Symptoms:

Possibly the most bewildering symptom of eating disorders is the distorted body image (body dysmorphia). Although people typically associate distorted body image with severe anorexia, distortion may also occur in people with bulimia.

Symptoms Specific to Bulimia without Anorexia

People with bulimia nearly always practice it in secret, and, although they may be underweight, they are not always anorexic. Symptoms or signs of bulimia may, therefore, be very subtle and go unnoticed. They may include:

• Evidence of discarded packaging for laxatives, diet pills, emetics (drugs that induce vomiting), or diuretics (medications that reduce fluids)
• Regularly going to the bathroom right after meals
• Suddenly eating large amounts of food or buying large quantities that disappear right away
• Compulsive exercising
• Broken blood vessels in the eyes (from the strain of vomiting)
• Pouch-like appearance to the corners of the mouth due to swollen salivary glands
• Dry mouth
• Tooth cavities, diseased gums, and irreversible enamel erosion from excessive acid
• Rashes and pimples
• Small cuts and calluses across the tops of finger joints due to self-induced vomiting

Symptoms Specific to Anorexia

Weight Loss. The primary symptom of anorexia is major weight loss from excessive and continuous dieting, which may either be restrictive dieting or binge-eating and purging.

Other symptoms of anorexia may include:

• Infrequent or absent menstrual periods
• Compulsive exercising coupled with excessive thinness
• Refusal to eat in front of others
• Ritualistic eating, including cutting food into small pieces
• Hypersensitivity to cold -- some women wear several layers of clothing to both keep warm and hide their thinness
• Yellowish skin, especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet -- from eating too many vitamin A-rich vegetables such as carrots
• Dry skin covered with fine hair
• Thin scalp hair
• Cold or swollen feet and hands
• Stomach problems, including bloating after eating
• Confused or slowed thinking
• Poor memory or judgment