The primary distinction is that bulimia nervosa involves recurrent binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain (such as self-induced vomiting, laxative misuse, fasting, or excessive exercise), whereas binge eating disorder consists of recurrent binge eating without those regular compensatory behaviors. Key points:

• Purging/compensatory behaviors: Present in bulimia nervosa; typically absent in binge eating disorder. This means bulimia includes efforts to “undo” the binge, while binge eating disorder does not. [source context: typical clinical descriptions]
• Eating pattern and distress: Both disorders feature episodes of binge eating with distress or guilt, but only bulimia includes the purging or other compensatory mechanisms. [clinical descriptions]
• Weight status: Individuals with bulimia can be underweight, normal weight, or overweight; those with binge eating disorder are often overweight or obese, though this is not universal. The presence or absence of purging is the defining factor, not weight alone. [clinical descriptions]

If you’d like, I can tailor this to a quick, patient-facing summary for a handout or prepare differences in a side-by-side table.