Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by recurrent and frequent episodes of binge eating—i.e., unusually large amounts of food consumed in a short time—and a feeling that one lacks control over eating. A bulimic can consume as much as 3,400 calories in little more than an hour, and as much as 20,000 calories in eight hours.
People with bulimia often know they have a problem and are afraid of their inability to stop eating. Binging is then followed by purging—namely, self-induced vomiting or the abuse of diuretics or laxatives. Binging and purging are often performed in secret, with feelings of shame alternating with relief.
