is induced vomiting always bad for you?

[Anonymous]

Please don't flame me-- this is not a pro-bulemia screed. But can someone explain to me whether/why induced vomiting is always a terrible thing? I ask b/c I am in one of those jobs where you're frequnetly having to eat way too much food you really don't want, in circumstances where declining/nibbling would be considered terribly rude. I am normal weight (135 bs and 5'5") and normal BMI and have no particular obsession with losing weight, but neither do I want to gain a ton b/c I am stuck eating for work, as it were. My occasional solution, when I have just forced down the fifth meal of the day, is the old "disappear politely to the rest room and induce vomiting." Works for all: I don't get stick with an unwanted extra thousand calories, and my hosts, none the wiser, aren't offended.

So I mentioned this to a friend, who looked ready to cart me off for involuntary committal at an eating disorders clinic. I honestly can't see why this is so horrible, though: it's not a daily thing, it's an every few weeks when I've been involuntarily stuffed to the gills thing. Am I nuts/is this truly horrific and dangerous?

[Anonymous]

I hope not because I've done it for years. Not frequently, but maybe once every month or two when I feel disgustingly full. It can't be great, acid-wise, but if it's infrequent I don't think it's a big deal.

[Anonymous]

It tears up your esophagus and rots your teeth. Doing this with such frequency is not at all normal or good for you.

[Anonymous]

OMG! Stop with the denial both of you!

You both have a problem. Puking when you're not actually with a bug (no matter if it's about body image or not) is a disease. Please go seek help.

I don't understand what kind of job is more important than your health. Do you mind sharing what kind of job would make you eat compulsively to be able to fulfill the job description?

The damage of forcefully throwing up will build up in your system. The acid burns the enamel of your teeth (which cannot be repaired), you desensitize your gag reflex (it will lead to you puking easier and easier making the behavior less disturbing what you'll make you think it's OK to keep puking and it will lead you to do it more often since you're so comfortable with it. In the end you'll be comfortable eating more and more and throwing up more and more often).

Here is a quick list of all that can go wrong as you keep doing it:
Chronic gastric reflux
Dehydration and hypokalemia
Electrolyte imbalance, which can lead to cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, and even death
Esophagitis
Oral trauma, in which repetitive insertion of fingers or other objects causes lacerations to the lining of the mouth or throat
Gastroparesis
Constipation
Infertility
Enlarged glands in the neck, under the jaw line
Peptic ulcers
Calluses or scars on back of hands due to repeated trauma from your teeth
Constant weight fluctuations
The frequent contact between teeth and gastric acid, in particular, may cause:
Severe dental erosion
Perimolysis
Swollen salivary glands

Not even to mention that you can be caught doing it and down the toilet your credibility/image goes.

Please seek help!

[Anonymous]

What job do you have where you have to eat food you don't want?
You need to learn the difference between sampling food vs eating the entire thing. Sampling is different than nibbling, and it is not considered rude at all. You don't need to be a member of the clean plate club!

[Anonymous]

The problem is that it is addictive and can easily turn into a major issue. It will screw up your appetite bc when you throw up, your hunger increases and starts to get out of control. This makes you eat again, and then you are likely to throw up.

Also having a secretive bad habit creates emotional distance from others, causing you to withdraw, leading to loneliness, emotional eating, and throwing up some more.

What you are describing is similar to how it started for me. I never thought it was a problem either, not for a long time.

[Anonymous]

I have yet to see a job where you HAVE to eat too much. The only thing I can think of even remotely close is vodka drinking when dealing with Russians. But food? No.

I think you are creating your excuse for the overeating.

[Anonymous]

um. yes. it is always bad for you.

[Anonymous]

Always bad. Even non-induced vomiting is bad for you - your body is not made to regurgitate food and has no protections in place to guard against acid, etc. Consider that when vomiting, the acid that is passing over your unprotected esophagus, mouth and teeth is the same acid that is capable of digesting meat - but in this case, the meat/tissue of your own body.

And as for whether this is an emotional/psychological concern as well: yes, definitely. From someone who has been there and thought at the time that it was no big deal. It IS a big deal - self induced vomiting is never a healthy behavior, physically or mentally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please don't flame me-- this is not a pro-bulemia screed. But can someone explain to me whether/why induced vomiting is always a terrible thing? I ask b/c I am in one of those jobs where you're frequnetly having to eat way too much food you really don't want, in circumstances where declining/nibbling would be considered terribly rude. I am normal weight (135 bs and 5'5") and normal BMI and have no particular obsession with losing weight, but neither do I want to gain a ton b/c I am stuck eating for work, as it were. My occasional solution, when I have just forced down the fifth meal of the day, is the old "disappear politely to the rest room and induce vomiting." Works for all: I don't get stick with an unwanted extra thousand calories, and my hosts, none the wiser, aren't offended.

So I mentioned this to a friend, who looked ready to cart me off for involuntary committal at an eating disorders clinic. I honestly can't see why this is so horrible, though: it's not a daily thing, it's an every few weeks when I've been involuntarily stuffed to the gills thing. Am I nuts/is this truly horrific and dangerous?

Yes, it can kill you because it is very bad for your heart. Also, what kind of job requires you to eat too much? I'm saying this is probably a troll.

[Anonymous]

In college I used to induce vomiting just "once in a while" after I had pigged out in the dining hall or on pizza. It quickly went from being once every couple of weeks to a few times a week. And then one time my heart wacked out, and I thought i was having a heart attack. Nothing - and certainly not the prospect of gaining a few extra pounds - is worth that. I swear.

I suggest you simply start ordering salads. I became a vegetarian two years ago, and now no one expects me to eat what (or the amount, for that matter) they eat anymore.

Good luck, OP.

[Anonymous]

I've only done this a few times in life when I drank wayy too much.

I have a job where drinking (alcohol) and eating are a huge part of networking and the culture. I have learned when to nibble and how to skip food altogether. The gift of gab and standing with a small plate or drink while not actually consuming much of anything has worked very well.

[Anonymous]

As 1:08 pointed out, the problem with this "back-up plan" is that it has a tendency to go from your quick fixer upper when you've had too much to eat, to something you rely on, to something you look forward to because there's going to be fattening food, to something you do every time you have desert, to something you build your day around, to something that traps you in a daily cycle of eating and vomiting...up to ten times a day.

How do I know this? I was once just "topping off" in the bathroom when I "had" to eat too much. Honey, no one has to eat a thousand extra calories too much. And no one has to vomit up those extra calories. There are alternatives, like eating less the next day, or getting on the planning committee and having stuff there that you can eat. Or eating well and fully and satisfyingly the day of the event so that you don't go there starving.

BTW, you could pass out on the way home and crash your car, from low blood sugar. Or pass out at the event. Or have a seizure. Or look forward to at least five root canals. That's around $18,000. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's worse than saying 'no thank you' or masking your reasonable consumption by nursing a drink/virgin beverage/meal.

Just eat/drink slowly. Allow to linger. In the case of drinks, no need to comment -- just coddle and nurse. In the case of food, praise the cook and the meal's deliciousness to high heaven and remark something about "if only I could eat as much as I wanted to of XYZ without growing out of my wardrobe!" (You can come up with something more clever than this, I'm sure. )

[Anonymous]

Are you a food taster or critic? Do not consider vomiting as a solution!