Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Exercise bulimia is perhaps a lesser-known eating disorder than anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN), but it can be just as dangerous. Engaging in excessive exercise can be harmful to a person’s physical and mental health and often requires professional treatment to overcome.
Exercise bulimia is characterized by excessive and pathological exercise. It is similar to bulimia nervosa in that instead of “purging” by self-induced vomiting or diarrhea, a person exercises excessively to burn calories in order to compensate for food consumption.
Exercise bulimia is not a formal diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), a diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). However, excessive exercise as a compensatory behavior is listed as a symptom of bulimia nervosa. (1)
As such, exercise bulimia may exist on its own, as a symptom of bulimia nervosa, or in conjunction with co-occurring anorexia nervosa. Since exercise bulimia isn’t a formal clinical term, you may hear it called many other things, such as “exercise addiction,” “compulsive exercise,” or “excessive exercise.”
While movement is healthy for our minds and bodies, too much exercise can indicate a problem. Countless people make exercise a part of their daily routine, but the problem comes in when that exercise becomes compulsive or pathological. Compulsive exercise may include the following criterion: (2)
Symptoms of exercise bulimia may include: (3,4)
People with exercise bulimia are typically very rigid with their workout routines, so much so that they are unable to skip a workout or cut one short without feeling guilty. This can occur in people who are attempting to lose weight via exercise as well as attempting to gain muscle via excessive weightlifting.
Much like other eating disorders, exercise bulimia is accompanied by a sense of shame, which can only perpetuate the cycle of compulsive exercise.
Library sections you should visit
A review of literature revealed that compulsive exercise is associated with the following: (4)
Exercise bulimia and excessive exercise can lead to many different psychological and medical complications, including: (3,5,6)
Over-exercising can also lead to rhabdomyolysis, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition in which an individual’s muscles break down, releasing proteins and muscle enzymes into the bloodstream, which can lead to kidney failure. (7)
Not all exercise is bad, which can make it particularly tricky to parcel out who has exercise bulimia and who is simply a gym enthusiast.
Aside from the common warning signs of exercise bulimia, one significant indication that someone is struggling with a deeper problem would be the concurrent symptoms of bulimia, including body image issues and binge eating episodes that generally trigger excessive exercise.
Another good way to find out if you have exercise bulimia is to take an exercise bulimia test. But remember: These quizzes are not the same as a proper medical evaluation. If you're worried about your behaviors or that of a loved one, it's important to consult your primary care physician, therapist, or another trusted medical professional.
The Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) is composed of 24 self-report statements that are designed to assess the core emotional, cognitive, and behavioral features of compulsive exercise.8 The exercise bulimia test assesses aspects of compulsive exercise on five subscales:9
Each self-report item is rated on a scale from 0 (never true) to 5 (always true). The higher a person scores on the test indicates more significant compulsive exercise pathology.8 Examples of self-report statements on the exercise bulimia test include:8
You might be interested in
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.
