Dubai: 'Starving myself became a crutch', how eating disorders affect men

Parth* never thought he had an eating disorder.

It started with a For You page on TikTok full of young men with sculpted abs, effortless confidence, and bodies that looked like they belonged on magazine covers. Soon he became conscious of his own body.

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“I had gained some weight and felt that I didn’t look as good as I used to,” he said.

So he cut back. Ate less.

The goal was simple ­— shed a few kilos and go back to normal. But what started out as a problem related to body image dissatisfaction quickly spiralled into something deeper when he left Dubai two years ago for university.

“I found myself relying on [controlling food intake] as a coping mechanism in periods where I experienced emotional problems or other stresses on my mental health. I would try not to eat for as long as I could,” he said. “Starving myself became a crutch — it made me feel better about myself when other things weren’t going so well.”

He tried “fixing” the problem by eating more, but he couldn’t shake his preoccupation with food, weight, and control.

He went to therapy looking for ways to manage his stress where he was ultimately diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.

“I was intimidated by the diagnosis,” Parth admitted. “I went into therapy thinking I would have a few sessions to discuss body image dissatisfaction and that it would get straightened out in a few sessions. When I was referred to a specialist who said we would need to see each other for a few months, I was a bit nervous.”

For a long time, he didn’t believe he had anorexia at all. “I thought people with anorexia nervosa all looked gaunt and emaciated,  and I didn’t think I looked like that,” he said.

Eating disorders are widely misunderstood, especially when it comes to men.

“Historically, anorexia was first observed in the 1600s,” explained Dr Victoria Mountford, psychology lead and eating disorder service lead at Sage Clinics, “and the discourse has always been around females.”

For decades, eating disorders have been framed as a “women’s issue”, often associated with vanity or a desire to lose weight. Dr Mountford points out that early diagnostic criteria even included amenorrhea — loss of menstruation — meaning men literally couldn’t be diagnosed.

The stigma around men’s health as a whole doesn’t help them acknowledge the possibility of having an eating disorder either.

“In general, men are less likely to go to their doctor for any health problem to begin with,” she said. “There’s still a lot of stigma around men’s mental health, too, and in particular acknowledging that this ‘female’ problem can affect them.”

Though it’s not what Parth struggled with, binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in men.

BED is characterised by recurring episodes of consuming large amounts of food in a short period accompanied by a feeling of loss of control. Individuals with BED eat when they are not physically hungry, and experience distress, guilt, or shame after bingeing. Over time, the disorder can lead to physical health issues such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, as well as psychological challenges like anxiety and depression.

Binge eating is often triggered by emotional distress, such as stress, anxiety, depression, or loneliness, leading individuals to use food for comfort. It can also be caused by habitual restrictive dieting and food deprivation resulting in a loss of control when hunger becomes too much, or negative self-image and low self-esteem when individuals feel pressured to meet unrealistic body standards or experience shame around their eating habits. Additionally, brain chemistry and the dopamine reward system reinforce bingeing, as the temporary “high” from overeating encourages repetitive behaviour, while hormonal imbalances disrupt hunger and satiety signals.

Recognising these triggers is crucial for breaking the cycle. Strategies like mindful eating, structured meal planning, stress management, and cognitive behavioural therapy offer effective tools for recovery.

“BED has an almost 50:50 ratio between men and women,” said Dr Mountford. “Even if men are engaged in this behaviour, many don’t even realise they have an eating disorder. They just think they have no willpower because they’re not looking at the underlying issues that cause these behaviours, simply at the behaviour itself.”

For many, treatment comes too late. “General practitioners are primed to look for eating disorders in underweight teenage girls,” she said. “Men are often sent for many physical investigations before someone even considers they might have an ED.”

By the time men enter treatment, they’re usually much sicker. “They’ve spent years ignoring symptoms because society never told them this could happen to them,” she said.

Dr Mountford also notes how environment plays a role in men developing EDs.

Dubai is a city of extremes — high pressure, high standards, and high indulgence. Men are taught to strive for a sculpted physique and manage a high pressure, fast-paced lifestyle while being bombarded with a myriad of readily available and highly palatable foods. They can easily fall into a trap of either using obsessive exercise/restriction or disordered eating patterns to cope. It’s the perfect conditions for BED and other eating disorders to thrive.

“We need to educate healthcare professionals and the public on what eating disorders look like in men,” Dr Mountford emphasised. “Muscle dysmorphia, obsessive gym habits, extreme food tracking, anxiety, depression — these can be warning signs.”

Men don’t have to struggle alone. “I could have never managed recovery without getting professional help,” Parth reflected.  “After my sessions, I feel clear-headed. I have a renewed sense of agency; this eating disorder does not define me, and I can manage it. I suspect this is true of other mental health conditions as well.”

Parth has one piece of advice for other men who want to re-evaluate their relationship with food: “Please get professional help from a specialised eating disorders team. It really works.”

For more information, visit Sage Clinics’ website or contact their Eating Disorders Service directly.  

*Name changed for privacy