THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST!!! The symptoms/complications are in alphabetical order with both phyisical and behavioral symptoms mixed. The ones in purple are the physical symptoms and the ones in green are the psychological/behavioral.
Symptoms and complications listed are for anorexia, bulimia, and EDNOS. Not listed are: binge eating disorder, anorexia athletica, over-exercise, night eating, overeating, orthorexia. I will get more information on those and add them later. For now there are just three types listed. Symptoms and complications specific to bulimia will have this symbol ♦ in front of it Symptoms and complications specific to anorexia will have this symbol ♣ in front of it. Though a symptom may be specified to one eating disorder or the other, it can still exist in someone without that specific disorder.
Abnormal blood counts
Abnormal eating rituals (cuts food up small, moves food on plate but doesn't eat it)
Absence of menstruation or becoming shorter and lighter
♦Acid reflux or ulcers
♦Alternating between overeating and fasting
Anemias----{ a condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells, in hemoglobin, or in total volume}
Angry when confronted about food or weight
Anxiety when eating in front of other people
Avoidance of social situations where food may be present
Avoids or skips meals regularly
Bathroom visits after meals
Becoming withdrawn
Believing too fat even when thin
Brittle nails
♦ Binge eating
Bloating
Bluish discoloration of the fingers
Bone loss
♣Breast atrophy--------{a wasting away of an organ or part, or a failure to grow to normal size as the result of disease, faulty nutrition, etc. any degeneration or
diminution, esp through lack of use}
♦Broken blood vessels in the eyes
Cardiac arrest and death
Chest pain
♦ Chronic sore throat, hoarseness
♣ Cold hands and feet
Complaining of being "too fat", even when thin
Compulsive exercising
Concern about being overweight
Constipation
Controlling behavior
♣Cooks for others but does not eat herself
♦Decayed teeth
Decreased metabolic rate
Dehydration
Denial of hunger
♣Denial of low body weight
Denial that they are ill
Depression
Desire to lose weight
Difficulty concentrating
Distortion of body image
♦Diuretic use (increases amount of urination)
Dizziness
Dry skin
♦Eating until they become sick
Edema (water retention)
♣Electrolyte imbalances
Emaciation
♦Esophagus inflammation - from purging or vomiting
Exercise more than 1 hour a day 3 to 4 days a week to control weight
Excessive thirst
Excessive preoccupation with food
Excessive urination
♣Excessive weight loss
Excuses for not eating meals (ie. ate earlier, not feeling well)
Exhibits an obvious reduction in eating
Exhibits fear or anxiety before eating, and guilt after eating.
♣Extreme weight loss
♣Fainting
Fatigue
Fear of gaining weight
♦Fear that once they start eating they won't be able to stop
Feeling out of control
Feeling that happiness is undeserved
Frequently looking in the mirror
♣Find it difficult to consume a full normal portion of food (if it is due to fear of consuming it then it is behavioral however sometimes, especially in anorexia, the body gets used to eating small portions and can not take in a normal amount of food making it physical)
Guilt or shame about eating
♦Going to the kitchen after everyone else has gone to bed. Going out alone on unexpected food runs. Wanting to eat in privacy.
Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
♦Hand injuries from inducing vomiting
Headaches
Heart palpitations
♦hides food
Hollow-looking eyes
Hyperactivity
Ignoring feelings of hunger
Inability to remember things
♦Inability to stop eating. Eating until the point of physical discomfort and pain.
Inability to tell whether or not they are full or hungry. The body's natural mechanisms for indicating hunger or satiety are disturbed.
♣individual ribs and hip bones visible
Inflicting self-harm
Insecurities about capabilities regardless of actual performance
Insomnia
♣Intentional starvation
Intense body dissatisfaction
Interpersonal conflicts
♣Intolerance of cold
Irregular heart rhythms
Irritability
Infertility
Kidney and liver damage
Labeling food as either 'good' or 'bad' with generally an increased urge to binge on
'bad' foods.
Lack of energy
Lack of sexual interest
Light-headedness
Loss of body fat
Low blood pressure
♣Low body temperature
♣Low body weight.
Low potassium (most common cause of nocturnal cardiac arrest)
Low self-esteem
Low thyroid function
Malnutrition
Mood swing
♣Muscle atrophy (wasting away of muscle mainly due to lack of use and/or lack of nutrition)
No known physical illness that would explain weight loss
Not feeling pain as you normally would.
Need for approval
Not wanting or refusing to eat in public
Noticeable discomfort around food
Obsession with weight
Obsessive-compulsive behavior
Obsessiveness about calorie intake
Osteoporosis
Pale complexion (almost a pasty look)
Perfectionist attitude
Playing with food
Preoccupation with tidiness
Preoccupation with food and calorie intake
Problems getting along with family members/long-time friends
Purplish skin color on the arms and legs from poor blood circulation.
♦Puffy “chipmunk” cheeks
Refusing to eat
♦Regular episodes of out-of-control binge eating
Repeatedly checking weight
♦Repeatedly eating large amounts of food in a short period of time
Resistance to treatment
Restricting food choices to only diet foods
Rigid eating schedule
♦Ruptured stomach or esophagus
Secretive about eating patterns
Self-worth is determined by food intake
Self-worth determined by weight
Severe self-criticism
Shortness of breath
Skin problems
Slow emptying of the stomach.
Slow heartbeat (fewer than 60 beats a minute).
♣Soft, downy hair covering the body
Stomach pains
suicidal tendencies
Swelling of arms or legs
Tiredness
Thin appearance
Throws out food to avoid eating it
Under-eating
Vulnerable to infections
Weakness
Wearing baggy clothes to hide weight loss
Wearing layered clothing - used to hide weight loss
Weighing foods
Withdrawal from friends, family and social situations
Won't eat in front of others
Yellow-orange skin, especially on the palms of the hands.
Low body weight and problems associated with that are commonly symptoms of anorexia however, bulimics can be underweight too. The reason it is not so readily connected to bulimia is because bulimics are known for binging and purging which does not lead to any signifigant weight loss.
Why does purging not lead to great weight loss????
Purging isn’t effective at getting rid of calories, which is why most people suffering with bulimia end up gaining weight over time. Vomiting immediately after eating will only eliminate 50% of the calories consumed at best—and usually much less. This is because calorie absorption begins the moment you put food in the mouth. Laxatives and diuretics are even less effective. Laxatives get rid of only 10% of the calories eaten, and diuretics do nothing at all. You may weigh less after taking them, but that lower number on the scale is due to water loss, not true weight loss.
For more information on why purging is inafective in causing weight loss, visit some of these sites.
IN NO WAY.. am I trying to downgrade bulimia. This blog is purely for dispersing information to the public. Bulimia is just as dangerous as anorexia and other eating disorders but for different reasons. The damage done by bulimia is not usually due to weight loss but instead the purging and eating habits.
When you vomit, your stomach contents leave your stomach and travels back up the esophagus passed the pharynx, and out through the oral cavity. This can tear up your insides cause your body to become unstable and have life lasting affects. NO EATING DISORDER IS WORSE THAN THE OTHER.
you can check out some of these sites as well.
