Though they occur in all sports, eating disorders tend to occur more commonly in sports which emphasize leanness, such as cross country running, swimming, rowing and wrestling, or sports in which scoring is subjective, such as skating, gymnastics and diving. Eating disorders occur more common in athletes, though the reasons for this are less clear. Eating disorders are not about food. They tend to excel in school and are very critical of themselves. Eating disorders often begin innocently, as experimentation with ways to decrease weight or percentage of body fat.
Some athletes spiral into a true psychological disorder whereby body image is distorted.
Many times, self-esteem issues are central to athletes who feel extremely guilty about eating. They see themselves as weak because they cannot withstand hunger pangs. Often they develop an eating disorder as a means to gain control over some aspect of their life. Being able to tell if an athlete has an eating disorder is often a difficult task, given that there are many shared characteristics. Though an individual with anorexia may be easier to spot due to their extreme thinness, individuals with bulimia nervosa are often at or above their ideal weight and may be more difficult to recognize.