Another possible reason being explored: Feelings of threatened masculinity. "Perhaps this is the one domain left where men can feel like men, since women can do everything that men can do, except they can't bench-press hundreds of pounds," she tells WebMD. "What has happened over the years is there's an increasing emphasis on men's appearance, and in particular on looking muscular, and it coincides very nicely with the increasing equality women have attained in society."
"If you see yourself as being fat or puny, but others around you say that you're muscular, that's a red flag."
Whatever the causes, and likely there are many -- including life experiences or even genetics -- there's no denying that some men are feeling the pressure. Even GI Joe dolls have bulked up in recent years.
"In women with eating disorders, the focus is usually on thinness, but men tend to want to be muscular and gain weight," says Catherine Loomis, PhD, psychologist at the Eating Disorders Center at Rogers Memorial Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wis., one of the nation's few treatment centers that specifically treats men with eating disorder and body image problems. "A lot of it has to do with cultural pressures placed on men to look a certain way. As a result, they may develop a fear of certain foods and anxiety over the way they eat."
Even boys and teens -- especially those who are overweight -- are suffering emotional trauma in their quest for bigger muscles, and setting themselves for possible future medical problems. "They may try to eat lot of protein but limit fat, and they often develop a fear of foods and an anxiety that results from restrictive eating," she tells WebMD. "Often, these are people who are perfectionists and have or could develop obsessive-compulsive disorder."
So when do men cross the line from a healthy workout to an unhealthy and potentially dangerous obsession? One hint: Exercising more than once or twice each day, with no days off from weight lifting.
"I usually note four points that determine whether you've crossed the line or not," says Roberto Olivardia, PhD, another Adonis Complex author and psychologist at McLean Hospital and at Harvard Medical School who specializes in men's body image problems:
- Distortion of body image: "If you see yourself as being fat or puny, but others around you say that you're muscular, that's a red flag," he tells WebMD.
- Exercise interferes with other areas of life. "If your relationships, job, or school suffer because of your exercise routines, that's a warning sign."
- Your harm yourself in pursuit of fitness. "If you're taking steroids, tearing joints or ligaments because of overtraining, or you're fainting because you're not taking in enough liquids, that's a sign of trouble."
- Your self-esteem is based solely on your appearance. "If you feel that the perfect body is the only way you can feel good about yourself, that's another warning sign. You need to get self-esteem from many areas in your life -- and not only from your muscles."
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD.
SOURCES: ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, March/April 2003. British Medical Journal, Nov. 3, 2001. Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. Katharine Phillips, MD, director, Body Image Program, Butler Hospital; associate professor of psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, R.I. Catherine Loomis, PhD, psychologist, Eating Disorders Center, Rogers Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc, Wis. Roberto Olivardia, PhD, clinical instructor of psychology, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston.
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