Hey guys! Because it is Eating Disorder Awareness Week ( http://nedic.ca/news/eating-disorder-awareness-week ) I wanted to discuss the sensitive subject on what to do if you suspect someone in your gym could be suffering from an exercise addiction or an eating disorder. It is extremely uncomfortable to watch someone day after day whittle themselves down to a skeleton like frame and not say anything. I received this question from a reader and originally posted it over at Feminist Figure Girl and wanted to share it over here on Deanna Harder Fitness. "We know that through open, supportive dialogue, we can help break the shame, stigma and silence that affect nearly a million Canadians living with a diagnosed eating disorder - and the millions of others struggling with food and weight preoccupation. Our message can bring important information about these illnesses to people across the country and spread hope to those affected."
Here was the question submitted by John, who was concerned with a young woman who he suspected was battling an eating disorder.
Dear Fitbabe, Hello, I am a regular gym goer, and have been observing a young girl who has an incredibly thin frame. She is always on the cardio equipment when I arrive, and is still on it after I have trained for an hour, showered and had a steam. I have mentioned her to the front desk staff and they say several others have brought it the attention of the personal trainers in the gym, but it is a difficult subject. Should I approach this girl with concern? Doesn’t the gym have a moral obligation to intervene? I am worried about her and I don’t even know her!
Best Regards, John
A: Thanks for raising this important issue, John. Your question is quite timely as I have been well aware of this happening in the gym I train out of. I too have noticed a young woman who is very thin, does hours of cardio, and then weighs herself obsessively in the ladies change room. Being a Professional Fitness and Lifestyle consultant, and someone who once suffered from disordered eating and obsessive exercising myself, I feel that I have the scope of practice to approach such individuals; however, this is always done WITH CARE AND CAUTION.
First of all, most personal trainers are not counselors, nor doctors, and may not have the required skills for undertaking this type of intervention. What’s more, it is difficult to make assumptions about who has an eating disorder based on appearance alone. There are in fact many people who look pretty normal but are suffering from bulimia, binge-eating, and other disordered eating patterns. I realize that it is possible to make an educated guess, and yet there are many cases where someone is hiding a disorder very well. If you decide to act, I think that it would be appropriate to establish a one-on-one relationship with the person before bringing up this issue. Then, in a non-threatening way, you can raise the subject. This approach would prevent the person at risk from feeling embarrassed, angry, or ashamed, potentially driving them toward increased isolation. Hopefully a trainer at the gym could develop this relationship, and then have some pamphlets, phone numbers and websites ready to offer help. I would suggest that you do not approach this person yourself unless you have the relationship mentioned above.
For me, this question raised general considerations about the potential for enabling unhealthy behaviors in our society. Why is it that fast food chains are not required to refrain from selling their horrible fattening foods to obese individuals, knowing that it is contributing to their disease? Alcoholics are not refused service in bars, gambling addicts are free to enter casinos. It seems that gyms should be similarly allowed to enable those with eating disorders to purge calories! After all, gyms are profit-driven businesses looking to drive up sales, are they not? Maybe they turn a blind eye to such paying customers for this reason. Just a thought….
More seriously, I hope that your gym does have someone with the right qualifications to get this person on the road to recovery. Such an intervention could save someone’s life.
All the best in health,
Fitbabe
Have you noticed people, men or women in your gym who may be over exercising to the point of serious health concerns? Have you brought it to attention of the staff at the gym? What was their response?
OR..do you have an eating disorder? If the way you eat and think about food interferes with your life and keeps you from enjoying life and moving forward, then that is disordered eating. Take it seriously and talk to someone who can help. You don't need to wait for a diagnosis by a doctor.
Clinical Eating Disorders
What exactly are clinical eating disorders? Clinical eating disorders include:
Anorexia nervosa
- When you lose a lot of weight because you're hardly eating anything, and might over-exercise. You probably can't or don't admit how underweight you are. You may not initially look very thin, but may be far too thin to support your health. You can be so thin that every bone in your body shows, but still feel "fat". When you feel fat it makes it hard to ask for help or hear advice from others because, to you, "fat" has come to mean "being bad". You could also know that you are much too thin but don't make changes because you're so afraid of food and gaining weight. To you, this would represent losing control over yourself.
Bulimia nervosa
- When you binge and purge. You eat out of control and then try to get rid of the calories. You fast, make yourself vomit, abuse laxatives, or exercise too much. These ways of purging harm your body and don't help you accomplish what you want. Your weight may go up and down a lot.
Binge eating disorder
- When you eat so much you're uncomfortable, eat to comfort yourself, eat in secret, or keep eating as part of a meal or between meals. You feel a lot of shame or guilt about your eating. Binge eating is also called compulsive eating. It is not the same as bulimia because you do not usually try to get rid of the food you've eaten.
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (ED-NOS)
- When you experience a mix of anorexia, and/or bulimia, and/or binge-eating symptoms, but don't fall neatly into one of these medical categories, you may have an Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (ED-NOS). If you have an ED-NOS, you should also receive the help and resources provided to individuals who have a "neat" clinical diagnosis.
Any food and weight issues that limit your ability to live a full and pleasurable life are of concern. It doesn't matter if you don't clearly fit one of the clinical categories above – you still can and should seek help.
http://nedic.ca/give-get-help/overview
Hit reply and let's talk!
