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  5. Lift, Eat, Repeat: Understanding Eating Disorders in People Who Want to be More Muscular

Lift, Eat, Repeat: Understanding Eating Disorders in People Who Want to be More Muscular

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By Lisa Zhu

Lisa Zhu is exploring how muscle-building goals can drive disordered eating and exercise behaviours across genders.

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Lisa Y. Zhu is a MSc student in Clinical Psychology at Western University. She previously completed her BSc (Hons) in Psychology at McGill University.
By Lisa Zhu

MSc candidate, Psychology
Faculty of Social Science - Western University

Eating disorders are mental illnesses that affect how a person eats and how they feel about food and their body. Historically, we have assumed that people with eating disorders are always women who want to be thin; however, there has been a recent increase in both men and women who want to be more muscular and lean. The purpose of my research is to better understand what causes unhealthy eating and exercise behaviours in people of all genders who are trying to build muscle. My research focuses specifically on how fear of “being fat” can drive people to exercise excessively, follow strict rules for their macronutrient intake, and cycle between bulking and cutting. My findings will help us understand how to diagnose and treat eating disorders in people who want to be more muscular.

Lisa Zhu's research focuses on eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia, and anxiety disorders in diverse genders. She aims to help adapt current eating disorder diagnosis and intervention to address the rising increase of problematic muscle building behaviours. Lisa is a recipient of the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master's, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the University of North Carolina Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders Fellowship.

Lisa's research is highlighted in episode 501 of GradCast, the official podcast of the Society of Graduate Students at Western University.

You can connect with Lisa on the web at https://lzhu343.wixsite.com/lisa-y-zhu.

View Lisa's work as it appears in the Inspiring Minds Digital Collection: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/598/.

Supervisor

Lindsay Bodell (https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/people/faculty/Bodell.html)