In today's world of social media, exercise bulimia has become much more prevalent. With endless 'perfect' celebrity selfies, men and women are feeling the pressure to look a certain way, though we are not reminded enough that most of those photos use filters and photo editing.
Exercise bulimia is a subset of bulimia where a person exercises excessively to burn calories that they have consumed. If a person is using exercise as a means to 'purge' any ingested calories, then they have exercise bulimia and should seek treatment. The characteristics of exercise bulimia are similar to bulimia nervosa.
Exercise bulimia is due to a combination of psychological, societal and physical factors which include:
Typically bulimics purge their food by vomiting or using laxatives. In the case of exercise bulimia, people will choose to purge caloric intake by way of over-exercising.
Here are a few key signs and symptoms to look for in someone who has exercise bulimia:
There are numerous complications caused by exercise bulimia which affect everything from your physical to psychological health. One of the more serious complications that over-exercise can cause is the abnormal remodeling of the heart, according to a study published by researchers in 2012.
Following are some of the complications that can result from over-exercising:
Exercise bulimia is a treatable disorder, so if you suspect that you have exercise bulimia, it is important to seek help. The first step in treating exercise bulimia is communicating that you have a problem.
There are several sources for treatment:
Source: Healthline, Eating Disorder Hope, Body Whys
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