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If you've decided the time is right to enter treatment for your eating disorder, you're probably wondering what the process will look like. While seeking out treatment for an eating disorder like bulimia nervosa (BN) may be one of the best decisions you'll make, it's not an easy process that happens overnight. The bulimia recovery stages are all part of the treatment and healing process.
Recovery from bulimia nervosa, or another eating disorder, is rarely a linear process. Although lapses into your disordered eating behaviors are incredibly frustrating, they do not negate your hard work and may provide valuable insights toward your continued recovery.
There is no set time for recovery from bulimia nervosa and it's not unusual for recovery to slow or stall. The pace and nature of recovery depend on your individual circumstances, including the patterns of your bulimia nervosa symptoms, co-existing medical conditions, and more.
While navigating your relationship with food and your body is a lifelong process, by seeking professional help, you can learn strategies to help you cope with your negative thoughts and emotions without resorting to eating disorder behaviors (i.e., binging and purging). Plus, aftercare support is there for you should you suffer setbacks.
Recovery from bulimia nervosa can be a long process, and many people benefit from the help of a multidisciplinary team of professionals and the support of family and friends.
It's common for those living with bulimia nervosa to be unsure about their progress or for loved ones to feel disengaged from the recovery process. These potential stumbling blocks can lead to feelings of ambivalence toward recovery and difficulty with remaining engaged in the process. Therefore researchers developed models to help explain the stages of eating disorder recovery, including the bulimia recovery stages.
While the stages of change model isn't perfect, as bulimia nervosa recovery looks different for everyone, it can provide an insight into the recovery process and how the definition of "recovery" changes throughout the cycle.
While recovery from bulimia nervosa - or any other eating disorder - is highly personalized and varied, in general, it includes five key elements:3
Nutritional recovery involves restoring regular eating patterns, eating an appropriate amount of food to meet individual needs, eating various foods from all food groups, and learning to recognize and respond to the body's hunger and satiety cues.
This component of recovery also typically involves learning to eat with flexibility, as well as eating socially and for pleasure and enjoyment.
Nutritional recovery will look different for everyone due to various factors, including:
Physical recovery is generally associated with the physical health complications caused by your eating disorders and addressing issues of malnutrition.
Improvements in vital signs, such as body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, may also form a part of physical recovery, as can improving gastrointestinal and hormonal function and health.
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Helping heal someone with bulimia nervosa psychologically is just as important as healing them physically. People with eating disorders often experience psychological symptoms, including anxiety and depression, as well as low feelings of self-worth, typically linked to a poor self-image.
It's not uncommon for those with bulimia nervosa to suffer from co-existing psychological conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and mood disorders, which will also be addressed concurrently with the treatment of eating disorder symptoms by a mental health professional.
People with bulimia nervosa will often also get support in making functional improvements in their life as they recover from their eating disorder, including boosted energy levels, improved concentration and memory, better sleep quality, and becoming more engaged in social, work, and school lives.
Eating disorder treatment will help the individual improve the social domain of their life. This can include spontaneously engaging in more social activities with loved ones, letting go of rigid food rules or exercise regimes that previously impeded your social life, and improving relationships and feelings of social connectedness.
Recovering from bulimia nervosa has no set time frame, and it is rarely a linear process. Instead, your recovery should be viewed as an ongoing cycle where you may pass through certain stages multiple times or revisit certain stages for different bulimia nervosa symptoms.
No matter what stage of recovery you're in, remember that each stage is an integral part of your recovery journey. Continuing to stay engaged and curious and reaching out for additional support are essential to navigating this complex and winding process.
If you're struggling with bulimia nervosa, support is available, and healing is possible. It is never too late to reach out for help and start your recovery journey.
Disclaimer about "overeating": Within Health hesitatingly uses the word "overeating" because it is the term currently associated with this condition in society, however, we believe it inherently overlooks the various psychological aspects of this condition which are often interconnected with internalized diet culture, and a restrictive mindset about food. For the remainder of this piece, we will therefore be putting "overeating" in quotations to recognize that the diagnosis itself pathologizes behavior that is potentially hardwired and adaptive to a restrictive mindset.
Disclaimer about weight loss drugs: Within does not endorse the use of any weight loss drug or behavior and seeks to provide education on the insidious nature of diet culture. We understand the complex nature of disordered eating and eating disorders and strongly encourage anyone engaging in these behaviors to reach out for help as soon as possible. No statement should be taken as healthcare advice. All healthcare decisions should be made with your individual healthcare provider.
The 5 bulimia recovery stages are based on the Stages of Change model, which are:
