Men with eating disorders are coming forward at last to admit to their problems with food & weight. We are grateful for your courage.
Is this you?
Emotions & behaviour of men with eating disorders
- An obsession with being fit and lean together with a fear of gaining weight.
- Exercise routines that have gone out of control, feeling anxious and depressed if you miss your routine. Taking dangerous supplements perhaps.
- Starving, eliminating particular foods, binge eating and/ or purging.
- Denial that there is a problem, often getting angry with loved ones who express concerns about your behaviour.
- Rigid and obsessive behaviour with food accompanied by a self-critical inner voice demanding perfection and obedience.
- Withdrawal from normal life and spending a lot of time worrying and thinking about food and exercise.
- Depression, anxiety, poor self-confidence and body image.
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Physical consequences
Eating disorders and related behaviour affect every part of the man’s body. The main effects include:
- Poor libido and fertility; Heart problems; Lowered immunity; Depression.
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Getting help
Males with eating disorders have underlying problems with anxiety and self-confidence; many have been teased or bullied in the past. Obsessions with food and activity emerge and thrive from this. Recovery takes time and is possible with the right support.
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Recovery aims
Recovery is about building a more useful relationship with food of course, and is also about emotional strengthening, raising self-worth and finding better ways of feeling in control. A good, trustful relationship is perhaps the most important part of recovery and our therapists are trained to understand the special sensitivities of men and boys who struggle with food and body image issues.
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Treatment plan
Treatment is forward-looking and not just about food and weight. We start with a full assessment to help build a personalised treatment plan. Treatment takes time and will focus on:
- Gaining insight into eating disorders in general and yours in particular, plus building motivation and commitment to change.
- Nutritional guidance to address some of the physical and mood imbalances in a gentle, collaborative way.
- Looking at exercise and making it work for you a great deal better.
- Coping well with life and people; managing fear, panic, stress and unhappiness.
- Managing perfectionism and eating disorder thoughts.
- Self-worth and body image change.
The next step
NCFED have both male and female counsellors who are eating disorder experts. You can trust them to support you in your journey. Would you like to know HOW you developed your eating problem and WHAT can be done? The first step is to have a no-obligation assessment (only £65) in person, by phone, by Skype, with someone who cares. The first step starts here.