Bulimia nervosa Bulimia nervosa is defined as two or more episodes of binge eating (rapid consumption of a large amount of food, up to 5,000 calories) every week for at least three months. The binges are sometimes followed by vomiting or purging and may alternate with compulsive exercise and fasting. The symptoms can develop at any age from early adolescence to 40, but usually become clinically serious in late adolescence. Bulimia is not as dangerous to health as anorexia, but it has many unpleasant physical effects, including fatigue, weakness, constipation, fluid retention, swollen salivary glands, erosion of dental enamel, sore throat fr