Creating a Safe Space for Clients with Disordered Eating

As you know, there is no excellent performance without proper nutrition. But the challenging aspect of nutrition is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and neither less nor more necessarily equals better. There is a fine line between following a diet to fuel performance and practicing restrictive eating behaviors in hopes of achieving fitness goals. When that line is crossed, there is a risk of eating disorders, decreased performance, and health conditions.

What Is Disordered Eating 

Dieting culture is widespread, but it may intensify even more if your clients have goals focused on appearance. Disordered eating is a term used to describe eating behaviors that restrict foods, lead to under- or overeating, and cause physical discomfort, negative emotions, or a lack of control over eating.

Although disordered eating does not indicate eating disorders, it is considered a risk factor. Many athletes unfortunately self-report disordered eating. This can reflect the fact that your clients may carry concerns about weight, body image, and eating. 

How You Can Help

Most importantly, mental health requires professional attention. But as a coach, you observe clients’ behaviors around nutrition, fitness, and performance more than others do. You’re the one they speak to about their goals related to appearance, fitness, performance, and other factors influencing these, including nutrition, dieting, and eating behaviors. Therefore, you can have a significant impact by:

• Observing clients’ behavior: Being observant of your client can provide psychological, behavioral, or physical clues about their approach to eating and dieting. But this isn’t about diagnosing; it’s more about recognizing these signs so you can educate them, personalize their training, or guide them to professional help if needed.
  Some clues may include, but are not limited to, critical thoughts about body weight, size, or image; fear of gaining weight; restrictive eating or dieting; all-or-nothing behavior around food; excessive exercising and monitoring; and declines in physical health, such as dizziness, fatigue, weakness, or loss of the menstrual cycle.
• Educating: Because nutrition greatly impacts fitness and performance, your client might think that eating much less will result in more weight loss, or that eating much more will lead to greater strength and power. From the start, you can assess their beliefs and educate them about healthy ways to fuel for performance, then provide frequent reminders when needed. It’s about advocating for personalized nutrition instead of restrictive and popular diets.
• Promoting sustainability over fast results: Strict approaches or promises around fast results can encourage all-or-nothing behavior and excessive habits. While discipline is important, adapting a program despite life’s challenges requires flexibility and adaptability. You can be an advocate for sustainability instead of an excessive approach, reminding clients that achieving fitness while maintaining health is a long-term journey. This approach can help clients feel supported without sacrificing their well-being.
• Representing progress: Many athletes strive to be the best version of themselves. They’re disciplined, competitive, and committed to their goals. Sometimes they may feel like they don’t progress at all, while in fact, they have come a long way. In these cases, you can present them facts such as the results of performance tests or any data around their fitness and performance showing they are actually making progress. This can help them put the work they’ve done into perspective and keep progressing with proper nutrition and training without going to extremes that may decline their health.
• Guiding for best nutrition practices: Not all diets or nutrition programs with limitations worsen athlete health and performance. Many science-based approaches exist among popular and unsolicited nutrition advice. Sometimes, strict diets are necessary due to a client’s health conditions. If clients request a specific diet and are serious about trying it, you can guide them to professionals you believe could help. Since this is teamwork, staying in contact with other professionals can help you personalize clients’ fitness journeys for the best outcomes.

Final Thoughts

Disordered eating and eating disorders are detrimental to both health and performance. Some clients may require specialized help from healthcare professionals, but this does not mean you can’t help if you see your clients challenged by their beliefs around nutrition and eating patterns. Acknowledging the psychological aspects of restrictive dieting and its manifestations in physical health and performance can enhance your coaching. It allows you to recognize patterns in your clients and guide them toward best practices for performance, physical health, and mental well-being.

Resources:

1. A clinical interview study of identification of eating disorder symptoms and diagnoses in elite athletes 
2. A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of the prevalence of self-reported disordered eating and associated factors among athletes worldwide 
3. Athletes and Eating Disorders: A Time of High Pressure and Performance | ANAD 
4. Popular Dietary Trends’ Impact on Athletic Performance: A Critical Analysis Review  
5. Flexible vs. rigid dieting in resistance-trained individuals seeking to optimize their physiques: A randomized controlled trial
6. Eating Disorders, Physical Fitness and Sport Performance: A Systematic Review
7. Towards a Sustainable Nutrition Paradigm in Physique Sport: A Narrative Review