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Ryan Sheldon is the blogger behind Confessions of a Binge Eater. He’s bravely and openly shared his experiences with binge eating disorder (BED) as he’s navigated recovery. His presence in the blogosphere is shining an important light on how men are affected by eating disorders, despite predominant stereotypes about eating disorder sufferers.

In this interview, Ryan and I go deep on what binge eating disorder actually looks like. He really opens up about the day-to-day machinations of the disorder, what a binge episode looks like, and the ways in which it becomes difficult to function when you’re a highly progressed binge eater.

BED is a pretty new disorder, relative to other eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia that we’ve been hearing about for years. And yet, BED is the most prominent eating disorder and it’s highly prevalent among men. Ryan’s bravery in opening up this dialogue is doing so much good for the ED community, and for all of us in opening our eyes to what this disease looks like! And his ability to rise above his past issues in recovery is an inspiration to us all.

Key takeaways:

Ryan’s experience with binge eating
The stigma against men who share their experiences with eating disorders
The ways in which Ryan’s binge eating was overlooked by healthcare providers for years
The difference between being someone who likes food and a clinical binge eater
The common misperception about what eating disorders look like. Specifically, higher weight and normal weight people suffer from eating disorders too! It’s not just skinny white chicks.
Body dysmorphia and the role it’s played in Ryan’s own experience
What binge eating disorder looks like, in terms of Ryan’s interactions with food
The importance of mindfulness in the recovery process
How harmful media stereotypes about our bodies and dieting can be in encouraging unhealthy, disordered behavior around food and weight control
Why dieting and medical intervention aren’t the answer, and dealing with the mental and emotional drivers behind binge eating is
Binge eating as an act of rebellion
How to bring up tough conversations about self-harming with food with your loved ones