A new disease that leads to the development of an obsession with physical training and diet, bigorexia, is of growing concern to specialists.
• Read also: Even longer before having a bed
• Read also: Early studies suggest hefty bills
• Read also: Montreal: an outpatient center for adolescents in a state of suicidal crisis
“I don’t go a single day without training and I’m extremely careful about what I eat,” says Daniel Valenzuela, a great sportsman who works in the film industry in Montreal.
Winter and summer, he runs, rides a bike and climbs climbing walls while methodically monitoring the evolution of his muscle mass.
He devotes to his training more than 2 hours a day and he sometimes refuses invitations because he has to exercise. It was while listening to a podcast about this emerging disease called bigorexia that Daniel realized that it was threatening him.
“But I’m not a serious case, I still enjoy playing sports,” he laughs.
For some, like Montrealer Marc-Élie Mansour, the pleasure was over when he realized he was bigorexic. He had to seek help from a psychotherapist (see text opposite).
“The term ‘bigorexia’ is not officially recognized by medicine, but it could be soon,” points out Suzanne Laberge.
The professor at the School of Kinesiology at the University of Montreal has found eight recent studies on the subject. A sociologist specializing in sports, she believes that the “cult of the perfect body” could play a role in the prevalence of this mental health disorder.
A problem that goes unnoticed
Affecting 1 to 2% of the general population, bigorexia is more common among bodybuilders, with a prevalence of 22% in men and 5% in women, reports a study conducted in the United States in 2019 among 15,000 followers.
“Since exercising is generally well regarded, this health problem often goes unnoticed,” comments Jérôme Tremblay, scientific manager of Anorexia and Bulimia Quebec (ANEB), which offers telephone listening services to people with struggling with eating disorders.
Several times a year, he offers training to medical staff on bigorexia.
“You have to be particularly vigilant during adolescence, because that’s when you often start worrying about your physical appearance,” he says.
He believes the pandemic may have increased the prevalence of this disease because people at risk were more isolated and more likely to develop obsessions.
“From the first wave, we received an increase in distress calls for eating disorders. »
Adolescence at risk
When a young person isolates himself and becomes extremely concerned about the calories, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids he ingests, there is reason to worry, comments Rose-Aimée Gascon.
“Sport is good for your health, but the body must not become a battlefield,” explains this psychotherapist, whose practice includes bigorexia.
She worries about the rise in eating disorders, particularly among young men.
They are inspired by social networks of bodies that do not always correspond to health.
“We no longer want to be thin, we want to be muscular! »
The canons of beauty have changed in the past 20 years, she argues, showing the photo of an Instagram star, Michie Peachie, followed by 1.4 million followers: a woman in a bikini who shows off big biceps and bodybuilder thighs.
A therapy of several months to get out of it
A man who was teased for being overweight when he was young and who became bigorexic had to undergo therapy to recover.
“I developed very low self-esteem. When I discovered bodybuilding, I got totally involved in it,” says Marc-Élie Mansour, a 29-year-old man who agreed to tell his story to the Newspaper.
Courtesy picture
Marc-Élie Mansour managed to get out of the torpor of bigorexia.
Never satisfied with the image that his mirror reflected of him, the Montrealer multiplied his training to see his muscles grow from the end of his adolescence and the beginning of adulthood.
He spent several hours a day in the weight room and never took time off.
To gain muscle mass faster, meals of chicken, rice and broccoli were no longer enough. He added all kinds of nutritional supplements to his menu, not including anabolic steroids.
Never satisfied
“I realized one day that my body would never be perfect,” he reveals.
He was isolated, unhappy. This quest was hopeless.
“Even with Monsieur Muscle International’s shape, I wouldn’t have been satisfied. I had an unhealthy relationship with my body. »
After therapy that lasted several months, Mr. Mansour tamed his imperfections and rediscovered the pleasure of eating properly. He continued his training and found pleasure in it.
He completed a bachelor’s degree in teaching physical education and now teaches this subject in an elementary school in Montreal.
“Like eating disorders, bigorexia is a symptom of a profound illness. If we don’t attack the root of this evil, we will never get out of it,” he concludes.
A piece of advice for people at risk: consider consulting a professional as soon as your lifestyle is centered on physical appearance and the acquisition of muscle mass.
What is bigorexia?
◆ Made up of the words “big” and “orexia” (appetite), bigorexia is considered an eating disorder
◆ Untreated, this emerging disease can lead to depression and suicidal ideation
Symptoms
- An obsession for the perfect body
- A fixation on his diet
- A constant feeling of dissatisfaction with his body image
How to avoid it
- Limit workouts and weight lifting to 30-60 mins per day;
- Discontinue all use of steroids and protein supplements;
- Throw calorie and workout monitoring apps off your cell phones.
Source: healthline.com
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com