Lynne Fischel Ph.D.
Eating Mindfully
Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders in Gender-Expansive Individuals
In a study of more than 500 participants, trans men had more eating disorders than trans women.
Posted May 05, 2021
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Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
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THE BASICS
What Are Eating Disorders?
Find a therapist to heal from an eating disorder
Source: Photo by Nathan Cowley on Unsplash
Eating disorder can have a wide range of symptoms. Some are specific to eating disorders in men, while others may involve other psychiatric conditions.
Eating disorder is a significant mental health issue, with many professional organizations aware of the condition as well as countless individuals who have already had challenges with weight control and loss.
Eating disorder can be quite difficult to evaluate, much less diagnose. Many victims have begun to realize the extent of the damage they have sustained through the lack of support and monitoring from their doctors and the awareness that eating behavior is damaging to their self-esteem. Many families have been impacted by the contempt they feel toward their weight and weight management, starting with the families that have lost their healthy eating habits due to rampant dieting or weight confiscation.
Eating disorder can often be quite shrouded in mystery. We are often unaware of the behavioral changes involved in attempting to (literally) "get over" a eating disorder. A frequent response is to blame self-esteem. A friend once teased me, saying, "What do you expect me to do to get over that eating disorder?"
Other times, when the barrage is loud and clear, an emergency need to be called 911. But there is a reason for emergency response inaction. Often responding to a mental health crisis that threatens public health is an opportunity for increased harm to us and decreased health care for our most vulnerable populations.
My eating disorder journey begins with me trying to accept that, despite my struggles with weight, I am a woman who has had amazing success in transforming myself into a functional and beautiful person. This realization liberates me to reflect on and make progress on how I can use my training and skills as a therapist to better help with the complex tensions between my internalized "I-Man" and the ever present, often relentless, "I-Must-Do" comparison.
Since losing almost every body shape I can with my femmaphrohysemia (abdominal) and long femmellina (bulky front limbs), I have mostly replaced my femmaphrohyseal muscles with my jock/hip muscles. My exercise and yoga classes are now completely customized to my wellness needs. I exercise mainly on my right side and rely upon my thorax to add instability to my yoga practice. I love that I am able to expend 40+ pounds when I started out. Even more amazing, I have developed a masters' degree in karate, have had many years of experience competing in MMA, and am quite proficient in kick boxing.
I compete in obstacle sports such as pole dancing, skiing, hiking, running, cycling, and boxing. While walking, I will try to find a way to steady my bike and walk. During the hot pursuit of a bike and its rider, I am wearing a helmet, and always signal to my partner to look at the direction of the bicyclist with my reverse triangle. After the 2016 Olympic ice skating, I learned my way to attach a GoPro camera to my phone. This allowed me to film what I was doing on my home floor in a way that my partner, who is a television and film reporter, would judge me for.
I compete in weightlifting and yoga classes. While gearing up for a meet, I made sure to check in with my nutritionist to get dosage notifications from my doctor. Once she had noticed that I wasn’t eating healthy, she authorized me to legally to participate in eating disorder treatment.
I began by trying to make myself feel as healthy as I could. Initially, my goal was to get off the restrictive diets that were forcing my body via the food industry. Then I added fitness to my goal of losing weight. The more I could do in-person workouts, the healthier I felt. Sure enough, I registered for a class and felt a huge boost.
Even with my calorie-restrained diet, I felt the real deal. I loved it. After about four months, I could look myself in the mirror and smile.