5 Common Signs of Bigorexia in Bodybuilders

Tim, an avid bodybuilder, starts his morning by looking in the mirror. He couldn't be more in shape--his muscles are perfectly defined--yet he feels skinny and weak. Frustrated, he spend an extra two hours in the gym, lifting weights despite the growing pain and inflammation surrounding his biceps tendon--a possible sign of a bicep strain.

Later in the day his friends invite Tim to lunch but he declines, worried it could ruin his diet. Instead, he chows down on protein pancakes and chicken while watching bodybuilding videos on Youtube.

Tim isn't just an obsessed bodybuilder. These signs are characteristic of bigorexia, an eating disorder often described as "reverse anorexia". Bigorexia causes men (and women) to constantly obsess about their size and physique, causing them to withdraw from family, favorite activities and change their eating habits in fear of losing muscle. Although bigorexia doesn't have the same symptoms as other eating disorders, its psychological impact is damaging.

Do you think you have bigorexia? Are you worried that a friend or family member has it? Here are six signs of bigorexia to watch out for:

Sign 1: You spend most of your day thinking about getting bigger. This can include obsessing over workouts, your diet or how you muscles look in the mirror. Bodybuilders need to be careful with their diet and workouts if they want to get bigger, but having a bad day doesn't crush their self-esteem. With bigorexia, it can.

Sign 2: You miss important events, family outings or even work because it interferes with your workout plans. For bigorexics, training and eating "clean" is their obsession, and they fear sacrificing even one session could reverse their progress. If a special event could possibly thwart their progress, they'll find a reason to skip it.

Sign 3: Missing a workout--or worse, eating even an off-limit food item--puts you into panic mode. Like anorexics, bigorexics are obsessed with their diet and workout plans, and even one small mess up drives their anxiety to extreme levels. They may skip meals, add more workouts or find other ways to punish their "failure" to make up for any perceived lost progress. This is a serious sign of a developing eating disorder.

Sign 4: You try to hide your body with baggy clothes because you don't believe your body looks "good enough". Bigorexics, like anorexics, are ashamed of their body, and choose to hide their physique with baggy clothing out of embarrassment. They may also avoid special events that require little clothing, such as an outing to the beach, to avoid showing off their body.

Sign 5: You use dangerous drugs in hopes of getting bigger, despite its dangerous side effects. According to About.com, bigorexics commonly abuse anabolic steroids, using them constantly in hopes of enhancing their muscles. Despite the serious side effects of these drugs--breast enlargement and testicular shrinkage are common--they continue to use it, consumed by their obsession to get large.

Sign 6: You constantly worry about your body fat percentage. Anorexics are concerned about their weight, but bigorexics are worried about their body fat percentage--a lower body fat percentage helps define muscles. This causes them to worry about the foods they eat and how they exercise, often to an obsessive point.

If you or a loved one shows signs of bigorexia, admitting your problem--and getting adequate, professional help--can help reverse this disorder. Although eating disorder specialists are still trying to understand the cause of bigorexia, eating disorder therapy, in the form of cognitive-behavioral therapy, can help you get better.

Sources:

Jerry Kennard, "Signs and Symptoms of Bigorexia" (About.com)