Eating Disorders: public or silent enemy?

[sisinka]

Ever since I read this interview with Kostornaia, I think there's something completely wrong with the way these athletes think about weight gain, water intake etc. Running in cling film to lose water in order to be able to eat more dinner sounds insane. Even if this wasn't the idea of the coaches, someone should have intervened this behaviour.

Thank you for the link, @Zora .
Excerpts from an article...

- Tell me about your diet. Is it hard to control how you eat in figure skating?

Alena Kostornaia: This is important for any sport. It is necessary to receive a certain amount of all nutrients. Naturally, no one thoroughly monitors grams, there is no need for this. I don’t have such, especially in the off-season. My favorite phrase: “I’ll be fat, but I’ll be happy.” Because then I will start training, there will be a load, and I will not have time to go somewhere to eat or even cook.

- Diet and constant weighing is …

Alena Kostornaia: It’s terrible and disgusting. Diet – it’s completely wrong. There should be a well-balanced nutrition, with no restrictions. It is clear that a person will not eat chocolate non-stop. But there can be sweets and some kind of harmful chips, you just shouldn’t eat a whole pack. For example, after half a can of chips, my mouth irritates due to the amount of spices, so I can’t eat anymore, it hurts. I love chocolate very much, I can eat it for weeks, but then I still want to eat normal food. Even buckwheat.

Diet is disgusting. As soon as you set a limit for yourself, you immediately want to eat everything. The Forbidden fruit is sweet. Constant weighing – the same. You are constantly weighed, given a comment. It can be once or twice a week, this is normal, but if it is several times a day, then this is not normal. It’s hard to unlearn from that. I know this, I had a quirk when I always got on the scales – after water or an apple. If you gain 300 grams, then you immediately think that you are fat and you won’t jump in training. It’s hard to overcome an unhealthy attitude.

 

[sisinka]

Ever since I read this interview with Kostornaia, I think there's something completely wrong with the way these athletes think about weight gain, water intake etc. Running in cling film to lose water in order to be able to eat more dinner sounds insane. Even if this wasn't the idea of the coaches, someone should have intervened this behaviour.

I think there are few factors which lead into this behaviour. These ones below come into my mind at the moment...

1. Lack of information

Coaches (both on and off the ice) should 1) educate or 2) advise where to educate every parent whose child is entering sport, especially competive sport.

There are more examples of skaters around 20 or older who doesn't have the knowledge about right nutrition water intake including. Which means on 99% that they were never educated about it.

2. Lack of money

Figure skating is very expensive sport.

If there is little or no knowledge about the importancy of right nutrition or right rehabilitation (right body posture, deep muscle / core strengthening) or mental hygiene...parents, coaches and skaters underestimate these things to save more money for skating.

3. Lack of understanding that: "Prevention is better than cure!"

If parents and skaters wait till the moment of decompensation of physical or mental state....it will take more time to heal in comparison with prevention.

More time to heal = longer practise break = smaller chance to win...

Repetitive injuries usually lead to the end of skating career.

Even from financial point of view...it takes less money to pay few hours with nutrition specialist in comparison with treatment of eating disorders or injuries caused by malnutrition.

4. Wrong priorities

Parents / skaters put money into new costumes in the middle of the season instead of paying nutrition specialist. They rather pay a lesson with ballet coach than buy an hour with physiotherapist.

And, please, take this comment with ease (I don't want to offend anyone)...I never saw a skater winning medal because of new costume...but we all saw too many skaters withdrawing (= losing chance for medal) thanks to injuries (both physical and mental).

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Reading through outofshapeworthlessloser, I want to cry. Not being dramatic, I feel absolutely crushed for the skaters suffering through this sport while starving. How am I supposed to enjoy watching the sport when I know a large percentage of skaters are so hungry and sad? That there doesn't appear to be any hopeful outlook in the future and things will remain the same?
I remember reading about a Chinese skater in the early 2010s who often went to bed crying because she was so hungry, and her mother, trying to be supportive, also went to bed hungry.
I know from experience that obsessing over food is all consuming and stressful. But what skaters go through? That's a whole nother level.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Thank you for the link, @Zora .
Excerpts from an article...

- Tell me about your diet. Is it hard to control how you eat in figure skating?

Alena Kostornaia: This is important for any sport. It is necessary to receive a certain amount of all nutrients. Naturally, no one thoroughly monitors grams, there is no need for this. I don’t have such, especially in the off-season. My favorite phrase: “I’ll be fat, but I’ll be happy.” Because then I will start training, there will be a load, and I will not have time to go somewhere to eat or even cook.

- Diet and constant weighing is …

Alena Kostornaia: It’s terrible and disgusting. Diet – it’s completely wrong. There should be a well-balanced nutrition, with no restrictions. It is clear that a person will not eat chocolate non-stop. But there can be sweets and some kind of harmful chips, you just shouldn’t eat a whole pack. For example, after half a can of chips, my mouth irritates due to the amount of spices, so I can’t eat anymore, it hurts. I love chocolate very much, I can eat it for weeks, but then I still want to eat normal food. Even buckwheat.

Diet is disgusting. As soon as you set a limit for yourself, you immediately want to eat everything. The Forbidden fruit is sweet. Constant weighing – the same. You are constantly weighed, given a comment. It can be once or twice a week, this is normal, but if it is several times a day, then this is not normal. It’s hard to unlearn from that. I know this, I had a quirk when I always got on the scales – after water or an apple. If you gain 300 grams, then you immediately think that you are fat and you won’t jump in training. It’s hard to overcome an unhealthy attitude.

I never read this interview. Thanks for posting.

 

[macy]

Reading through outofshapeworthlessloser, I want to cry. Not being dramatic, I feel absolutely crushed for the skaters suffering through this sport while starving. How am I supposed to enjoy watching the sport when I know a large percentage of skaters are so hungry and sad? That there doesn't appear to be any hopeful outlook in the future and things will remain the same?
I remember reading about a Chinese skater in the early 2010s who often went to bed crying because she was so hungry, and her mother, trying to be supportive, also went to bed hungry.
I know from experience that obsessing over food is all consuming and stressful. But what skaters go through? That's a whole nother level.

what Gracie went through broke my heart. the culmination of how it blew up for her at champ's camp where she was dismissed, invalidated and gaslit by officials - IN FRONT of officials - is awful. she literally looked like a cry for help and SAID her existence was a cry for help TO them, and they did nothing but tell her to grow up. they told her to lose like 30 pounds in 2 months if she wanted to keep her grand prix spots - WHAT???? this is not an organization that gives any kind of a sh*t about its' athletes like they claim they do. the fact they didn't take her seriously in her severely deteriorated mental and physical state is such a testimony for how the culture of the sport desperately needs to change. NO ONE should ever have to go through what she did.

 

[peepsquick]

Did you all check Pomme's video (French singer) with Gabriella Papadakis?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy4VBKs-n3A

 

[adhara]

Reading through outofshapeworthlessloser, I want to cry. Not being dramatic, I feel absolutely crushed for the skaters suffering through this sport while starving. How am I supposed to enjoy watching the sport when I know a large percentage of skaters are so hungry and sad? That there doesn't appear to be any hopeful outlook in the future and things will remain the same?
I remember reading about a Chinese skater in the early 2010s who often went to bed crying because she was so hungry, and her mother, trying to be supportive, also went to bed hungry.
I know from experience that obsessing over food is all consuming and stressful. But what skaters go through? That's a whole nother level.

As a skater who has been through a lot of this stuff, I almost see beauty in that many of these skaters love the sport enough to not simply quit. Of course, some are forced to keep skating, but many could quit if they wanted to, it would make more financial sense too. The fact that they're still going despite the toxicity shows they truly love it.

And find comfort in the fact that many athletes have been able to find a better relationship with food while still competing and succeeding. I'm one of them. Sure it will never be perfect, but is any recovery ever perfect? I don't expect myself to ever be able to fully erase the things that this sport has done to me, but that does not mean I cannot live a fulfilling life in the future.

 

[sisinka]

Reading through outofshapeworthlessloser, I want to cry. ....
I know from experience that obsessing over food is all consuming and stressful. But what skaters go through? That's a whole nother level.

what Gracie went through broke my heart. ...the fact they didn't take her seriously in her severely deteriorated mental and physical state is such a testimony for how the culture of the sport desperately needs to change. NO ONE should ever have to go through what she did.

For every person realising there is a problem and finding what exactly is the problem... are the first steps in changing things and solving problems. Which will allow that person to create better and healthier life.

We live in 21st century where people are more open about problems and speak publicly. Generally it is true that amount of informations we get today is overwhelming and we need to think carefully what is relevant and what is manipulative information already.

"Hot" news like "Beyonce has a new haircut" or "singer X has a new girlfriend" are no way equal to skater's stories. So I am sad that having so many modern technologies journalists and media have problems to devide informations into 1) important and true ones and 2) others which are not important / possibly not true.

Stories of figure skaters are an inside look into figure skating community. Those stories points out problems which are hidden behind "smiles and glitters" for years.

But those figure skating stories get little publicity. Which means that less people will know about it = less skaters will be supported to change their unhealthy habits = less parents and coaches will realise that right eating habits ARE important (if you don't want to destroy an athlete both physically and mentally).

Although it is painful to read it (especially for people who are facing similar troubles), these topics need to be spoken and written about to open some people's eyes and to push to realise that THERE IS A PROBLEM and IT IS DANGEROUS for both physical and mental health and MANY SKATERS ARE SUFFERING for the rest of their life thanks to it. With time it can really lead to change.

 

[sisinka]

Recently I run into translation of Loena Hendrickx‘ interview on Twitter from March 2024 (from Loena eclipse account) and I was clearly surprised with some of her opinions:

- About body image: “Yes I feel insecure about my body. The average figure skater is tall and skinny. I don’t have that kind of body.”

- About her FS outfit winning Best Costume at the ISU Skating Awards (2024) and changing the skirt to the pants: “I didn’t feel skinny enough in the skirt. I don’t have the typical body of a figure skater: I have more muscles and curves.”


This is a typical example of dysmorphia. Having muscles and curves leads skating lady to believe that something is wrong with her body. It is not true. In reality Loena is skin enough, she only has different somatotype in comparison with for example Mao Asada or Lilah Fear (it is a nonsense to compare her with teenage girls). And her muscles help her to have the power and height for the jumps.

 

[sisinka]

As a skater who has been through a lot of this stuff, I almost see beauty in that many of these skaters love the sport enough to not simply quit. ...

And find comfort in the fact that many athletes have been able to find a better relationship with food while still competing and succeeding. I'm one of them. Sure it will never be perfect, but is any recovery ever perfect? I don't expect myself to ever be able to fully erase the things that this sport has done to me, but that does not mean I cannot live a fulfilling life in the future.

Thank you for sharing.

Figure skating is a beautiful sport. It connects both art and athleticism which is so rare in sport. What is toxic is not figure skating itself but people's behaviour and old fashioned opinions about eating habits. I believe that changing these things step by step will help figure skating community to become more healthy and safe.

Also ISU and Skating Federations could help. Allowing girls being in prepubertal stage competing with grown-up ladies was never fair or helpful. Increasing age limit is a good step forward. Having more seminars about eating habits and mental health would be appreciated as well.

 

[icewhite]

I mean eating disorders are already very common in teenage girls (and young women) overall, without figure skating in the picture. Then athletes as far as I know are generally more prown to develop eating disorders not just because of what their sport asks of them but because they have some character traits that are beneficial in other ways, but in this case makes them vulnerable and more likely to control their food intake in an unhealthy way.
And then figure skating with all its structures and traditioned images and believes enforces these problems massively instead of specifically countering them.

 

[Magill]

I mean eating disorders are already very common in teenage girls (and young women) overall, without figure skating in the picture. Then athletes as far as I know are generally more prown to develop eating disorders not just because of what their sport asks of them but because they have some character traits that are beneficial in other ways, but in this case makes them vulnerable and more likely to control their food intake in an unhealthy way.
And then figure skating with all its structures and traditioned images and believes enforces these problems massively instead of specifically countering them.

Eating disorders are very common nowadays, that is true. Yet I would rather shy away from the perspective that it is skaters' "character traits" that are at fault when they develop an ED, only enhanced by the sports structures. It comes very close to victim blaming to me, and, moreover, I think in fact it is rather contrary. Figure skaters enter these structures as children, often really very young children, and their "character traits" as well as their eating habits are being shaped there and then. Parents and coaches as surrounding adults, and elder skaters as role models, as well as the broader structures and organizations of the sport are all instrumental in whatever comes out of it. And they should each take their share of responsibility instead of pointing in other directions.

 

[icewhite]

Eating disorders are very common nowadays, that is true. Yet I would rather shy away from the perspective that it is skaters' "character traits" that are at fault when they develop an ED, only enhanced by the sports structures. It comes very close to victim blaming to me, and, moreover, I think in fact it is rather contrary. Figure skaters enter these structures as children, often really very young children, and their "character traits" as well as their eating habits are being shaped there and then. Parents and coaches as surrounding adults, and elder skaters as role models, as well as the broader structures and organizations of the sport are all instrumental in whatever comes out of it. And they should each take their share of responsibility instead of pointing in other directions.

I don't think it is victim blaiming. It certainly wasn't intended that way. I remember there being studies. Athletes are often extremely disciplined and not listening to what their body "wants", they focus on the goal and are willing to accept pain, hunger, displeasure more than the average person.
Of course these traits are shaped by family, coaches and other people. I would definitely not speak of the athletes being "at fault" nor would I want to take the responsibility from everyone who "teaches" these unhealthy views to the athletes. I just wanted to look at factors and circumstances, and as far as I know it is scientifically correct that athletes, on average, carry certain character traits - which are, like I said, beneficial in other ways. That's why they are heralded so often for themselves by many people without looking at what is actually healthy and good.

 

[adhara]

Eating disorders are very common nowadays, that is true. Yet I would rather shy away from the perspective that it is skaters' "character traits" that are at fault when they develop an ED, only enhanced by the sports structures. It comes very close to victim blaming to me, and, moreover, I think in fact it is rather contrary. Figure skaters enter these structures as children, often really very young children, and their "character traits" as well as their eating habits are being shaped there and then. Parents and coaches as surrounding adults, and elder skaters as role models, as well as the broader structures and organizations of the sport are all instrumental in whatever comes out of it. And they should each take their share of responsibility instead of pointing in other directions.

It takes perfectionism to be a good athlete, especially in a sport like figure skating. People who are overly perfectionistic THRIVE in figure skating. You compete in a sport where you get to see every little factor, scrape, skid, and loss of balance reflected by a number. Of course a certain type of person is attracted to that. The same type of person loves calorie math and control.

 

[sisinka]

I mean eating disorders are already very common in teenage girls (and young women) overall, without figure skating in the picture. ...

I do agree with @Magill, but I probably understand what @icewhite means.

Teenagers are dealing with eating disorders more than before. That is true. One of the reasons are social media with propaganda of perfect body and success connected with it (picture filters are very helpful in creating perfect body.)

Figure skaters and athletes from other aesthetic sports are dealing with social media pressure AND pressure from their community to keep low weight.

While social media attack people pointing to beauty and success, in figure skating the push for lowering weight can be more complex.

(I don't want to quote anyone or say that I heard any of those sentences written below on the ice while I was skating. Just read the sentences and think about it...if you ever heard any of those...)
Comparison: "Look how the girl next to you is way thinner than you". Health protection: "I don't want you to hurt yourself, that's why you need to lose weight". Explanation of failure: "You fell (= are in pain, ice is taugh), because you are too heavy." Responsibility: "If you want to achieve something, you must lose weight." High goals: "You cannot win looking like this."

These kind of sentences are attacking many of every athlete's desires. They definitely want to be better, they want to win, they don't want to fall. So if skater starts to connect success with lowering weight because she / he is led to think the way I offer above... than eating disorders are opening their doors for sure.

 

[sisinka]

... I remember there being studies. Athletes are often extremely disciplined and not listening to what their body "wants", they focus on the goal and are willing to accept pain, hunger, displeasure more than the average person.
Of course these traits are shaped by family, coaches and other people. ....

Many skaters have high level of self-control, I do agree. They want to be perfect like @adhara mentioned.

It plays against them in Eating Disorders.

But why? Because some people from figure skating community teach them that food and weight are the biggest enemies.

But take high self-control ability and make an advantage from it as to eating habits...

How about this:
"If you want to control yourself perfectly, you must eat 5 times a day, exactly in the same time of the day.
Once in 2-3 weeks you can eat some sweets - just one piece not more.
Following these reccomendations you will control your body and training process perfectly!
If you eat less calories - it is dangerous and not good example of self-control.
If you eat 15 pieces of chocolate and go to vomit – then your self-control is not good."

Diet will be done by nutrition specialist. Specialist will find out ideal number of calories to help to achieve ideal weight of an athlete. So the athlete will be perfectly controling healthy number of calories and ideal weight.

I believe that it is possible to combine high level of self-control and eating habits getting positive results also.