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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBut the questions they want to ponder are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you think your future will look like with the eating disorder? At the October 2022 Food and Nutrition Expo and Conference of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the nation\u2019s largest group of nutrition professionals), sports nutritionist Page Love MS RD CSSD (nutrifitga.com) of Atlanta and psychologist Ron Thompson PhD of Bloomington IN (rthomps2@att.net) addressed the topic of Athletes with Eating Disorders. They shared insights from their years of professional experience. This article passes along some of their words of wisdom and offers insights into why some athletes struggle with food, body image, and weight issues. and hopefully will nudge athletes\u2019 friends, family, and loved ones to encourage these athletes to seek help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 When dieting goes awry and eating disorders take hold, relationships and quality of life suffer, to say nothing of longevity as an athlete. Athletes with eating disorders (ED) can easily believe they have more reasons to keep the eating disorder than they do to give it up. Eating disorders can distract from difficult emotions; offer a source of power and control; give a sense of security; provide an excuse for anything and everything; sustain an identity; offer a way to be angry, self-abusive, special, rebellious, and competitive inside and outside of sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Given many athletes with EDs are in denial of the seriousness of this mental health disease, Dr. Thompson has asked his clients, \u201cDo you realize that people with your disorder sometimes die?\u201d Indeed, athletes can\u2014and have\u2014died from eating disorders, often via suicide. Looking from the inside out, an athlete\u2019s life can feel very stress-filled, despite the athlete appearing happy, bubbly, and \u201cjust fine\u201d on the outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Ideally, food should be one of life\u2019s pleasures, as well as an enjoyable source of energizing fuel that enhances performance. If you stop eating at mealtimes just because you think you should, or because your allotted portion of food is all gone (but you are still hungry), you might want to ask yourself a few probing questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n –What are your food rules and nutrition beliefs that restrict your food choices and portions?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, do you forbid yourself to eat second helpings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n –What percent of your time do you spend thinking about food and weight?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking about food includes shopping for food, preparing food for yourself and others, reading cookbooks or other food- and diet-related publications, binge-eating, purging, and thinking about how much you ate at your last meal. When the answer is \u201cI spend way too much time thinking about food; it dominates my thoughts\u201d, you likely have a problematic relationship with food and are living in a state of hunger. That\u2019s no fun, and also limits your ability to fully recover after a hard workout, heal the micro-injuries that occur during hard workouts, and perform optimally. \u201cNormal eaters\u201d think about food as they appropriately get hungry before a meal or snack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n –Do you enjoy eating socially with friends and teammates?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Or do you avoid such situations?<\/p>\n\n\n\n –Are your food allergies and intolerances real?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Or are they convenient excuses to avoid certain foods?<\/p>\n\n\n\n –Ladies, do you currently have regular menstrual periods?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amenorrhea\u2014loss of menses\u2014can be a sign of under-eating, to the point of disrupting normal body functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n –Gentlemen, are you experiencing reduced sex drive?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Loss of morning erections can be a sign of under-eating, to the point of disrupting normal body functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n –Does your family have a history of eating issues, dieting practices, and\/or mental health concerns?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If yes, how have those issues influenced your food habits?<\/p>\n\n\n \u2022 Chronically underfed bodies can end up \u201chibernating,\u201d with slowed metabolic processes. Symptoms related to inadequate fueling include fatigue, lack of energy, dehydration, anemia, frequent injuries, amenorrhea, stress fractures, and \u201cweird\u201d eating habits. These are all good reasons to seek help from a registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition (RD CSSD). The referral network at eatright.org can help you find a local RD CSSD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Most of my clients report, \u201cI know what I should eat. I just don\u2019t do it.\u201d Given today\u2019s confusing food environment, any athlete with nutrition questions and weight concerns would be wise to meet with a sports RD to learn how to overcome barriers that limit optimal fueling. Don\u2019t let (self-imposed) shame or embarrassment stop you. Eating \u201cright\u201d is not as simple as it once used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 All food can fit into a balanced sports diet\u2014even fatty foods. Athletes should consume at least half of their calories from (preferably nutrient-rich) carbohydrate, and at least 20% of calories from (preferably health-promoting) fat. A fat intake less than that increases the risk of inadequate energy intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 If you live in Food Jail and consume a very repetitive but \u201csafe\u201d diet, a sports RD can help you expand your menu so you can consume a wider variety of nutrients. If you want to try to do this on your own, start by making a list of your fear-foods (foods you are afraid to eat because they lack nutrient-density or because you deem them to be \u201cfattening\u201d). Challenge yourself to include at least one food each day into your meals and snacks, starting with the easiest and ending with the hardest foods. With time, you\u2019ll be able to enjoy social eating with your friends and teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Notice that other athletes look forward to, let\u2019s say, a special holiday gathering like a New Year\u2019s Brunch\u2014but you don\u2019t because the foods will be way too fattening or you\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll end up eating way too much. Other athletes can eat holiday treats; why can\u2019t you? Your body is not different from everyone else\u2019s and will not \u201cget fat on you.\u201d The problem isn\u2019t the food or your body, but more likely your self-imposed food rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Few athletes will ever achieve a perfect body. Please don\u2019t measure your self-worth as an athlete by your body weight or size. You may be an athletic person, but you are also a human, like the rest of us, and are excellent the way you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are you satisfied with your current quality of life?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Food-question-1024x683.jpg\")
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