gnosis of bulimia, in addition to a morbid fear of becoming fat and a distorted body image, are, first, recurrent episodes of eating much more than normal--as many as 20,000 calories in an episode--within a short period of time, usually not more than two hours. This phase is characterized by a profound sense of loss of control. The second criterion is recurrent episodes of some form of compensatory behavior that is designed to prevent weight gain. These episodes of bingeing and purging must take place a minimum of two times per week for three months or longer in order to merit a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa. Among the compensatory behaviors self-induced vomiting is the most common (80-90% of bulimics) but others, such as such as the abuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas, also qualify. This group of behaviors is included under the purging subtype of bulimia nervosa. The second subtype includes those who engage in other types of compensatory behavior such as fasting or extreme levels of exercise. In order to be diagnosed as bulimia, however, none of
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