Manorexia is a rather flip popular name for a deadly serious disorder - male anorexia. It makes sense that, in an age when men have become more concerned with their physical appearance, body image disorders would begin to affect men as well as women. Statistics now show that one in four anorexics is male.

Here are some danger signs for men to watch out for:

Are You Below Your Ideal Weight?
The next time you visit your doctor, ask about what your idea body weight should be. There are also online tools to do the calculation at home.

Do you consistently fall below that ideal weight? Do you have a desire to be below that weight? Does it seem like an accomplishment when you fall below the ideal weight? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may have a problem.

Does Your Exercise Routine Interfere With the Rest of Life?
Men sometimes use exercise as a way to restrict their weight to an unhealthy extent. Exercise is more accepted societally for men than severe dieting. However, you can gauge whether your relationship to exercise is healthy by whether it interferes with time you spend with loved ones, work, or other activities. 

Are you giving up other important things in your life to spend time in the gym? Do you panic if you don't make it to the gym? If so, you might need some help in bringing exercise back into a healthy balance with other commitments.

Do You Feel Strong Or Weak?
The goal of physical fitness is health. When men don't feed their bodies correctly or exhaust them, they do not feel the energy and strength that should result from robust health. If your habits around eating and exercise are making you feel weaker rather than stronger, you may be abusing your body.

Have You Ever Forced Yourself to Throw Up or Used Laxatives?
These activities are well-known hallmarks of female anorexia and would be troubling signals in any woman's life. However, the cultural resistance to these actions among men is so strong that it seems to me that even a single incident of these behaviors in a man is a danger sign. I would urge you to consider speaking to a professional if you have engaged in forced vomiting or have used laxatives for weight loss.

Can You Enjoy Eating?
For the anorexic or bulimic, eating becomes torture rather than the pleasure it should be. As our culture becomes more and more focused on increased obesity rates, it can become difficult to remember a time when eating wasn't a kind of sin. If you find you can no longer sit down to a meal without a feeling of panic or guilt, then your relationship to food has become unhealthy.

Surrounded as we are by images of perfectly toned and tanned super-people, both male and female, we all feel increasing pressure to emulate those looks. This can be a great thing if it moves you toward fitness.

But I would encourage you to remember that compulsive behavior around weight loss and fitness can be as damaging to men as to women. Don't hesitate to call one of the many support organizations that exist if you need help.


The Principles
by Patrick Moore
Available now on Lulu.com, Amazon.Com, and BarnesandNoble.com.