Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) Practice Exam 2025 - Free CDM Practice Questions and Study Guide

Bulimia is characterized primarily by binge eating followed by purging behaviors. This cycle of consuming a large amount of food in a short period, often accompanied by feelings of loss of control, followed by compensatory actions such as vomiting, excessive exercise, or misuse of laxatives, is fundamental to understanding this eating disorder. This behavior is driven by an intense preoccupation with body image and weight, making it distinctive from other eating disorders that may focus solely on restrictive eating or different forms of compensatory behavior.

The emphasis on binge eating followed by purging highlights the dual nature of the disorder—where both the act of overeating and the subsequent attempt to counteract that behavior are critical to its diagnosis. This pattern of behavior leads to various psychological and physical health problems, further defining bulimia as a serious eating disorder.