Let’s Talk About Purging

[Listen to an audio version of this blog HERE.]

When people think of eating disorders, they usually think of Anorexia Nervosa (extreme restriction) or Bulimia Nervosa (binging and purging). More than likely, someone with a long history of disordered eating may experience both. My eating disorder started as restriction and grew into purging via vomiting and excessive exercise. Purging is a behavior to induce weight loss or manipulate body shape. Purging can mean a number of things, including: self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or medications, or excessive exercise.

I’ve been beating the dead horse of eating disorders for years now. I’m passionate about raising awareness not only because I suffered but because eating disorders are among the deadliest mental health conditions, with someone in the U.S. dying every 52 minutes due to an eating disorder. In a world that is focused on food, body size, diet, and pleasure, it is no wonder that eating disorders are not uncommon. We are both a nation obsessed with and fearful of food. Wild, right?

I remember the first time I purged so clearly that every detail is engraved in my brain. The heavy porcelain toilet in my parent’s farmhouse. The pink tile on the walls, the small stain on the white, patterned tile. The cheerios and bananas that came up. The water running in the bathtub behind me to cover up…