much every day. Often more than once a day. Many people think that bulimia is "the answer," because you can eat all you want and stay thin. Have your cake and eat it too, then puke it up and stay thin too. Well, I never found that to be true. Here's why. Research shows that a bulimic's body still absorbs about 80% of the calories consumed during a binge. Sooooooo... If you want to have your cake and eat it too, then just have your cake and eat it too...