At least one third of people with an eating disorder are men. With diet culture increasingly targeting men under the guise of biohacking, primal/ancestral ways of eating, and fasting, that number is likely to rise. And yet when we look at who's seeking help for problems with their eating, men are noticeably absent. When men do get to the point of asking for help for eating issues they’ve often been affected for longer than women who are seeking help. Why is this?
For years conversations about eating disorders have mainly focussed on women and thinness. The messages that men are more likely to receive about the ideal body are around muscularity and leanness. Because of this some men might not recognise that they have an eating disorder even if they’re aware that things aren’t quite right. Those that do might feel ashamed of having what they think of as a ‘women’s illness’ and may put off asking for help. The reality is that eating disorders don’t discriminate, anyone can be affected.
Reaching out can be tough. Being vulnerable and opening up are skills that take practice to get comfortable with. Men who were raised in an environment where talking about their emotions was discouraged or felt unsafe might be more inclined to try to fix things on their own.
If you’re wondering if this relates to you or someone you know, here are some of the signs that your relationship with food, exercise, or your body might have shifted from dedicated to disordered:
● Feeling like you can't control yourself around certain foods e.g. a ‘cheat meal’ that turns into a ‘cheat day’ or weekend
● Feeling uncomfortable eating in front of other people and/or eating in secret
● Feeling shame or guilt after eating
● Avoiding situations or covering up your body when it would be normal for it to be more on display, e.g. no longer going swimming, keeping a shirt on while being intimate with a partner(s)
● Feeling stressed or anxious when your exercise routine is interrupted, or avoiding situations where it’s harder to exercise, e.g. going on holidays
● Struggling to reduce or take time off from exercising when you're sick or injured
● Using drugs or supplements to try to change your appearance, e.g. steroids, or testosterone boosters
● Loss of interest in sex and/or trouble getting or maintaining erections after a change in eating or exercising
Your behaviour doesn’t have to meet the criteria for an eating disorder to be worthy of getting help.
If your relationship with food, exercise, or your body is causing you concern and you’d like to explore it, our team at Mind Body Well can help. If yo’d like to enquire about seeing one of or Psychologists or Dietitians please complete your New Clients intake form below.
