You couldn’t do it if you tried. But twenty-four years ago, at the age of twenty, I managed to make myself bulimic. I would consume nothing but water for seven days at a time, or eat to the point of crippling pain, begging myself to stop … yet would carry on. I’d like to take a look at how I accomplished such an incredible feat. What are the lessons here? How could you make yourself bulimic?

I was a size twelve and five foot six when growing up. I always had a healthy appetite. I’d go back for...