Body image can be a central cause of some types of eating disorders.
Females have been pressured to conform to unrealistic body image standards for a long time. However, males are now experiencing similar pressures to change their bodies, thus increasing numbers of males are developing eating disorders. They are terrified of gaining weight and these food restrictive behaviors become an all encompassing obsession. During the binge there is a great deal of fear about not being able to stop. After the binge, the person purges to get rid of the food either by vomiting, water pills, laxatives, and excessive exercise.