Chris Marvin’s
Best Tip
Because Marvin grew up in a
religious household, he was prone
to framing his meals as morality tests.
Now, he reminds himself to eat smart, or
smarter. “Smart” means a biscuit is okay,
as long as he doesn’t eat an entire box.
“Smarter” means lling up on vegies
at every meal to avoid eating the
biscuits in the rst place.WAIT,ISTHISME?
If you exercise, you can improve your health.
Usually. But for some people it awakens amonster of anxiety, obsessiveness and compulsiveness. Here’s how to check yourself
- I weigh myself many times a day
- Use of laxatives is one way
I control my weight - Others are concerned
about my eating habits - When compared to bodies shown in the
media, I feel inadequate - I check my body several
timesadayforfatness - My day is planned around
burning kilojoules
Answering “always” to these and other
statements suggests you’ve probably
crossed the line. The good news is that
treatment yields a high rate of success: 60
per cent of people with an eating disorder
make a full recovery with treatment. “The line
inthesand:doyoucontrolit,ordoesitcontrol
you?”saysDrStuartMurray,whosuggests
seeking therapy right away if you think you
might have a problem. “Go to a specialist and
beclearwithyourconcernsaroundbody
image, eating and muscularity.”‘‘My irst
drug of choice
was people’s
validation.
I didn’t have
my own sense
of identity”
Spend a few minutes reading about men’s eating
disorders, and you may start seeing phrases like “working
out behaviour,” “regulation of dietary intake,” and “drive to
enhance the visible appearance of muscularity”. If it
weren’t for the word “ex ces sive” in front of each of those
examples, you’d assume they describe you and everyone
else who reads this magazine. So when does a good
habit break bad? Consider these statements from a
50-question eating disorder assessment designed
specif ically for men. Choose one of six responses – never,
rarely, sometimes, often, usually or always – as it applies
to the following statements: