Bulimia Nervosa Support
if you're reading this late at night
Maybe you've just had another episode and you're sitting with the shame of it. Maybe you've promised yourself this is the last time, again, and you're already planning how to "make up for it" tomorrow. You might be keeping it hidden, inventing excuses, and exhausted by the effort. Perhaps food takes up most of your thinking, your life feels out of control, and you've forgotten what eating normally feels like.
You're not weak, and you're not alone in this. Many people go through exactly this in silence. You don't have to explain it perfectly to be here.
What's going on underneath
Bulimia usually isn't about a lack of willpower. It tends to run as a cycle: strict food rules, then a binge that feels out of control, then shame and an urge to compensate, then more restriction, and round again. The cycle feeds itself.
Restriction is often the engine. When your body isn't getting enough, or goes too long without food, physical hunger builds and a binge becomes much more likely. Breaking "the rules" then feels like failure, so the all-or-nothing thinking kicks in: "I've blown it, I may as well carry on." That isn't a character flaw. It's what happens when a body and mind are caught in a pattern that keeps repeating.
Not all binges are the same, either. Some are driven by physical hunger. Others are driven by stress, anxiety, low mood or poor sleep, or happen out of habit or because food is simply there. Working out which kind you're having changes what helps.
How I work
I'm a registered dietitian with an MSc in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition (Eating Disorders) from UCL, working from North London, and I'll never judge you. I create a personalised treatment plan based on your own triggers to bingeing and purging, which I will identify for you. We start with your hopes, your fears and what you're ready to work on, and agree the plan together. Depending on where you are, that might include:
- Understanding the binge-purge-restrict cycle and why it keeps going, with practical tools to interrupt it
- Identifying what kind of binges you're having and what triggers them, using a personalised app alongside our sessions
- Building a regular eating pattern so that physical hunger stops triggering binges. I'll guide you on when, what and how much to eat, without weighing food or counting calories
- Personalised meal and snack guidance if you want it, respecting your dietary requirements and preferences, including vegan, Halal and Kosher diets, allergies and intolerances
- Helping you feel safe around trigger foods again, gradually and only once you're ready
- Empowering you with better coping strategies for emotional triggers to bingeing, such as anxiety, low mood and stress
- Strategies for binges that happen out of habit, opportunity or boredom
- A gradual plan to reduce purging, laxative use or compulsive exercise, with coaching along the way
- Addressing any nutritional effects of bulimic behaviours
- Reconnecting with your hunger and fullness cues over time
Between appointments, you'll have daily coaching from me through a personalised app that helps us spot your patterns and triggers around eating, with practical help, motivation and accountability when things feel hard.
I had a lifelong history of bulimia, binge-eating and restriction for 20 years before I took a chance and reached out to a dietitian. I'm so glad I found Aleeza because the progress I've made has been beyond any of my expectations.
Working safely with your medical team
Purging, laxatives and diuretics can affect the minerals your heart and muscles rely on, such as potassium, sometimes without obvious warning. I don't take bloods or prescribe, so where relevant, and with your permission, I'll ask you to involve your GP for blood tests and an ECG if needed. If there are other concerns, I may also recommend a therapist or psychiatrist and can refer you to trusted private options. I work collaboratively with everyone involved in your care.
Who this is and isn't right for
May be right for you
This may be right for you if you're struggling with bulimia or a binge-purge cycle, you'd like practical one-to-one support, and you're willing to involve your GP where needed. That includes people hoping to conceive, who are pregnant, or whose periods have changed.
May not be the right first step
It may not be the right first step if you're medically unwell right now, for example you're experiencing a racing or irregular heartbeat, fainting, or severe weakness. In that case, please see your doctor first. I'm glad to work alongside them once you've been medically stabilised.
If you binge but don't purge, my binge eating disorder page may describe your experience more closely.
For under-18s: I work with young people from 13. Parents or carers are involved throughout, and I'd need a GP on board and often a psychiatrist and therapist too. I can refer you to trusted colleagues in the private sector if you don't have these in place.
What the programme looks like
My programme is a minimum of three months of one-to-one support with me. It includes regular appointments, daily coaching through the app and personalised meal and snack guidance, all tailored to what you're facing.
Changing long-standing patterns takes time, and new habits need practice before they stick. So three months is a starting point, and it's likely that support will run longer.
If you feel unwell or are in crisis
If you feel unwell, or you're in crisis, please seek urgent medical attention: contact your GP urgently, call 111, or call 999 or go to A&E if it's an emergency. This applies especially if you have a racing or irregular heartbeat, feel faint, have severe muscle weakness or cramps, or have blood in your vomit. Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) also offers free support for anyone affected by an eating disorder.
During my time of being unwell, I saw countless specialists and Aleeza is one of the very few who could break through to me even when I was in the darkest place and gently pull me back to myself.
take the first step
Your first step is an initial consultation, a 60 to 75 minute appointment (the length depends on age and diagnosis). You can tell me where you are, and I'll listen, assess and talk through what might help. Afterwards you'll receive a written report of my assessment, including my treatment plan.
You can see me online, or in person at my rooms in Finchley, North London: Health Space, 307 Regents Park Road, London N3 1DP.
Book your initial consultationA few questions you might have
Your first step
Initial Consultation
A 60 to 75 minute appointment where I listen, assess and give you a written report and treatment plan.
Book your initial consultationLong Term Support
The 12-Week Programme
Weekly one-to-one appointments, plus daily coaching between them, so you're never waiting a week to get unstuck.
Explore the programme