(M21) Every time I think about eating, I get anxious. It’s not about calories, the type of food, or a fear of gaining weight. It doesn’t matter if I’m around people or alone—every bite feels monumental. I often find myself hyperventilating, looking away from the meal, feeling on the verge of tears, as alarms go off in my head telling me not to eat. I don’t understand why.

I don’t intentionally restrict. I want to gain weight. I love food and its flavors, and I love working out. But I hate how often I pass out or feel weak, and I feel ashamed of that. I’m ashamed of how irrational I am about food. I hide it from people.

Each meal I skip makes it more tempting to skip the next one. Physically, being hungry makes me feel terrible, but emotionally, it feels strangely comforting. I’ve heard that anorexia can sometimes be more about control than appearances. Maybe that’s what’s happening to me.

Anyone relate?

The study was in 2019 or so, from Switzerland.

Can someone explain the interaction between testosterone and EDs to me like I am 5? My husband’s testosterone came back EXTREMELY low, which the dietician suspected. This is responsible for low bone density, depression, fatigue, etc. But what does this mean for him? Do hormones bounce back when you’re weight restored, and/or is hormone therapy ever recommended?

Low T can mean low appetite, and now I wonder about a chicken and egg situation. Like did low T cause depression and low appetite that contributed to an extremely restrictive eating disorder? Or did the eating disorder cause low T? Or both? Sorry if it’s a dumb question

Hello Everyone. I am in Treatment right now in inpatient and one thing i can say is that it was not worth doing what i did to my body. My Magnesium and Phosphorus has been dropping only a few days into refeeding and my concentration is beyond screwed. Things are not focused when i look at things and when i move around on my feet it feels very strange. I encourage everyone to seek help if you think you have an Eating Disorder, Im only 6 days into inpatient so far and i feel regretful of not seeking help sooner because now i dont know how long its going to take to restore everything.

If you only feel the need to restrict if your stressed but without you don’t feel the need and feel you can eat normal amounts, does it not meet criteria for anorexia? I am in inpatient right now but feel like i really don’t need to be here because i feel like only when im stressed i feel the need of doing the eating disorder things but without the stress i dont feel a thing about intake.

I was comparing my current weight to the weight of the average UK male and also knowing weights of average looking people I know like my dad and a guy I talked to for a bit and I weigh much less than both of them.

I still feel too fat to look manly and I won't be able to feel better unless I get skinny, but some guys are skinny at my weight. It's so confusing. Part of my troubles is the desire to minimise female fat distribution and sex characteristics by losing weight and it has worked so far on my chest. I know being on testosterone longer will take care of it to some extent as well.

Anyone else can’t stop chewing and spitting out all of their meals ???

I’ve barely swallowed anything in the last 4 days

It feels so good to get the satisfaction of eating through chewing spit but none of the consequences. (I mean I’m sure there are some but idk them)

I want to be bone thin so badly.

Chew and spitting is ok but like it’s getting out of control. I leave the chew spit piles everywhere it’s disgusting

Sometimes I walk the streets chew spitting my food. (I posted about doing this on another sub and lots of people told me to think about the dogs! So I try not to do that as much)

I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight these last few months and I am so terrified to go back to what I used to look like!

Idk what the point of this post is.

Tbh I just discovered this page and it’s so nice to have a place for Ed who are all men like me.

It’s alittle isolating posting on the normal Ed site and everyone being a lady.

Idk anyway hello everyone what is your experience with chew spit ?

The Eating Anxiety Treatment (EAT) Lab at the University of Louisville is recruiting participants for a PAID clinical trial testing the feasibility of an up to 12-session online #eatingdisorderrelapse prevention treatment! Participants can receive up to $110 in compensation and may receive free treatment!

Individuals who have been diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa or Atypical Anorexia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa Partial-Remission or Atypical Anorexia Nervosa Partial-Remission, or Anorexia Nervosa Full-Remission or Atypical Anorexia Full-Remission and have been discharged from a higher level of care within the past 6 months are eligible.

Email fedfstudy@gmail.com for more information!

Thank you for your consideration! We couldn’t do this important work without you!

Thank you so much for your help,

Dr. Cheri Levinson, Ph.D.

Director | EAT Lab, University of Louisville

I had an eating diorder before and thought I was recovered but lately the thoughts have been getting back to me. The thing is that I want to be muscular and actually have a nice body but the urge to be as skinny as possible is overwhelming. I'm struggling so much and it's impossible to go a day without thinking about food all the time. I feel so guilty for no absolute reason.

Thanks for reading, I just needed to vent.

I’m a teenager, always struggled with body dysmorphia which I blame to weight comments I took from other people that were taken too personally by me, I was never fat in the first place but but the memories still linger. Around 7 months ago I was chatting up this girl I had a massive crush on, months and months I spent improving myself and building up the courage, we started talking and I became addicted to the idea of being better when I was only making things worse, I wouldn’t eat. Didn’t end up dating this girl, my friend said I was a dick around this time so maybe it was the Ed. Has anyone else had a similar experience to this? I’d like to know if anyone would like to share.

Also: I ended up ghosting this girl, I think because I hated myself so much. I think she was upset about that but if only she knew 🤷‍♂️

Hello Everyone. I am an 18 year old with a BMI of 13.2 and I have been struggling bad with an ED for 11-12 Months now. I had very major life changes go on last year that I feel like contributed to it and I don’t know what to do about my weight because my thoughts are all over the place and one minute i want to gain weight then the next minute i don’t and am terrified to… What do you guys think I should do in this situation? All help is appreciated!

So im 19 and have a bmi of 15.7 im kinda new to EDs and have been strugfling the last 6 months. Im kinda worried about my health while at the same time im scared of gaining...any tips

Hi I need help knowing if I did gain weight on a day I ate so many pizza slices and then the next day a burger not entirely I gave to my mom but I felt guilty and yesterday I had Chinese food again guilty I did purge some days I know I have some type of disordered but I don’t know what but today I have fasted and worked out I just wanted to know if I gained a lot weight cause of this poorly meals I’ve had this week but also I don’t usually eat like this at all so I don’t know why I ate like this either :(

I write this because I hope it helps someone as reading that I am not alone has helped me. I have suffered from anorexia and bulimia for almost 10 years. I am 26 at the moment and it is one of the most limiting things that has happened to me. I have been in therapy for almost three years, however at this time bulimia has returned to my life. I feel like maybe it's a defense mechanism that doesn't let me move forward toward who I want to be.

With all my desire I would like not to have bulimia, to be able to be a normal person, without thinking about what I am going to eat all the time. I'm embarrassed to talk to my friends about what I'm going through, because I don't want them to look down on me or think there's something incurable about me. I don't know if I would want to talk to anyone about it beyond my therapist, because I don't feel comfortable doing so. Bulimia is something so disgusting, so weak, I wish I didn't have it, but I have it. This is all so embarrassing.

To contextualize, I am something of a public figure where I live, and in my environment and where I work image is everything. I am always looking forward to giving a good image because that is what matters, no one hires you because you just have talent, what people want is a good show from someone who looks good. In the end I would like to heal, but I am so consumed by this that it is so difficult for me. I don't know what's wrong with me, after a binge I feel so weak, so guilty. I would like this to just magically disappear, but I know that it is work: that I must transform what is happening to me. I have become so dependent on what others think of me, what the audience thinks of me, what my friends think of me, what my teachers think of me, what my family thinks of me. I don't know where I am in all this.

I don't recognize myself, I don't know where the care that I say I have towards myself is and above all I don't know what to do.

For anyone reading this, you are not alone. This happens to millions of people worldwide and it sucks. I hope you recover, I hope you can look in the mirror again without feeling like there is something wrong with you, because I know that once was possible. I hope we get out of this.

it just feels so invalidating and like im not manly enough. i think that i might have a restrictive eating disorder but just telling anyone is so fucking hard when it feels like id just get dismissed because im a guy or that ill be seen as somehow feminine because of it. i dont know how it is in more left leaning countries etc but here in poland ed are shoved into the same category as self harm, the category of ,,only teen girls do this". end of my rant thanks

Hey, what’s the path to, I guess overcoming the insane insecurity and anxiety that I have about my weight which has lead me to starve myself and throw up meals for the last few months. It’s never been this bad I used to be fat as and see myself as fat as still but I’m 70kg everyone around me is worried cause. It’s like losing weight through working and being active has made it worse. What actual supports out there for it ?

So I went into Christmas with a great deal of trepidation. I’ve not binged as much as I expected. But I have instead grazed throughout the day.

I weighed myself today and am the heaviest I’ve ever been. I also have massive issues looking at my fat body. I’m always feeling ashamed and depressed, but Christmas has really turned up the difficult feelings. I’m dreading New Year’s Eve.

I just want to hide and disappear. I’ve never felt this bad at Christmas and can’t see how things can go on like this.

Its hard to look towards my future, all "goals" for transitioning are skinny guys. My ed got 10x worse when I started transitioning socially, Tbh it was way easier when i thought i was female because women are generally still seen as attractive when chubby where as men arent

Its hard to look towards my future, all "goals" for transitioning are skinny guys. My ed got 10x worse when I started transitioning socially, Tbh it was way easier when i thought i was female because women are generally still seen as attractive when chubby where as men arent

I've unrestricted it now that i'm aware anyone can post so sorry yall and added the rule that no studies or like psychologist questionnaires I receive about 60 requests a day and it was making my brain auto filter notifications from here apologies to yall once again

My coworkers have started commenting on how I don't seem to eat anything (i work at McDonald's we get a meal for free during our breaks and it's not uncommon for people to get a snack after their shift)

They've been making a lot of comments about how I don't have a snack after work very often and it's common knowledge that I don't eat breakfast

They were asking me if it's just like a thing i grew up with or if I just don't like it or and trailed off

I gave them a bit of info about how my eating disorder started but not that I actually have one, some of them know but I don't thi k I want it to be common knowledge

Hi everyone!

I am a graduate student at NYU and need people to fill at my survey for my capstone project. This study is looking at the association between social media, Orthrexia nervosa, and body image. Please fill out this survey if you are a man, between the ages of 18-65, and living in the United States. Thank you!

https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0VuRug3KfROcLPM

I was just searching for a good group to join on Facebook for men who need support with these very issues. I could not find one so I created one! You are all welcome to join me and help me create a supportive community of friends so we do not have to go through it alone. :)

I do want to clarify that the group is for social interaction, encouragement, and support from others. It is not a replacement for professional treatment!

Here is the link to the Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/menseatingdisordersupportgroup/

Hello. I'd like to tell everyone about the creation of r/recoveryrecipes. It's a place for those who are entering or in recovery to share what they are eating to recover, build a support network, and help each other relearn how to eat. All are welcome. I just recently found out about this sub or I would have posted sooner.

My name is Elyse O’Loghlen, and I am a PhD candidate at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. We are seeking to recruit participants for an online survey who are over the age of 18 years, and who are currently experiencing difficulties with overeating, emotional eating, or binge eating.

https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6hztnk5hnXfyhJs

As a token of appreciation for your time and for sharing your experience, participants who enter their details at the end of the survey will go into a raffle to win 1 of 10 Amazon e-Gift cards valued at AUD$100.

This research project aims to develop a motives for binge eating scale. This study is also exploring factors that may increase the risk of binge eating. Specifically, this study examines the relationships between negative childhood experiences (e.g., emotional abuse or invalidation), shame, self-compassion, and motives for binge eating. It is hoped that the results of this research will inform preventative and treatment strategies for individuals experiencing binge eating. The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Participation in this survey is voluntary, no identifiable information will be collected, and all responses will remain anonymous, except for those participants who choose to provide their contact details at the end of the survey for the purpose of follow-up interviews, in which case information will remain private and only accessible to the student investigator, co-investigator, and principal investigator.

It would also be greatly appreciated if you could forward this advertisement or survey link to any friends, colleagues, or family members who are currently experiencing difficulties with binge eating, as I am hoping to reach as many people as possible. Thank you for your time and assistance. If you have any questions regarding the project, please contact me via email at elyseologhlen@swin.edu.au or the principal investigator Dr Roslyn Galligan via email at rgalligan@swin.edu.au. Alternatively, you can contact the Swinburne Research Ethics Officer on +61 3 9214 3845 or +61 3 9214 8145, or at resethics@swin.edu.au.