Athletes face unique pressures that significantly increase eating disorder risk: performance demands, weight requirements, body scrutiny, coach influence, and a culture that often normalizes disordered eating as "dedication." If you're an athlete struggling with food, body image, or compulsive training—your experience is valid, and specialized treatment can help you heal while honoring your love of sport. At Beyond Eating Recovery, we provide athlete-informed, compassionate treatment throughout Oregon and Washington that addresses both the eating disorder and the athletic culture that contributes to it.
Athletes experience eating disorders at significantly elevated rates compared to non-athletes. This isn't because athletes are inherently disordered—it's because athletic culture, performance pressure, body scrutiny, and sport-specific demands create conditions where eating disorders thrive.
Important Affirmation:
Having an eating disorder doesn't mean you're a bad athlete or weak. It means you're human, navigating a culture that often promotes harmful behaviors in the name of performance. You can recover and still be an athlete—recovery actually improves performance.
Gymnastics, figure skating, diving, ballet, cheerleading, synchronized swimming
Wrestling, rowing, lightweight crew, judo, boxing, martial arts, horse racing
Distance running, cycling, cross-country skiing, triathlon, swimming
Football, weightlifting, bodybuilding, track and field throws
See our Body Dysmorphia and Eating Disorders in Men pages
A critical concept for understanding athlete health:
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport occurs when athletes don't consume enough energy (calories) to match their energy expenditure from training and daily life. This energy deficit—whether intentional or unintentional—causes widespread physiological impairments.
Old model focused on:
Paradox: Under-fueling intended to improve performance actually impairs it.
Recovery doesn't mean giving up sport—it means healthier, sustainable athletic life. Contact Beyond Eating Recovery for athlete-informed treatment throughout Oregon and Washington.