coachmolly
Coach
I wouldn't say to "relax" if you don't have a family history of anorexia. The same personality traits that lead to anorexia can also cause a number of other mental health concerns, or just come across as a "Type A" personality. So there could be no prior history of anorexia or an eating disorder in your family, but the biological traits that combined to environmental factors to produce anorexia can absolutely be there.
I have a mental health disorder, one that often comes in conjunction with anorexia, and is known to have both a genetic and environmental component. There was absolutely 0 family history. When symptoms started presenting in my childhood my parents were entirely thrown for a loop. As I look at family history, there are some signs that might indicate a genetic predisposition to things such as anxiety, but no one was (or has since been) diagnosed with the same disorder. So to say not to worry if no one in the family has dealt with anorexia is not accurate at all.
And like another poster mention, anorexia and bulimia are incredibly serious and the most well known of the disordered eating patterns, but there are other forms of disordered eating that can be just as debilitating and dangerous.
I was a very intense child, especially at the gym, because I was obsessed with gymnastics and being the best I could be. I was also on medication for the aforementioned disorder that caused me to gain weight. So yes, I was a larger gymnast, I was aware of that. I also put on very bulky muscle, making me look much more "bulky" than some of my very lean and defined teammates. I was very embarrassed by both. I have very clear memories of coaches commenting on my weight, one asking if I was looking at how fat I was in the mirror, another telling a teammate of mine that I couldn't expect any coach to do anything with me because I was too fat. Those comments have stuck with me to this day and I have been told I have a very impaired body image.
As a coach, I don't comment on weight. If it were to come down to a gymnast being a danger to herself, I might ask to talk to the parents about helping her get appropriate fuel for a very physically demanding sport, but that would be an extreme circumstance. I work to model good eating habits, let the girls it's not okay if they are calling themselves fat, reinforcing that they are all fit, athletic, and beautiful in their current state. I encourage them to fuel themselves appropriately for practices and before meets, but if they want to get a milk shake after a meet, I'll probably be right there with them, because I believe in all things in moderation and want to pass that along to the teens I coach. It's just such a slippery slope, and most coaches are not in-tune with what their gymnasts are going through internally, especially things like disordered eating and body image problems that they will go to great lengths to hide.
I have a mental health disorder, one that often comes in conjunction with anorexia, and is known to have both a genetic and environmental component. There was absolutely 0 family history. When symptoms started presenting in my childhood my parents were entirely thrown for a loop. As I look at family history, there are some signs that might indicate a genetic predisposition to things such as anxiety, but no one was (or has since been) diagnosed with the same disorder. So to say not to worry if no one in the family has dealt with anorexia is not accurate at all.
And like another poster mention, anorexia and bulimia are incredibly serious and the most well known of the disordered eating patterns, but there are other forms of disordered eating that can be just as debilitating and dangerous.
I was a very intense child, especially at the gym, because I was obsessed with gymnastics and being the best I could be. I was also on medication for the aforementioned disorder that caused me to gain weight. So yes, I was a larger gymnast, I was aware of that. I also put on very bulky muscle, making me look much more "bulky" than some of my very lean and defined teammates. I was very embarrassed by both. I have very clear memories of coaches commenting on my weight, one asking if I was looking at how fat I was in the mirror, another telling a teammate of mine that I couldn't expect any coach to do anything with me because I was too fat. Those comments have stuck with me to this day and I have been told I have a very impaired body image.
As a coach, I don't comment on weight. If it were to come down to a gymnast being a danger to herself, I might ask to talk to the parents about helping her get appropriate fuel for a very physically demanding sport, but that would be an extreme circumstance. I work to model good eating habits, let the girls it's not okay if they are calling themselves fat, reinforcing that they are all fit, athletic, and beautiful in their current state. I encourage them to fuel themselves appropriately for practices and before meets, but if they want to get a milk shake after a meet, I'll probably be right there with them, because I believe in all things in moderation and want to pass that along to the teens I coach. It's just such a slippery slope, and most coaches are not in-tune with what their gymnasts are going through internally, especially things like disordered eating and body image problems that they will go to great lengths to hide.
