Video Fitness Forum  

Go Back   Video Fitness Forum > Video Fitness Reader Forum > General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 09-25-07, 08:47 PM  
bfit
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
OT Can middle-aged men have eating disorders?

I 'm sorry - this is not only OT but a little long too . . . Has anyone heard of men in their 40s who have an eating disorder? Several years ago my brother decided to lose weight (and he did need to). He dieted and exercised but mostly dieted. He is 5'10" and now weighs 130 pounds. He still exercises a little but mostly he maintains this weight by not eating very much. For lunch, for example, he'll eat a cup of some clear soup, one cracker, a handful of carrot sticks, and half an apple. I eat more than he does (and I'm not overweight). He looks really thin with practically no muscle, and he's cold all the time, but he claims he feels great. It seems to me like he fits all the criteria for anorexia except that he's a 40 something man and not a young woman. I've asked him sort of indirectly about his motivation for this, and he doesn't seem to be concerned about his appearance. Instead he says he wants to avoid heart disease, stroke, cancer, and all sorts of health problems down the line, and who can argue with that I guess? He is married, but his wife is sort of obsessed with eating and weight too. For example, they never have an actual evening meal when they come home from work but just eat popcorn (few calories) or lettuce (also few calories) in front of the TV. They also avoid protein and eat only fruits, veggies, and grains. At least his wife is of a normal weight though. Has anyone heard of anything like this? If I say something I'm sort of butting into a "lifestyle" that both of them share.
bfit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-07, 08:52 PM  
SharonH
VF Supporter
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Illinois
Yes. It used to be really rare, but it is becoming more common now. Thank goodness he has someone like you who cares about him.
SharonH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-07, 09:14 PM  
lovemykid
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: North Georgia
yes

Yes, my brother is 45 years old and I believe that he had an eating disorder just 4 or 5 years back. He started just like your brother (he needed to lose a little), but then it seemed like his life revolved around his weight. He was never satisfied, even when he looked great. Then he looked sort of bad because he became too skinny. He stabilized and stayed "a little skinny" for years and then about 5 years later he gained some back and looks good now. He was never diagnosed and this is only my non-professional opinion. But there was no doubt that his life revolved around losing weight for several years.
lovemykid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-07, 09:46 PM  
Sue B
VF Supporter
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Maryland
This might be the "lifestyle" he is into:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction
__________________
Move your body often, sometimes hard. Every bit counts.

Drop Two Sizes, Fit Body Blueprint, STRONG Eat. Lift. Thrive. and Revamp grad

DISCLOSURE: I have a professional relationship with a seller or producer of fitness videos or products. For details, please see my profile.
Sue B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-07, 10:37 PM  
videofit
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Sue B I was just going to mention the same thing.
__________________
"Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you." Henry David Thoreau
videofit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-07, 07:52 AM  
KathAL79
 
KathAL79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
The new "Weight Loss Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" (or whatever its title is) may also be to blame...
__________________
Kath
I listen to my body and respond compassionately. - sankalpa from Jill Miller's Yoga at Home level 1, month 5 practice

Note: I have had a professional relationship with a vendor of health and fitness books and media. For details please see my profile.
KathAL79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-07, 08:06 AM  
SpiritYogi
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Spiritual Bliss
Eating disorders are not discriminating -- they can affect any age, gender, social class, etc. I know a woman who developed an ED at the age of 60 and a boy who developed one at the age of 8.
SpiritYogi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-07, 08:11 AM  
F1mom
 
F1mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Atlanta
bfit, you must have ESP. I don't think it's limited to middle aged men; I'm now wondering if my 26 year old fiance has Manorexia. He's lost a lot of weight over the last 3 months, mostly by skipping meals. And a lot of it is work-related stress.

But I can barely get him to eat even a sandwich at home, and I tried to get him to eat a piece of cheese this morning, and he refused. He promised me he'd get something to eat on the way to work. Then he let drop he hadn't eaten in 2 days because he "didn't feel good".

I don't know what to do. I feel incredibly guilty because when we started dating, I mentioned I liked men who were in shape and took good care of their bodies. He's 6'4" and was wearing a 38 - 40. Now his clothes are falling off of him.
F1mom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-07, 09:34 AM  
mtnmom
 
mtnmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Santa Cruz Mtns, CA
Forgetting to eat, or just not feeling like eating, can be a sign of depression. Making a choice to eat lettuce for dinner is a different matter. I don't know the mindset of an anorexic, but making such a concious choice like that is a deliberate attempt to restrict your calories.

I think we usually think anorexia is limited to females trying to obtain "thinness," but over-restriction of your eating for "health" reasons would probably fit into the same catagory.
__________________
~~Diane~~
mtnmom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-07, 09:41 AM  
WWWendy
Community Manager
 
WWWendy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Northern VA, USA
just a reminder

I have allowed discussion of eating disorders in the past, because it is an important health issue and has has implications for exercise, and we have a number of members who have been affected by eating disorders and who may have good input to offer or resources to share.

However, please remember to avoid discussing diet specifics or discussion of particular diet plans. If you'd like to talk about that side of the issue, please do so privately. Thanks!
__________________
Wendy Niemi Kremer
Community Manager

DISCLOSURE: I have a professional relationship with a seller or producer of fitness videos or products. For details, please see my profile.
WWWendy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:52 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
© 2009 Video Fitness