When Discipline Becomes Dangerous: Signs and Symptoms of Males with Eating Disorders
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Written by Kelly Hee, LCSW, CEDS, Director of Mental Health Care Services/Counseling, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
You can always find him in the weight room.
He tracks every macro, takes every supplement, and is known for his self-control.
He stays after practice for extra conditioning every day.
No off days.
No excuses.
No quit.
Coaches call it commitment. Teammates call it discipline. He calls it self-control.
But what happens when the hyper-focus on being the best player slowly turns into obsession, unhealthy habits, and even a disordered relationship with your body?
Eating disorders don’t only affect women. They don’t only affect non-athletes. And they definitely don’t skip over guys in the locker room. In fact, they often hide there.
Eating disorders for males hide in plain sight:
In the weight room
On the social media pages that are preaching “bro science"
In social circles, talking about fasting and cleansing
On the leaderboards of who is lifting the most
The Pressure No One Talks About
Male athletes in particular face a unique kind of pressure. Not only is there a lot of focus on body shape, size, power, and perfection of male athletes, but it is not uncommon for someone to instruct a male to change their body:
“Get stronger.”
“Get leaner.”
“Add muscle.”
“Drop body fat.”
“Be powerful.”
“Outwork everyone.”
What Eating Disorders Can Look Like in Male Athletes
Historically, eating disorders in males and females have focused on weight-class sports like wrestling and rowing, where cutting weight can feel like a normal part of the game. Similarly, sports like track and field, cross country, and swimming have been a focus on eating disorders because the narrative of being lighter can be praised as faster. More recently, there has been conversation on how eating disorders are showing up in sports like football or basketball, where the focus is not on slimming down, but more on gaining muscle/weight.
Eating disorders are not all about restricting food and losing weight. Specifically with male athletes, eating disorders can look more like an over fixation, obsession, or unhealthy focus on achieving the “perfect body.”
In these cases, instead of restricting how much someone eats or trying to lose weight, disordered eating habits can look like the following:
Constantly thinking about food, calories, or macros
Striving for the perfect body shape, muscle mass, power output, etc.
Feeling anxious or guilty if you skipped a workout, lift, run, or swim – or even if you are sick, injured, or need to take a day off
Avoiding friends, family, and social events if they get in the way of the workout schedule
Training extra to “earn” food
Irritability, anger, brain fog, or mood swings
Less sleep due to increased workout habits
Frequent injuries or slow recovery
Declining performance despite training harder
It’s important to note that focusing on optimal performance and physique is not inherently bad or unhealthy. But somewhere along the way, sometimes performance goals can quietly turn into worrisome habits and disordered life rules.
And because sports culture often values toughness, many male athletes tell themselves:
“I’m just being disciplined.”
“This is what the pros do.”
“If I want to make it to the next level, I have to be that top 1%.”
“This is what it takes.”
The truth? To be the best, we not only require enough fuel, but also enough rest and recovery from training. Under-eating coupled with over-exercising doesn’t make you tougher. It makes you vulnerable to burnout, injury, and possibly unhealthy medical and mental health complications.
“But I’m Not Sick Enough”
A lot of male athletes hesitate to seek help because they don’t think what they are doing is problematic. A simple reminder to everyone: to be “sick enough,” you don’t have to:
Be underweight (or even losing weight)
Be hospitalized
Look visibly ill
If food, body image, and exercise are taking up too much mental space, that’s enough.
If your relationship with training feels compulsive, obsessive, and unhealthy (or even just not enjoyable) instead of driven, that’s enough.
If you feel like you aren’t allowed to or can’t say “no” to your workouts or your rigid diet or lifestyle, that’s enough. Early support is far more effective than waiting until things get worse.
Why It’s Hard to Speak Up
Not only can sports culture make it hard to admit something feels off, but because eating disorders are more focused on females, it’s hard for men to speak up about this. Coupled with the fact that athletes are taught to push through pain, hide weakness, protect their spot on the team, and stay mentally tough.
But here’s the truth: getting help is not quitting, and it's not weak. It’s protecting your longevity, preserving your career, and even getting stronger.
Where to Get Help
You do not have to figure this out alone. There are people trained specifically to support athletes.
Start Close to Home
A trusted coach
An athletic trainer
A school counselor
A team physician
A registered sports dietitian
If you’re in college, your athletic department likely has mental health resources specifically for student-athletes. Use them. That’s what they’re there for.
National Support (U.S.)
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
Offers a free online screening tool, resources for athletes, and support options.
National Alliance for Eating Disorders
Provides referrals to licensed professionals and education.
If you are in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) in the U.S.
Final Game Plan
If anything in this article sounds familiar to something you may be experiencing, take one step.
One step can look like the following:
Talk to someone you trust.
Talk to your athletic trainer.
Tell a teammate.
Schedule an appointment with the team doc.
Reach out to your mental health provider.
Take a day off.
Performance is built on consistency. So is recovery.
And asking for help might be the strongest move you ever make.
