Eating and body image

The pressure on women to be thin is well known. But recent studies have shown that it’s a guy thing too. Men are under the same kind of pressure to achieve the ideal body and are just as likely to be unhappy with their bodies.

Body image

Being comfortable in your own body is something that a lot of people have difficulty with – they might have distorted thoughts about the way they look, become obsessed with their weight or appearance, or feel awkward or ashamed of their body. People with a negative body image are much more likely to feel unhappy, and can develop problems with eating.

Eating’s something that’s often affected by how we’re feeling. Things like stress or unhappiness can change the way we eat, making us lose our appetite, crave certain foods or overeat. However, if this happens for a longer period of time, there’s the chance that it might develop into an eating disorder.

What is an eating disorder?

As eating disorders are commonly seen as a female problem, men might feel reluctant to seek help. This makes it harder to see eating disorders in men, but they have such a huge effect, both physically and emotionally, it’s really important that we learn to recognise the signs and seek help. There are three main types of eating disorder:

Anorexia Nervosa - This is a life-threatening disorder that stems from someone having an intense fear of gaining weight. They might:

• Become obsessed with food restriction or exercise
• Have a distorted image of their own body
• Weigh themselves excessively
• Have very low self esteem
• Feel depressed
• Feel that control over food and their weight is their only way of coping

The physical consequences of Anorexia are very serious, weakening the heart and muscles, and effectively starving the body.

Bulimia Nervosa - This is characterised by periods of binge eating, where someone might eat massive amounts of food, followed by ‘purging’. This can be by self induced vomiting, excessive exercise or the use of laxatives to prevent weight gain. Someone with Bulimia might:

• Have feelings of guilt – they might hide or hoard food, or eat in secret
• Have an obsession with food and their weight
• Feel depressed
• Feel disgusted or ashamed of their body

Continual vomiting can be very dangerous and affects the body in lots of ways, from erosion of the teeth to tears in the stomach and intestines.

Compulsive eating - Some people feel like they have no control over their eating. They might pick at food all day or have periods of binge eating where they eat huge amounts of food beyond the point of feeling full.

How do you get an eating disorder?

Men are just as affected by messages sent by the media and society about how we should look. The need to fit in with the ideal image of the muscle-bound man sets unrealistic standards that can result in eating and body image problems.

These problems can show themselves in different ways to women. Someone might become obsessive about exercising, start going to the gym, lifting weights or running excessively, so that moulding their body into the ideal becomes their main concern.

But these signs often hide underlying problems: low self esteem is very common among people with an eating disorder. Studies have shown that men in particular find it hard to talk with their friends and family when they’re feeling vulnerable, so it might be a way of coping with feelings of depression.

There’s no one cause of eating disorders – often it’s a combination of lots of things that build up: stress, personality, expectations of other people, all add to the pressure.

More information

1. The Edinburgh Psychology Centre can help you. Contact us on 0131-668-1440 to find out more or to arrange an initial session.
2. Alternatively you may wish to speak to your GP who should be able to refer you to someone suitable.
3. See our links at www.edinburghtherapy.co.uk/links.htm for details of organisations who may be able to provide assistance or information.

Click here for a pdf version of this eating and body image information sheet.

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