A few weeks ago our class discussed the Female Athlete Triad, and disordered eating. I found that lecture to be especially interesting. We discussed the 3 main factors of the female athlete triad, and one of them was disordered eating. I took special interest in this topic because unfortunately, I suffered from disordered eating in High School. From the age of 8 to about 14 I was a competitive gymnast. I practiced about 5 days a week, and rarely thought about what I ate. I was never someone to eat a lot of unhealthy food, but I usually would not think twice when I ordered a burger and fries at McDonalds. Once I became an 8th grader, I realized that I was burnt out on gymnastics. It was beginning to take over my life, and it wasn't as much fun as it used to me. So at age 14, I quit gymnastics. It was strange for me because I had been an athlete all my life, and was always in such great shape. It wasn't until later that I started to notice my body change. I finally went through puberty, gained some weight, and grew out of a size zero jeans. It was the first time in my life where I began to think about my weight and what I was eating. I wasn't used to having hips, or thighs. For so long my body was in perfect shape, so when I started to gain weight I began to freak out. Once I began High School, my insecurity about my body hit an all time high. I started cheerleading for my High School, so I was becoming active again. Being a cheerleader at my school I felt the need to look perfect and have a perfect body. I didn't weight more than 130 pounds, but I felt like I looked like I was 200 pounds. I began being very strict about what I ate. I began measuring out my food in cups, and eating a lot less than what I was used to. Anytime I ate a chip or cookie, I would put myself down internally and beat myself up for it. I remember one time I decided not to eat all day, and then I had cheerleading practice. I practially fainted while I was stunting, so my coach made me sit out. It got to the point where I was so obsessed with my body image, that I couldn't think about anything else. I fell into such a deep depression, my mom became really scared for me. She finally made me talk to someone about my unhealthy ways and constant depression. Although I was so angry to go, I've never been so grateful in my life. I might not of had bulemia or anorexia, but I definitely suffered from disordered eating. After many sessions, I finally began to gain my self confidence back. It's hard for people to understand why girls, and athletes, go through disordered eating. I really believe that the media has such a strong influence on young girls minds. They feel that they should have the "perfect body," which is how I felt. It was easier for me when I was a competitive gymnast because I really didn't have to think about my body as much. I was extremely fit and athletic, so it didn't even really cross my mind. Also, I hadn't gone through puberty yet so I hadn't gained that "womanly figure" yet. Women feel like they need to live up to this ideal of the perfect body. I think that until that ideal changes, women will continue to suffer from disordered eating.
-Jennifer Kubo
Women in Sport, Section 3206
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