Can You Have Eating Issues as a Man? Dietitian Sheds Light On Disordered Eating And Eating Disorders For Men
Eating disorders don’t discriminate. Anyone of any gender, including men, can struggle with eating issues, disordered eating or an eating disorder
There is a misconception that only white, thin, heterosexual females can struggle with eating issues, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, every 1 in 3 people struggling with an eating disorder is male. Males are largely affected by eating disorders, and male eating issues are more common than you might think.
What do male eating issues look like?
There isn’t a simple description for what eating issues look like in men, as each individual is different, and everyone has a unique experience with food and body image. Male eating issues can be visualized as on a spectrum between disordered eating and eating disorders. It helps to imagine that on this spectrum, disordered eating lies on the far left and eating disorders exist on the far right. Where a male’s eating issues lie on this spectrum depends on the severity, duration, and frequency of eating behaviors.
What does disordered eating look like in men?
Disordered eating is a way to describe eating behaviors and patterns, many of which are normalized in our (dieting) culture. Some signs, symptoms, and behaviors of disordered eating in men include:
Large fluctuations in weight (both weight gain and weight loss)
Dry and brittle hair and skin
Anxiety and depression
Electrolyte imbalances
Feeling weak, fatigued, or dizzy
Episodes of fainting
Abnormally low heart rate or blood pressure
Skipping meals, reducing portion sizes, or eating less frequently
Withdrawal from social activities
Obsession with exercise, calorie burning, or muscle building
Preoccupation with macronutrient portions
Weighing out food on a scale to obtain perfect macronutrient composition in meals
Extreme limitations on the variety of food eaten
Frequently complaining about body size or appearance
Frequent body checking in mirrors or reflective surfaces
What do male eating disorders look like?
While disordered eating is a way to describe eating behaviors, an eating disorder is a diagnosable psychiatric condition. There are several different kinds of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, other specified feeding and eating disorder (OSFED), avoidant restrictive intake disorder (ARFID), pica, and rumination disorder. Each eating disorder has its own diagnostic criteria and is slightly different from other eating disorders.
Common signs of eating disorders in males include:
Restriction of food and eating in frequency, variety, portion sizes, types of food, etc.
Distorted body image
Intense fear of gaining weight despite malnutrition and emaciation
Electrolyte imbalances
Sores on hands from purging (purposefully triggering one’s gag reflex to rid of food)
Dental problems
Frequent dieting or “clean eating”
Eating when full or not hungry, or experiencing episodes of binge eating
Feeling out of control when it comes to food
Gastrointestinal issues
Constipation
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Exercising despite injury or illness
Decreased libido and disinterest in sexual activities
How do eating issues develop in men?
Common ways that eating issues show up for men are:
Existing in diet & wellness culture
Diet culture pushes unrealistic body standards onto everyone, not just females. Just like how females face a stigma that they should be thin and lean, men also face pressures from society to “look the part”.
Men are told by diet culture that they should be lean, yet incredibly muscular, but not too thin. These unrealistic body standards create body dysmorphia for adolescent and adult males. Research indicates that 25% of “normal” weight males believe they are underweight and 90% of teenage boys exercise to "bulk up" and gain more muscle. Unrealistic body standards for males can also lead to muscle dysmorphia - a type of body dysmorphic disorder in which an individual believes they are underweight or underdeveloped.
Weight stigma and fatphobia are also responsible for the development of eating issues in males. Research shows that people in larger bodies are statistically treated differently than those in smaller bodies, and there is an intense pressure from society to conform to diet culture’s rules of what someone should look like. Pressure to attain the ideal body type leads many males to engage in disordered eating behaviors and develop eating issues. If you identify with the pressures of gym culture, body dysmorphia, and diet culture as a male, you’re not alone!
Stigma of male mental health
There is a stigma that males should handle things “like a man”. Society says that men can’t struggle with mental health, and if they do, they shouldn’t talk about it. Disordered eating often coexists with other mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, loss of a loved one, etc.
Males are less likely to seek help for mental health issues because of a strong push from society to “be a man”. This can cause males eating issues and other mental health conditions to become progressively worse if they are undiagnosed and untreated.
Pressures of school, work, and life
If you’re a male adolescent, it’s likely that you feel pressure to excel academically and athletically, apply to the right colleges, and figure out what you want to do with your life. If you’re a male adult with a family, it’s likely that you’re facing pressures to feel like you should provide for your family. You may be under intense stress at work, home or both!
The anxiety, stress, and pressure to “be a man” in today’s society puts males at risk for developing disordered eating and eating issues. Whether you grew up in a home where performance expectations were high, or you work an extremely demanding job as an adult, intense anxiety and pressure can cause you to feel out of control of your own life. Engaging in disordered eating behaviors can create a false sense of control to ease anxiety and stress you feel in other areas of your life.
Financial burdens and food insecurity
Food is expensive! If you’re in a position where it’s financially difficult to obtain enough food to live, it’s possible that food insecurity may lead you to develop disordered eating. This is also true if you experienced food insecurity growing up and/or when you were younger. Though it may or may not be body image related, disordered eating and food insecurity are incredibly harmful to males.
Pressure to perform athletically
Men can feel an intense pressure to perform well athletically, especially in certain sports that require attention to bodily appearance and weight. Sports like swimming, running, wrestling, gymnastics, and dance have intense preoccupations on weight and body size. It’s incorrectly assumed that certain body types perform better. For example, many people believe that cross country runners that are “long and lean” do better, while wrestlers that are shorter and “stockier” perform better. These body stigmas in sports perpetuate and worsen disordered eating in males.
Any sport or physical activity that requires athletes to fixate on weight or appearance is harmful to their body image and self-perception. This leads to body dysmorphia and the development of disordered eating behaviors to maintain “optimal performance”, even though eating issues can create many more problems for athletes and cause performance to decline!
Sexual objectification of males in the media
The media portrays sexually desirable males as “totally ripped”, with chiseled abs, intense jaw lines, extreme muscles, etc. Sexual objectification of males is seen everywhere in the media. It’s seen in superhero films, models in malls and stores, rom coms movies, and more. Males face an intense pressure to be viewed as “sexually desirable”, so they are more likely to engage in disordered eating to change their body type and become more attractive in general and to those that they may want to date.
Why are male eating disorders under-reported and underdiagnosed?
Here are three reasons why male eating issues are not reported, diagnosed, or treated as frequently as female eating issues:
Lack of understanding in the healthcare field
Unfortunately, male eating disorders are not diagnosed nearly as often as female eating disorders. Many healthcare providers only look for signs of eating issues in females, and many assessment tests for eating disorders are geared towards women. For example, a commonly asked question on assessment tests asks about the pursuit of thinness, when in reality, males that struggle with eating and body image are often trying to become more muscular. Some assessment methods and eating disorder criteria involve the loss of a menstrual cycle or missed periods. These questions and diagnostic criteria miss many men that don’t have the ability to have a period (*note that there are trans men who do menstruate). Additionally, symptoms of disordered eating are often attributed to other conditions in males, such as gastrointestinal disorders. Males are also less likely to report their symptoms to healthcare providers out of fear of judgment. It’s important to bring awareness to healthcare providers about male eating issues and how they can differ from female eating issues.
2. Lack of research
Research on disordered eating and eating disorders predominantly focuses on young females, not males. Because male eating issues are less diagnosed, it’s seen as less prevalent and isn’t included in research nearly as often as female data.
3.Lack of support
While there are many resources for females who struggle with disordered eating and eating disorders, the resources available for males are hard to come by. Although this is recently beginning to change, treatment centers have predominantly female populations. Some residential treatment centers are female-only centers. There are also less support groups available for men. Because of this, many males feel like they don’t have a safe space to discuss their experience and to seek help in.
Can gay and queer men have male eating issues?
Queer men are at an especially great risk for developing eating issues compared to heterosexual males. Studies show that queer men are more likely to engage in behaviors like over exercising, restricting, fasting, binging, purging, using dieting pills, supplements, etc.
Queer and gay men are more vulnerable to eating issues, disordered eating and eating disorders due to a variety of reasons, including:
Bullying and discrimination
Lack of support from family
Trauma from coming out experiences
Queer male stereotypes and expectations
Eating disorders and disordered eating don’t discriminate based on sexuality or gender. Anyone of any gender or sexuality can experience eating issues.
5 pieces of advice to help you move forward from male eating issues:
Understand that you’re not alone: While it may feel like no one else is going through this experience, we want to assure you that you’re not alone. So many other men have experienced the same struggle. Though it may not seem like it, there is support out there for you.
Seek help from professionals: Seek help for your eating issues as soon as possible. Whether you confide in your doctor, therapist, or seek help from a registered dietitian, it’s important to let a provider know about your struggle with food and body image. Eating issues rarely go away on their own, and without treatment, they tend to get progressively worse over time. It’s better to address the problem sooner rather than later. You deserve support in mending your relationship with food. You can’t do this alone, and you don’t have to.
Foster self-compassion and grace for yourself: Give yourself grace. Struggling with eating issues as a male doesn’t make you any less of a man, and just because other people aren’t talking about it, doesn’t mean that they aren’t experiencing the same struggle. Treat yourself with the same self-compassion as a friend or loved one, and understand that you aren’t alone!
Learn more about diet culture: Unfortunately, diet and wellness culture is everywhere. The more you can identify where diet culture shows up in your life, the more you’ll be able to fight against it. Unlearning diet culture is key to recovery from your male eating issues and disordered eating.
Lean on your support system: Consider opening up about your struggle with food to someone that you trust. Whether it's a friend, family member, or loved one, it’s important to create a support system when recovering from eating issues. It’s important to lean on others in times of need, and you deserve support from those around you!
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Are you a man who’s struggling with food and your body image? Our dietitians want to support you!
It’s difficult to struggle with body image and eating as a man. It’s hard to feel understood, and it can feel like there’s no hope. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be this way. At Bravespace Nutrition, we are here to support you in creating a positive relationship with food, exercise, and your body. Our caring dietitians are equipped to help you with any eating issues you may be struggling with as a man. To learn more about our male eating disorder and body image services, contact us today! We know how difficult it can be to seek support for eating issues, especially as a man. To get help today, follow these 3 simple steps
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