The Body and The Battleground: Eating Disorders and The Athlete
By Zoe Miniter, Licensed Mental Health Counselor
When we think of athletes we picture medals and trophies, grit, glory, discipline, and sacrifice. We imagine roaring crowds, flashing cameras, recruitment letters, signs and merchandise with their names written on them. Athletes are praised for their mental fortitude, their ability to push past pain, their drive to achieve. The body is trained to endure pain, push through the fatigue, being told that greatness comes with risk.
The quiet struggle of being human in a system that rewards collapsing from exhaustion for accomplishment.
The mind is trained to ignore discomfort, suppress doubt, block out distractions and keep going no matter the consequences. That achievement often has a high cost – for many athletes that cost is paid internally, long after the medals and trophies are given out.
What We Don’t See
The mental and physical struggles that accompany achievement
The injuries that linger long after the season ends: the anxiety, burnout, depression, identity loss that follows when self-worth is based on achievement alone.
In addition to these challenges, there can be something even deeper and even more dangerous. Something that might result in being praised by others – but unfortunately can take on a life of its own. It can become the identity, the “so called friend.” The “it” I am referring to is an eating disorder.
Eating disorders thrive in isolation, but are reinforced by the praise and compliments of others for being “in shape, fit, healthy, or thin.” They are often the byproduct of a system that rewards control, thinness, leanness, “jacked,” fast, or tough, while punishing rest, self-compassion, softness, and hunger.
What starts as a meal and training plan, can quickly turn into an obsession due to striving to be the “perfect weight/build/physique”. The need to bulk up, to weight cut, be stronger, run longer, swim quicker, row faster, the phrase “better, faster, stronger” becomes the norm rather than what is healthy for the individual. Eating disorders love these traits but it also can be the silent killer. In fact, eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of all mental health conditions. This is not a distinction that anyone should want to win.
Eating disorders are not always caught at first glance, especially when we see the surface level effects that might seem like they are enhancing performance. So while the short-term effects may seem appealing, the long-term consequences can be devastating.
Some of these consequences include:
hormonal disruption
bone density loss and stress fractures
chronic injuries
gastrointestinal issues
cognitive impairment
mood changes
anxiety
depression
life threatening cardiac issues
dehydration and severe electrolyte imbalances
burn out and leaving a sport early
Many athletes – as well as their friends, family and coaches – often don’t realize the damage until after the competition is gone, and the structure, rules, and distorted body image remain.
Getting Help for an Eating Disorder
There needs to be a shift in the conversation. We need to move from romanticizing deprivation and prioritizing mental toughness and physical endurance as a measure of your worth. The focus needs to be on authenticity, emotional awareness and acceptance and building a new identity that is not tied to performance or the eating disorder.
Having an eating disorder, struggling with food, body image, control, or any other diagnosis that comes from athletic self-worth does not make you weak. It is a response to a culture that turned into an identity that taught you self-worth needed to be earned rather than given.
If you are struggling, remember that healing is not quitting; it is not giving up or being soft. Instead, it is choosing to become stronger, being who you are, feeling whole, rather than living a life at a cost.
As an athlete you are already skilled at discipline and repetition. Part of healing means using those same strengths by combining CBT practices.
How does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) work for athletes with disordered eating?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers a practical, evidence-based framework for working with athletes experiencing disordered eating, particularly within the high-performance contexts that often reinforce rigid standards around body, weight, and control.
→ CBT helps athletes identify and challenge unhelpful beliefs, such as equating performance or worth with body composition,
→ while addressing behavioral patterns like:
restrictive eating
compulsive exercise
or compensatory behaviors that can undermine both health and performance.
Interventions often include:
establishing regular, adequate fueling to support training demands
reducing avoidance around feared foods
and building flexibility in routines that have become rule-bound.
Importantly, CBT also targets performance-related anxiety, perfectionism, and intolerance of uncertainty, which frequently maintain disordered eating in athletic populations. By integrating psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, and exposure-based strategies, CBT supports athletes in developing a more adaptive relationship with food, body, and performance—enhancing both well-being and long-term athletic sustainability.
Getting help for disordered eating is choosing to compete for your life, not just your legacy.
Zoe Miniter is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) who provides compassionate, evidence-based therapy for individuals, couples, and families. She is experienced in treating athletes navigating eating disorders and is now accepting new in-person clients in Orlando and telehealth clients across Florida.
