Bulimia statistics

Statistics on Bulimia

  • Bulimia is usually found among white Caucasians, however this is changing
  • 95% to 98% of bulimics tend to be female
  • 64% are near a normal weight range
  • 84% have some form of College Education
  • An average binge is said to happen around 11 times a week
  • Bulimia is more likely to begin in teenagers and young adults from 18+ years
  • It is thought that woman suffering with bulimia has tripled between 1988 and 1993
  • The onset of an eating disorder can peak during puberty to late teens and early adulthood
  • Children as young as 6 years have been known to have develop bulimia
  • More than one in three “normal dieters” progress to severe dieting. Frequent dieters are 18x more likely to develop an eating disorder
  • Eating disorders affect all age groups, including young children, middle-aged women, men and individuals of all races and ethnicities
  • Although eating disorders can be very harmful many can and do recover.
  • Conservative figures show that 150,000 women die each year from dieting- related causes.
  • The average fashion model is 5'9" to 6' tall. The average American woman is 5' 4" tall. The average fashion model weighs 110-118 pounds. The average American woman weighs 142 pounds.

Highest Among Young Women
Bulimia is highest among young woman who are aged between 12 to 25 years and who live in the Western society, where ‘dieting’ is common.

Statistics on bulimia and diets

One study showed that 44% of middle school girls who frequently read articles about dieting were twice as likely to try fasting and dieting and were 3x more likely to try self-induced vomiting than girls who didn't read the articles.

Frequent dieters are 18x more likely to develop an Eating Disorder

Research shows that people who diet frequently are five times more likely to develop an eating disorder then those who don’t diet, however those who dieted frequently were eighteen times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who did not diet.

The same study also showed that children are more likely to develop an eating disorder if they have a sister or mother who dieted.

It has also been scientifically shown that students who entered the USA from another culture are more likely to suffer bulimia if they absorb western views on diet and beauty.

Statistics on Binging and dieting

It is very interesting that girls who diet frequently are twelve times more likely to binge than girls who don't diet.

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Richy's Recovery Tips

Nearly one out of every seven college-aged women suffer from bulimia.

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trixie_25's picture
trixie_25 » SarahTravels i like the tupperware idea.. i think i might try something like that ~ do u think people will think i'm wierd if i write the times i'm sposed eat each meal on the container?! i'm still struggling a little, i feel so bloated right now, i binged & i was totally planning on purging but i'm not going to let myself cos every time is the last time and it has to stop somewhere!! 10 min ago
trixie_25's picture
trixie_25 totally freaking out... binged but i am NOT GOING TO PURGE.... 13 min ago
Wishesupon's picture
Wishesupon » so_done_with_this thank you so much for your lovely lovely comment!! i hope i just don't brag too much as this floaty floaty woman ;) and HEY! don't pick on yourself!! it's all fine, changing always comes with 'defence mechanism', but if you strive longer, you will be able to convince the 'unconcious' mechanism to give in. Go for it. I am at your back. 13 min ago
Peanersss's picture
Peanersss Bought a book on recovery, cross your fingers it helps! 1 hour ago
bluestickienotes99's picture
bluestickienotes99 is sick to her stomach. They passed the health care bill. 1 hour ago
so_done_with_this's picture
so_done_with_this so i tried to sit with it, but i just can't. it's impossible to binge and not purge after!! ugghhh...and i seriously had no reason to binge tonight, didn't even have anything good or triggering. i just...needed to...i'm pathetic. 1 hour ago

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What I learned during recovery

mmb's picture

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN IN ADVANCE. Plan what you are going to eat during your day. What are you going to do if you are in a situation that triggers b/p. Thinking all the time about recovery is part of the eating disorder. I need to focus on the real life instead. Don’t trust yourself. If I know I always binge during an X situation (like being alone at home around 5pm), I need to go out at that time or find another activity. I am not strong enough to just be at home by myself and act normally. If I eat those cookies because I am feeling lonely they won’t make my friends appear. Trust yourself, and your body. Tell yourself you are able to do it. Tell yourself that you are not going to gain one pound because you ate a piece of cheesecake. God is an important part of my recovery If I eat tons of food, all the time, I will gain weight. I can’t have cheesecake and hamburger and fries everyday, in every meal, but I can have them once in a while. I purge not only because of my emotions, but it is an easy way to control my weight. I love food.

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The information provided in this website is for information purposes only. The information on this website is NOT a substitute for proper diagnosis, treatment or the provision of advice by an appropriate health professional. Please refer to the full disclaimer and copyright. If you do think you might suffer from an eating disorder, it is important that you talk to your General Practitioner, as there are many physical complications that can arise from being at an unhealthily low weight or from losing weight very quickly, or from purging. We advise you to seek professional help with working on an eating disorder.

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