For anyone who missed the programme or lives outside the region you can watch the report on the BBC Iplayer (12 minutes and 30 secs). To watch click here

Contributors to the report included John Evans, who is recovering from anorexia and recently self published his book ‘Becoming John: Anorexia’s Not Just For Girls’ and Jenny Langley, a mother of a son recovered from anorexia and wrote the book ‘Boys Get Anorexia Too’. Sam Thomas, Founder and Project Leader of MGEDT,  was also interviewed and openly spoke about his experience of bulimia and the work of the charity.

Liam Tarry who spoke to Sam  our online live chat service in the report comments on his blog:  “I credit this website (MGEDT) with saving my life, because without it I don’t think I would have found the courage to recognise my disorder and go and seek help. Run by Sam Thomas, who himself suffered from an eating disorder, it includes lots of helpful links and information about eating disorders and how to seek help.“

When I first logged on to MGEDT I was in a very very bad place. I remember reading Sam’s story and realising, “Hey, I have an eating disorder. I am not ashamed to admit it. I need to find help now, because I am not alone.”

MGEDT’s petition to improve service provision for men with eating disorders was recently reported on the BBC news website.

Sam Thomas, MGEDT Founder and Project Leader, speaks to Inside Out about the work of the charity

As a recovered anorexic, I wasted almost 25 years of my life, simply ‘existing’ but realistically balancing precariously on the cusp of life and death. It took pneumonia and a collapsed lung to scare me into the reality that life was incredibly precious and that mine was slipping away. Knowledge and understanding of eating disorders back then were limited and male sufferers weren’t affected – were they? Of course they were and they still continue to be, yet whilst our knowledge of eating disorders has improved greatly, I regret that diagnosis and treatment haven’t made the same advances. We spend money at the very advanced stage, trying to prevent individuals from dying but we avoid the Early Intervention strategies that could prevent so many of these problems reaching crisis point. Successful recovery not only improves the lives of individuals, it releases talent and potential to the economy and country as a whole.

Since recovery 4 years ago I have run three marathons, raised over £10,000 for charity and successfully engaged in working with youngsters, including young offenders – besides the day job. Those who suffer from an eating disorder aren’t delinquent, are not psychopaths, are not dis-functional. The majority are intelligent, loving, giving human beings – in fact they are in reality very much like anyone else.

As human beings we all strive for the nivarna of being ‘normal’ – something that is so ill-defined that it doesn’t exist. Yet that doesn’t stop us chasing the ideal, through diet, exercise and sometimes damaging substances.

Men (and this won’t come as a shock to any guy) aren’t that different to women. We too feel emotion, elation, worry and pain. We too get nervous, feel inadequate and worry about our future and that of loved ones. Why is it so difficult therefore to comprehend that we too are likely to suffer the same mental illnesses? (because that’s what an eating disorder really is). Men need to be treated with dignity and respect for admitting that there’s a problem but, society is still confused by the man who doesn’t bury his problems and ‘move on’.

The sooner men receive the understanding and support that should be mandated the sooner we can release their potential talents and contributions to society.

To read the article published on the BBC News Online click here and to sign our petition click here

The petition aims to address the barriers men with eating disorders are faced when approaching help at the point of access and in treatment services. MGEDT is calling on the government to make key changes in policy and delivery levels so male sufferers are able to seek the support they need. If enough people sign the petition, it will be eligible to have the issue debated in parliament.

Sam Thomas, MGEDT Founder and Project Leader, comments: “There is a still a great deal of stigma attached to eating disorders and the stereotypical assumptions often made about eating disorders can make it all the more difficult for male sufferers to seek help.

“It’s important to remember that eating disorders are indiscriminate and can affect anyone, irrespective of their age, social background, race, sexual orientation and indeed gender.  Only with increased awareness and understanding of eating disorders in men will the barriers be eradicated. Ultimately, we want to see services that are inclusive to the needs of all.”

To view the petition and to sign go to:http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26689

Please also share the link on your blogs and social networking pages asking people to sign.

The producer of the program is looking to feature 1 or 2 male case studies as a part of this, who themselves have struggled or faced delayed treatment as a result of gender assumptions made about the conditions.

Ideally, the case studies need to be from the London, Sussex, Kent or Surrey areas due to the programming area of the production.

There is a tight schedule for production, with the producer looking to meet with case studies from next week with filming following very shortly after, with an on air date of the 30^th January.

If you think you may be able to help by providing your story or have any questions regarding the project please email sam@mengetedstoo.co.uk.

This research follows the airing of the ITV program “Dying to be thin” (04/01/2012) which typically portrayed eating disorders as conditions which solely affect women, with the whole show featuring only teenage girls suffering from Anorexia. Current research shows that up to 20% of all eating disorder cases are male, yet men struggle to find the right resources to seek help.

The issue is bigger than just eating disorders however, with this new research showing 80.7% of men engaging in often negative conversations about their body and a staggering 96% saying they felt exposed to idealised images in the media and within advertising. A record 58.6% of those men are concerned and affected by what they hear, leading to high levels of body dissatisfaction which this research shows drives men to compulsively exercise and maintain unhealthy eating habits.

Nick Watts, a trustee of MGEDT who regularly writes on the subject of body image in men says: “We have always known that body image was an issue that affects men yet it has been largely ignored due to the stereotypical assumption that body image is only an issue in women. The research and yesterday’s airing of dying to be thin just goes to prove that further awareness is needed to combat the dangerous assumption that body issues are a single gender issue. Ignoring these issues will only lead to a rise in the level of body dissatisfaction seen in men and in turn a further risk of physical and mental health complications arising as a direct result of low self-esteem and body confidence. Having suffered from similar issues myself and now working with these issues I know first-hand the serious effects something as commonplace as body dissatisfaction can have.”

MGEDT wishes to see more awareness and action taken in addressing the issue of body image in men and urge’s men worried about these issues to visit our website www.mengetedstoo.co.uk.

First off at MGEDT we released our first ever national leaflet and poster campaign which was distributed around the UK to healthcare professionals, voluntary organisations and distributed heavily at events and conferences we attended throughout the year. This was shortly followed by our first ever national conference to address the issue of men and eating disorders, which featured some of our supporters, professionals and staff from the charity. We also had some good media coverage this year, including appearances live on national television, national and local radio, print and online articles and various blogs and guest columns.

Possibly the biggest achievement this year was the launch of our first ever live support chat sessions, the only sessions of their kind worldwide to offer specific support to men with eating disorders. This pilot session will continue to run into early 2012 but I personally feel it has been a massive success, giving men the opportunity to speak out about their issues in a safe environment, easing the isolation they have as a result of their issues.

Personally, I have had some fantastic experiences this year, from media appearances to challenges with Sarah, all the way to sitting on a research panel for Oxford University and the Men’s Health steering group. If anything it proves that the issues of eating disorders and body image in men are starting to be taken seriously, with more organisations and bodies realising the need to have representation of these issues, which is a big step in the world of men’s health.

It has also been a fantastic year for press, with several high profile research studies and figure releases highlighting the very need for increased service provision, better awareness and more support availability, both peer and professional.

In July 2011, the Royal College of General Practitioners released figures showing a 66% rise in the number of men being admitted for the treatment of eating disorders in the UK, urging GP’s to be more aware of the symptoms of eating disorders in men.

In August 2011 another set of statistics were released regarding the rise in eating disorder cases in young people, including a large amount of boys. This again led to national scale publicity in most major publications, radio and television.

In September 2011 there was a slightly different release which was all about the rise in weight loss surgery in young people, including a large amount of men. This was a good release as it is important to recognise that eating disorders are not necessarily restrictive but lesser known disorders such as binge and compulsive eating can cause just as many problems for sufferers and yet are not seen in the same light in restricting disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

A lot of other stuff went on too, including the UK’s first ever fat talk free week, a highlight of self-harm in young people and a lot of focus on the effects of bullying to the mental health of all young people. We also saw really busy periods in both men’s health week and eating disorders awareness week. So much more happened in what I think has been our biggest and busiest year yet, but I have concentrated on some of the really key points here.

Undoubtedly, we still have a long way to go to make sure the appropriate recognition is given to male body image, eating disorders and mental health as a whole, but I would like to think that in 2011 we made a very good start. We have lots of stuff going on in 2012 to make sure that eating disorders and men’s mental health will remain firmly on the agenda and hopefully go that extra mile, building on what we have achieved this year. I would personally like to get out to more universities, deliver more training to professionals and stay on the media train to get our message out there.

All that is really left to do is thank everyone that has supported our campaigns, told their stories and contributed to the massive successes this year. It has been a good year for our cause, we have a long way to go still, but all in all, I think we made a good deal of progress.

Until 2012!

Nick

Originally published on Nick’s new website: http://www.nickjwatts.com/

Our first challenge was running around for one week collecting photo’s of as many people wearing the MGEDT charity bands as possible (obliged at this point to mention that Sarah won, by quite a bit).

So you know what we are doing…. 24 days, a different body image topic each day and we are hitting the streets to get videos of the public’s opinion on the different topics (you can view the topics in the calendar page) I am sure there will be the odd video of Nick and Sarah as the time goes on (either bemused about something they heard, or it being too funny not to share).

A little bit about Nick & Sarah

Nick Watts

Nick is an eating disorders and body image campaigner from Oxford. He is one of the people behind the charity Men Get Eating Disorders Too, the only charity worldwide representing men and eating disorders. He also works with young people suffering from Mental Health problems and other difficulties and also writes for several places on eating disorders, body image and mental health. Twitter: @nickinoxford

Sarah Fullagar

Sarah works for Body Gossip, the nations leading body image campaign after being part of the production team for BodyGossipBath which became the flagship event for Body Gossip on Tour, which allows students to hold a Body Gossip event at their university. Sarah also tours around schools in Bristol with a local company delivering drama workshops on subjects such as domestic abuse and bullying. Twitter @BodyGossipSarah

The organisations

During the Advent Calendar challenge we have set up a fundraising page, where you can make a donation… At the end of the challenge all the money raised will be split in half and each of the organisations (MGEDT and Body Gossip) will receive half each. You can donate using the button below which will take you in another window to Charity Giving. To donate online please click here

Finally! We hope you enjoy the challenge… so please check out the calendar and don’t forget to submit your responses..

Nick and Sarah x

Join us by liking the advent page on Facebook and following our YouTube Channel

Very easy to say, much more difficult to agree with when those words rattle around your brain, a constant reminder of your unacceptability, of your ‘otherness’.  I don’t have a doctor’s prescription to say that the bullying I experienced at school – about my glasses, my brains and my weight – was what drove me into anorexia, but nothing else stands out so prominently in my past as undermining my sense of self-worth to the extent that losing weight seemed the only way out.

I don’t remember feeling bad about myself until it was pointed out to me that I was slower, softer, fatter than everyone else; I don’t recall the moment when I became the butt of all the jokes, from friends as well as those who changed their targets from week to week depending on how bored they were.  The bullying was rarely physical and not always incessant, but every time I tried to react, either by fighting back or trying to appeal to their sense of humour, the abuse simply got worse.  My reaction was two-fold, both retreating into myself and, much to my shame, picking on the few boys below me in the school food-chain in the hope that the bullies’ radar would turn on them instead.  I didn’t consider whether they were as sad as I was, I couldn’t recognise the hypocrisy in what I was doing, but I was so desperate for the ‘Cool Kids’ to like me that I laughed along when they picked on other people.  Maybe the bullies didn’t consider how I was feeling either.

After three years at school the situation hadn’t improved and it seemed clear to me that, as they weren’t going to change their opinion of me, I had to change myself, to make myself less of a target.  I started wearing slightly less geeky glasses, but seeing as I didn’t think being less good academically was a useful solution, losing weight seemed to be the only route to the acceptability I craved.  Not only would it stop everyone picking on me for being fat, but it would mean I’d be quicker, stronger, fitter and, much, much better at football, the only really important thing in our school at that time.  I commenced a regime of exercising and restricting which had a noticeable effect – so much so that some of my friends began to joke about my anorexic appearance.  Crucially though, and in parallel with my decreasing weight, the bullying started to ebb away, and I became convinced of an umbilical link between the two events.  The bullying had stopped because I’d lost weight; therefore to keep the snide comments and the sense of unacceptability at bay, I had to stay thin, above and beyond anything else.

I’m under no illusions that anorexia has been by far the biggest and most dangerous bully that I have ever encountered.  Even in the worst throes of my anorexic existence, however, I don’t ever recall being as sad or feeling as unacceptable as I did when I was in school.  Anorexia gave me back a sense of pride in myself that had all but evaporated away amid the name-calling and the punches and it is only by regaining that sense of self-worth through recognising my other qualities that I have been able to emerge from its shadow.  I never felt able to stand up to the bullies when I was at school.  I believe that by continuing to battle my eating disorder, I am fighting back against them as well.

MGEDT is pleased to announce the appointment of Neil Homes as our new Chairman of the board of Trustees.

“I am very passionate about this field of work; it is both a vital and necessary area and one which lacks the necessary investment and status it merits. The work and mission of MGEDT in addressing this in-balance is significant. I believe the core objectives of the charity are valuable to society as a whole and on doubt the individuals affected by these difficult and challenging issues.

I’m passionate about neighbourhoods and communities and the role of the third sector within these. I’m committed to influencing health inequalities and social injustice, in-particular issues relating to well-being and mental health. I believe in challenging prejudice, discrimination and stigma. I feel that the right of an individual to self-determine can be undermined by the practice of the state.

The stigma and taboo regarding men and eating disorders is damaging to all and in particular those affected, I believe this is a critical issue for society, which must be challenged, influenced and ultimately changed.

I believe that users by experience and peer-led initiatives have a key role in supporting recovery and maintaining resilience, alongside running services: I feel far more emphasis and investment should be aligned to this. I believe the current environment where treatment approaches, can at times be unhelpful and at worst compounding, needs to be re-considered and changed and I feel passionate about influencing and seeking to change this.

I am the Dep CEO of a local community interest company (CIC), which delivers day and community care services for mental health. I am the chair of the Local Involvement Network Mental Health Action Group and co-chair the Men’s Network Mental Health Task Force. I am also a trustee of the Community and Voluntary Sector Forum and a director of the 5 Mountains (charity). These roles mean I am up-to date with current issues, trends and perspectives regarding mental health.

My roles and experiences have enabled me to understand the importance of supporting and working alongside trustees and the management team to drive a business forward. I believe in a process of collaboration and partnership, to find the best outcomes and solutions. Alongside this I also recognise the need to ensure the organisation remains robust, operates within its purpose and is methodical in its business approach and delivery.

I am looking forward to working with the board and Project Leader on the organisation’s business development, offering advice, and hands-on proactive input.”

Positive or negative, body talk can place undue attention on physical ideals, or poke fun at things we do not perceive as normal. It highlights how as a society we are fixated on physical ideals and that how we look has surpassed any other form of success measurement. As people we have so much to offer, the fact we are all different is a wonderful thing, but we can’t seem to look past what we as a society consider to be ideal. This is how this week came about, originally in the US, to get people to pledge against concentrating on physical attributes or partaking in “fat talk” and instead look at people as people, not just a body.

I can’t say I am a fan of the term “fat talk”, one of the reasons being I don’t think it takes into account the needs of men, as in the case of men the kind of body talk is often different and focused on a different set of physical attributes. The whole week, the statistics surrounding it are all tailored to girls and women and there is very little out there to cover the topic in men.

Sam will be speaking at the weeks closing event on Saturday and I have been trying to write on the issues surrounding men and body image for the week, as a show of solidarity. There hasn’t been much, but as an organisation that represents men we will once again ensure that it is on the agenda.

Men ARE affected by these issues, Men DO talk about their bodies and it DOES make them feel just as bad, we know this, but why isn’t it being highlighted in the same way?

Much like eating disorders, body image is yet another one of those issues thought by most to be a topic for women. It’s a fact that our gender roles have changed over the years. The typical model that used to be is no more, as the pressures of careers are places on women and the physical pressures placed on men. This is obviously a very narrow example and something that can be looked at far wider, but you get the idea.

Advertising for cosmetic surgery, dieting and fashion is now tailored towards men as well as women, as organisations and businesses realise the insecurity of men around their body image and fight to claim their place in the growing market of male beauty. The media is just as saturated with pictures of ‘perfect’ male bodies, the use of sexualised images of men and the allure of what a man with a ‘perfect’ body can achieve.

But who decides on what is perfect? This is where we as individuals have our part to play. The adverts are there, the media is there and it won’t leave in a hurry, therefore, it comes down to us as individuals to take these and digest them healthily and moderate our own exposure to them. We are, at the end of the day, unique individuals and we have the power to say NO, we have the power to say “you know what, to me that isn’t perfect” and we certainly have the power to ignore it.

For those suffering eating disorders I will admit that it is not ideal to be surrounded by all these pressures and aspirations, but I also know that a lot of it isn’t stumbled across, but actively looked for. This can be incorporated into a recovery strategy like a healthy meal plan, the promise to yourself not to seek out these images, not to feed what in part drives the disordered eating.

We also need to look at the way we talk about others, as to have a narrow view on body image yourself will only make you look more critically at others and can help you to highlight your perceived imperfections. It’s time we started talking about how body image affects us and how talking about our bodies and the bodies of others makes you feel, only then will we be able to highlight the problem and make it more known. I have the pleasure of participating in a body image debate at Oxford University in November, which shows that people out there are thinking about the man, we just need to show it from a personal view.

I would love to see people coming forward and talking about it, would you consider writing about it, or telling me about it so I can write things relevant to you? I have long dreamed of a body image information resource on the website, which I have been looking at doing and have started, but need your help, I need you to tell me what affects you, so we can address the important issues. Drop me an email nick@mengetedstoo.co.uk, find me on facebook or tweet me @nickinoxford and let’s talk body image!

Until then,

Nick