Men’s Fitness Addresses Male Eating Disorders

Top men’s magazine “Men’s Fitness” and Rogers Memorial Hospital’s very own Medical Director of Eating Disorder Services, Theodore E. Weltzin, MD, FAED, collaborated in a recent issue by identifying six questions men can ask themselves to ensure they, or their friends, have a healthy approach to nutrition and exercise. Unfortunately, the number of men suffering from eating disorders is on the rise and is often presented through excessive exercise or extreme focus on muscle definition.

The six identifying questions are designed to help individuals think about more than just the act of eating or working out, but to recognize the role each plays in their everyday life. For example one of the questions asks if you are ramping up your exercise. While this is great for challenging yourself for a better race time or lifting heavier weight, Dr. Weltzin states, “if you continue to work out at the same level while restricting calories, you tend to lose your strength— even if you can maintain endurance.” He suggests that you should cut back on calories or ramp up exercise if you want to shed a few pounds, but you shouldn’t be drastic with both.

Rogers recently focused on male eating disorders in one part of a three-part series about eating disorders. Rogers shares that males are less likely to get treatment for eating disorders because of the stigma associating eating disorders as a female problem, when in reality eating disorders affect both men and women. Read the article.