Olympic Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist in Cross Country skiing for the USA

How can I help a friend with an eating disorder who doesn’t eat lunch some days?

Hey, so this is a great question and it's one of the hardest ones to answer because there isn't exactly one right answer or One path. However, and I should say, I'm not an expert at you disorders. Thought I had one and one of the things that really helped me was knowing that the people in my life who love me and care about me, are there to support me no matter what. And so I think, you know, if this is a friend or a teammate or just somebody, you know, where you think they're really struggling. It's okay to, you know, make sure you approach the conversation from a place of love and say, hey look, I really care about you. You know you mean a lot to me and it matters to me if you're happy and you know it seems like maybe there's something going on. I just want to be here if you want to talk about it. And I think, you know, it's also okay to tell someone in their life. Hey, I'm really concerned about this person. I've noticed, you know, maybe their moods change their behaviors of change. Their sum Flags that make me concerned for their overall health and well-being, because this is really important. Eating Disorders are life-threatening, mental, illnesses, and maybe to head, like, to refer them to an eating disorder therapist. You can go on the national Eating Disorders association website, there's tools where you can search by provider or by location. And so I think it's okay to, you know, go to your friend or if they're a very young person. You could go to their parents and say, hey, look, I'm really concerned about my friend. And here's why, you know I like to suggest that they start meeting with a professional because we do know that the sooner you meet with a professional the sooner, you can start recovery and have a full road to recovery. So, the analogy that makes sense to me is if you're standing at the top of a big, big hill and you start going downhill. The sooner you can turn around and start walking back uphill the shorter, the hike, right. If you get all the way down to the bottom of the hill, you can definitely turn it around and make it back up to the top. Top but it's going to be a little more work, right? It might take a little longer, so I think talking to your friend and coming from that place of love and caring and saying, hey look, I care about you. I want to be here for you. I can't help solve this problem but I'm going to be here and have your back and be part of your team as you get into recovery and just let them know that you care.

If you're concerned about a friend who may have an eating disorder, it's important to approach them from a place of love and support. Let them know that you are there for them and can help refer them to a professional if they need it. It's important to seek treatment as soon as possible, as the sooner they start recovery, the shorter their journey will be.

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Are eating disorders common in professional athletes? What do you think contributes to this?

Yeah, they are common. I think some of the factors that contribute are because they say like genetics loads, the gun and environment pulls the trigger. So if you are someone, who is already genetically more primed to have an eating disorder and then you happen to be in a sport that is a, maybe it's an endurance sport, where power-to-weight ratio is a big factor, maybe you're in an aesthetic Sport with judging like figures skating or gymnastics. I think there are external pressures that can help, you know, pull those Eating Disorders to the surface and a lot of athletes. I also think a lot of the same factors that make you a prime candidate for an eating disorder, like maybe very type. A maybe you have a lot of perfectionistic Tendencies. Those are also things that can help you in athletics, you know, that sort of that, that Very strong drive that desire to get it right. Do everything work more and harder. Those things can serve you on Sports but they can also be the same things that you're eating disorder can thrive on and use to help survive. So I think those are the things that contribute to it and the single biggest thing, I think to helping get out of an eating disorder is asking for help going to medical professionals and You know, as soon as you realize something might be going on ask for help. Don't wait the sooner that you can start reaching out for help and working with a professional to get to the root of why you feel like you need to use these behaviors the sooner. You can start on recovery.

Eating disorders are common in sports due to genetic and environmental factors such as a power-to-weight ratio focus in endurance sports, and judging criteria in aesthetic sports. The best way to start recovering from an eating disorder is to reach out for help right away and work with a professional to get to the root of why you feel like you need to use these behaviors.

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What is a piece of criticism or advice that someone has given you in the past that initially upset you, but ended up making you a better athlete in the long run?

Two things. The first was when I was struggling with my eating disorder, my parents basically sat me down and we're like, you have to pick up the phone and call this treatment center and make an appointment, you know, we aren't taking no for an answer. We're going to help walk you through it, but you do have to do this, and I was really upset. I pushed back, I did not want this support. I didn't want to address my issues but it not only Saved my life. It did save my career in sports so I think I did initially. Push back on wanting to do the right thing for my health in the long term. But that's why I'm still here in my 30s so racing. So that was huge. And the other thing was that I had a teammate when I was really upset after a race. You know, someone had done something that I thought was very unsportsmanlike and it was really in my head and it was really annoying me and this This was like six or seven years ago and she was like, Hey listen, you can be mad for like 10-15 minutes, whatever, get it feel. The feels get it through your system, but then you got to either address it like formerly, like talk to that person or just move on because now it's just hurting you. Now you're in a bad mood, you're not being great teammate, you're being whiny, get over it, you know, and it was hard in the moment. And I'm so, so glad she said that to me because it was like, all right, you either need to address this head-on and find a way to change it, you know, talk to that athletes say hey you can't do this or that that's not within the rules that's cheating or if you can't change them you need to find a way to move on because at some point it just hurts you and then it hurts the people around you because you're grumpy so that was hard to hear but I'm really really glad

Two things that have been very beneficial to my life were when my parents sat me down and told me I had to make an appointment with a treatment center for my eating disorder and when a teammate told me I needed to either address something head on or move on from it.

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Jessie opens up about her experience with eating disorders, and their pervasiveness among professional athletes.

My Battle with Eating Disorders as an Olympic XC Skier

Jessie Diggins

How can I help a friend with an eating disorder who doesn’t eat lunch some days?

Are eating disorders common in professional athletes? What do you think contributes to this?

What is a piece of criticism or advice that someone has given you in the past that initially upset you, but ended up making you a better athlete in the long run?