In a country that spends more than forty billion dollars on dieting supplements a year, it’s no surprise that more than ten million people have serious eating disorders. Eating disorders include extreme attitudes, emotions, and behaviors surrounding both food and weight issues. While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight gain they involve much more than food. Eating disorders affect both men and women. Men less commonly develop eating disorders, at least 10% of those suffering from eating disorders include males. Commonly, people link eating disorders to females, and this stereotype is causing serious eating disorders, held by men, to be over looked and to go untreated. It is important to realize that eating disorders create a serious problem in our country and people must also become aware of what causes some people to develop eating disorders.

During any given day, the American society is inundated by our perception of the ideal body. The ideal of a slim yet muscular body bombards young men on television, in magazines and even while walking across campus of their University. This ideal that is prevalent in our society drives boys and men to ta

In order to understand eating disorders, one must understand who is the prime target for eating disorders. “A national survey of 11,467 high school students and 60, 861 adults revealed that among the adults, 38% of the women and 24% of the men were trying to lose weight. Among the high school students, 44% of the females and 15 % of the males were attempting to lose weight” (EDA). Based on a questionnaire administered to 226 college students (98 males and 128 females) concerning weight, body shape, dieting, and exercise history, I found that 26% of the men and 48% of the women described themselves as overweight or having an unappealing body. To be able to make the answers to this questionnaire fair, I attempted to find people of about the same height and weight. The average height and weight was around 5’6 and weighting 140 lbs for girls and 6‘0 and weight 250 for guys. Now knowing what the average height and weight of the person, it is surprising to know how many people think they are overweight, when really they fall under the normal weight category. In general, men appear to be more comfortable with their weight and perceive less pressure to be thin like women. But that doesn’t mean that men don’t take an interest and go to extremes.

In America, people are given the message at a very young age that in order to be happy and successful, they must be thin or a certain shape. Given the value which our society places on being thin, it is not surprising that eating disorders are on the rise. Eating disorders are complex illnesses where both the disturbed eating pattern as well as the psychological aspects need to be treated. This condition can arise from a variety of potential ca

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