How do you know you have an eating disorder?

i'm just wondering because i think i might be becoming bulimic. answers please?

Eating Orderly or Eating Disorder?

When you inhale a quart of cookie dough ice cream, a pan of fudge brownies, and four soda pops all in one sitting 鈥?then you know you have a problem. When you then rush off to the bathroom to purge by forcing yourself to throw up, or you use laxatives to rid your body of the calories and fat 鈥?then your problem is more serious and even potentially life-threatening. These are signs of binge eating and bulimia, signs that you鈥檙e unhappy and sad about your body and life. There are other obvious and harmful eating disorders: anorexia or self-starvation, laxative use, compulsive eating, and over-exercising. Some eating disorders are obvious, others less easy to see.

Though society and the media glamorize being thin and beautiful, eating disorders aren鈥檛 all about losing weight. They鈥檙e about unexpressed feelings of fear, anxiety, grief, inadequacy or failure. They鈥檙e efforts to take control in a chaotic life 鈥?desperate attempts to deal with difficult situations and negative feelings. They may start as a way to take control or avoid certain emotions, and then develop into a habit that is incredibly difficult to overcome (but not impossible, so don鈥檛 lose heart!). The feelings that can lead to a full-fledged eating disorder are exacerbated, or made worse, by society鈥檚 standards of beauty and perfection.

There is a huge difference between an eating disorder, which requires diagnosis and treatment, and simply being preoccupied with weight, fitness, and healthy eating. It鈥檚 almost impossible to live in North America and not be concerned with those things, since we鈥檙e as a society obsessed with beauty and perfection. The line between thinking about food and eating in a healthy versus unhealthy manner can be blurry and hard to see. So, how do you know if you have a 鈥渞eal鈥?eating disorder?

You may have an eating disorder if you:
- feel fat even if your weight and BMI is normal
- eat to avoid dealing with feelings, people, or situations
- want to be perfect
- feel bad about yourself, unworthy, or insignificant
- are preoccupied with food, calories, and eating
- eat until you鈥檙e painfully full, and/or purge by using laxatives or vomiting
- don鈥檛 recognize when you鈥檙e truly physically hungry for food
- don鈥檛 eat at all, or eat less than 1,000 calories a day
- are excessively thin or overweight
- exercise all the time

Saying 鈥測es鈥?to one or two of these signs does not necessarily mean you have an eating disorder, but it could indicate that your body image or self-esteem isn鈥檛 very healthy. If you agreed with several of these signs, then you may be predisposed to develop an eating disorder 鈥?or you may already have one. It can be embarrassing and hard to admit you have a problem, especially if you are participating in healthy, normal activities (such as watching your sugar and fat intake, or exercising every day).

Eating disorders are so hard on your body, as well as your emotional, spiritual, social, and intellectual layers. Below are two links to give you more information and resources; please also seek live, in-person help if you suspect you or someone you know has an eating disorder.

People who DON'T have eating disorders don't ask if they have one.

You don't "become" bulimic. If you are vomiting after eating so that you don't gain weight, you ARE bulimic. There is no becoming with that. You are.

Please see your doctor immediately. Bulimics die everyday from organ failure.
FDA researcher
If you have to ask this question then you probably do...
some time you eat more, other time you eat less
http://www.best-diet-food.com
Here is what it is in a nut shell:

Bulimia (buh-LEE-me-ah) nervosa, often called bulimia, is a type of eating disorder. A person with bulimia eats a lot of food in a short amount of time (binges) and then tries to prevent weight gain by getting rid of the food, called purging. Purging might be done by: making yourself throw up
taking laxatives 鈥?pills or liquids that speed up the movement of food through your body and lead to a bowel movement
A person with bulimia may also exercise a lot, eat very little or not at all, or take pills to pass urine to prevent weight gain.

If you do this please seek help.
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder where a person has a fear of becoming fat. People with bulimia binge-eat then make themselves sick and/or use laxatives to help themselves maintain their 'normal' weight.
some symptoms
Binge-eating, self-induced vomiting, and excessive use of laxatives, are usual practices for someone with bulimia.

Women's periods may become irregular or stop. Vomiting may cause tooth decay, bad breath, mouth ulcers, sore throats, stomach disorders and calluses on fingers.

Laxative abuse can cause dehydration, kidney problems, and bowel problems. Mineral deficiency may also occur. Many sufferers also have depression
hope this helps