Binge eating disorder in males is becoming more and more common. The most widespread type of eating disorder today, compulsive overeating, is certainly not exempt from men.
Ron Saxen came from a dysfunctional family, struggling to grow up with his siblings. Quickly realizing that food helped numb the anxiety he was feeling, he began gaining weight. Soon enough he was known as the chubby kid, an image of himself that would follow him through adulthood.
Life changed drastically, though, when Ron became sick of being fat. The dramatic switch, which happens so often in people who develop eating disorders, happened quickly: he decided he would not tolerate binging anymore. A strict diet of few calories was the plan he put himself on. His dangerous tango with starving was only just beginning.
The weight dropped as he spent most of his time dizzy and weak. Compounded with an intense running regime and he was barely functioning in his day-to-day life. The first comment about his weight from a complete stranger kept him going. He was asked if he was a model, words he couldn’t believe were directed at him. But after the third similar compliment, he thought about how good it would feel to finally be “popular,” “thin,” and “good looking.”
A chance came and he signed a one-year modelling contract in a daze. Before he could blink, he was at his first fashion show walking down the runway. Booking more work, he lived the life of a “thin” fashion model and couldn’t believe any of it.
As work came and went, Ron was feeling weaker and weaker. During one photoshoot, he actually had to run down the street to the hot dog vendor just to keep himself from fainting. And then came the comment that would change everything: “You need to lose 5 pounds.”
He had no steam left to step up his workout and his diet couldn’t be any less. He had 3 weeks before the show that he agreed to lose 5 pounds for, but the opposite ended up happening. He gained a few pounds and then a few more. The binging was unstoppable at this point and he gave in to the inevitable cravings that would spike his weight up again.
In his book, The Good Eater, the most remarkable thing is Ron Saxen’s authenticity. While he struggled with binge eating disorder, he had never heard of it and had no idea that others went through the same behavior.
There are no medical terms or labels, just a man’s honest experience with an eating disorder that he didn’t understand. It reveals an important glimpse into the world of food as solution to all problems and the common thought of, “I’ll be perfect tomorrow.”
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