Allie O Admits Eating Disorder and Enters Therapy

Thank you for writing that, going to buy it later next week. You know what freaks me out is I personally know at least three people your story could be about, and then I realized it might likely be someone else too.

Even with the number of people trying to help by being public about it, doesn't seem to change much over the years, though that is hard to measure for certain.

You'd think the NCAA would start to require a pool of national counselors on standby funded by all the colleges, that could be called anonymously for assistance if they were serious about helping/protecting athletes but nope. I mean there is enough of a demonstrated pattern that demands resources be dedicated.

Sham 69 wrote:

She turned off her YouTube comments. I don't think she wants to know people's opinions and just wanted to say what she wanted to say.

Do you blame her? She would gets tons of support from folks, but then jackasses would write stuff that someone dealing with this does not need to see.

Curious how far down this thread I have to go to find such jackassery.

Flagpole wrote:

I'm glad she is getting help, and what I am about to say is not a criticism of her in any way...just a general comment about people going through an Eating Disorder or ANY medical issue...

It is not required of anyone, no matter who they are, other than perhaps the elected leader of a country, to publicly announce their medical issues. Fine to want to, but it really is none of anyone's business.

Now, to the positive...Allie O., you are NOT a part of any problem. You have your own struggles and are allowed, were allowed, to go on about your life, to compete, to be the best athlete/person you could and can be, and you should have ZERO shame or guilt about anything.

Good luck!

I agree that it is not required, but the alternative is the rumors that would fly around on why she is not competing them fill the void.

Also, there are times when something like this can lead others to identify an issue and seek help for it.

2/3 of Americans are overweight and 1/3 are obese. This is causing heart disease and diabetes and cancer. For every 1 person who has an eating disorder that causes them to be underweight and unhealthy, there are 100 who have an eating problem that causes them to be overweight and unhealthy. I don't know where this new logic came from that being overweight is healthy.

It is not just about weight and one's weight can fluctuate a lot even within a day. In grad school several of us (ex phys students) would do HOURLY weigh-ins just to track the ups and downs of the day. Pretty easy to lose 2 kgs of weight on an hour run in Atlanta in July, as one example.

Also, I would say "we" have made a lot of progress in treating EDs. Even more progress is recognizing them although not as much as need be. I think there is a huge problem at the high school level that affects far more girls than at the elite level. Comments can be subtle like hearing a coach say "she looks like a runner". WTF does that mean? Well it is usually said of the petite girls or thin girls. Girls with a muscular body are talked about differently even as they run away from the splinter of a girl in the 3200.

You don't know what it means? Watch the meet tonight. High jumpers are recognizable. So are throwers. So are 100 meter runners. And so are 5k runners.

I’m kind of mixed on the idea of posting the this in the way she did. Raising awareness and encouraging others to get help when needed and not repeat your mistakes is probably good.

However, it may also reinforce the idea that to reach her level, you may need to have similar dietary restrictions. Oh, sucks that she was unwell, but look at how fast it made her!

bio drome wrote:

I’m kind of mixed on the idea of posting the this in the way she did. Raising awareness and encouraging others to get help when needed and not repeat your mistakes is probably good.

However, it may also reinforce the idea that to reach her level, you may need to have similar dietary restrictions. Oh, sucks that she was unwell, but look at how fast it made her!

I kind of wonder if the messaging shouldn't focus on "look how good these supremely talented people COULD be if they didn't do this." As far as I understand, Allie O has said in interviews to only run 50ish mpw and is constantly stopping to cross-train because a stress reaction crops up. There's no way in the world that is maximizing her potential by doing this. She's just that talented that she has been able to get away with doing something suboptimal.

Case and point that has been brought up again and again: Molly Seidel. She's been able to run 120 mile week after 120 mile week while staying healthy which she was never able to do in college. This has certainly improved her performance.

How are you so sure that Allie has been experiencing an eating disorder for 10+ years without intervention.

Well because in her youtube video she said she has had an eating disorder since she was 12 years old that was never addressed other than coaches saying "make sure you're eating enough"

some thoughts from a woman wrote:

mehhh wrote:

How are you so sure that Allie has been experiencing an eating disorder for 10+ years without intervention.

Well because in her youtube video she said she has had an eating disorder since she was 12 years old that was never addressed other than coaches saying "make sure you're eating enough"

I watched the video three times and she addresses this at 7:40. And she speaks about coaches generally, not specifically her case and what happened to her.

How do you know for sure how her case has or was managed throughout her career?

This goes back to another assumption that was rightly pointed out earlier in this post: tons of people have said Allie isn't running, or can't compete. Both are untrue and she's even had posts and videos of her doing both during her time in treatment.

I think its rather interesting that Allie is making an attempt to normalize or destigmatize mental health issues and especially eating disorders.

Some of the stigmas appear in this post: you get "treatment" with a clinic and and you will have to stop training!!

Maybe, not always!

There was one earlier that asked her coaches and staff from HS to now did nothing bc she's talented: that's baseless.

There is an assumption that the NCAA doesn't put mental health as a priority: well it has a massive push to have staff at campuses specifically and only dealing with MH. There are statements widely and easily available on the Google on this topic.

Breaking stigma means addressing inaccuracies in thoughts and I'd be careful about jumping to conclusions about care.

Also, Allie complained in the video that Brooks (Mackey, her coach) and USATF made her seek treatment, which IS normalizing behavior and this was not her choice.

But she also complained that coaches say things like "you need to eat more" and the implication was its not enough and coaches are ignoring the problem and not doing enough.

Coaches at all levels are not trained counselors who are capable of accurately assessing for eating disorders. Thats actually the job of licensed therapists or Psychologists, so putting the coach into that conversation can be ethically dangerous.

Additionally, if the coach knows from the health care team there is an issue and they address it..from the athletes perspective it comes out as a lose:lose perspective. You didn't do enough. You did too much.

Haven't read the entire thread but I was struck by your post.

Not that it really matters to me but it could be important to other people and her family/supporters/coaches ect. Was she starving herself or was she regurgitating after eating? Was she doing this on her own or was someone trying to convince her that the lighter she was the faster she could run?

Mostly you hear about this disorder involving girls/women. How prevalent is this condition amongst boys/men, excluding wrestlers. That's another can of worms that doesn't get much headlines outside of their sport.

HappyJack wrote:

Haven't read the entire thread but I was struck by your post.

Not that it really matters to me but it could be important to other people and her family/supporters/coaches ect. Was she starving herself or was she regurgitating after eating? Was she doing this on her own or was someone trying to convince her that the lighter she was the faster she could run?

Mostly you hear about this disorder involving girls/women. How prevalent is this condition amongst boys/men, excluding wrestlers. That's another can of worms that doesn't get much headlines outside of their sport.

....

(i recommend skipping this post since I have no information about Allie's situation in it. But some discussion of related topics might not hurt. Im not sure that this is the right place for that. please excuse me and just skip my note)

the people I refer to who radically impaired their performance with poor eating choices were myself , a male at that time in my mid twenties, and a female in her mid teens. the female was a competitive swimmer and a musician in band from a very practice oriented family. I would say before 7th grade that she could do about 16+ pull ups in swimming dryland. She pushed herself hard. I went to see her in the hospital. She looked like someone in a concentration camp. very skinny. Not obvious that she would live. All we were told is she was anorexic. She did Bounce back. For a few years later became quite big. Many times in life she has been strong again. a thought that comes to mind is- spirit power doesnt always work to a persons advantage. My own situation happened chasing a fitness goal. But I simply had way too little hunger. And I wasnt around a scale. And I literally didnt notice the weight loss. Kept pushing. Though my mind worked way differently as a result of insufficient food. When I finally stood on a scale I'd lost 20 lb. I lost some time. gained a bunch of strength back. but still couldnt make my goal. eventually I took a class on sport nutrition. I had to keep a journal for many years. I would log all my food and count calories. Because I realized that my natural hunger, perhaps due to some depression at the time, was not enough. I found a number that worked and made sure to hit it. (obviously you can hit that daily number and still have problems. depending how you spread things out and nutrients) A few years later I made the fitness goal. And a few years later I learned to change my moods by practicing music, and later in other goal/activity/becauseyoucan sorts of ways.. Maybe one other ... In college. My girlfirend had a roommate in a different room in her house. Who threw up daily in a cup and kept it in her closet. Someone found the cup. And we all knew about the problem. But nobody knew what to do. Eventually someone spoke to her. But I knew we all failed her. Really didnt know what to do... i'm no where near as good as Allie. But if I had to visit a doctor there is this thing I know for certain. The doctor cant really show me how to do what I can do. It's really the workouts that become the saving string. you know that string that theseus uses to get out of the maze. The Notes of past workouts and comparing how things feel over time. The main warning is- oh that workout is way more tiring or impossible than it used to be. And the main clue that things are improving is- Oh I can do that again. So obviously we have times when we might need rest. But in her recovery, for sure, it will be her workouts that help her to know, if she is making the right choices or not. I really dont think that the wisest doctor she finds will have the wisdom to solve all the riddles for her. But obviously the doctors can have a lot of valuable information and various tests are super helpful. obviously diet plays a role in some/many stress fractures. But so does doing difficult things. And it seems that the cardiovascular/ muscular and mental toughness etc can adapt faster than the bones and tendons sometimes. And that things that might not lead to fractures if you take a few years to do them, might lead to more fractures when you just force your way in without getting enough adaptation. you know if you try to get there just by being more fierce. The mind over matter stories are nice for tv. And for "pain" control within parameters. But sometimes what you are doing is just too hard too soon and it's not so clear it can be done without injury until the path is reworked.

p. ps. well it wasnt just count calories and learn about nutrients. A major factor was- Slow down the workouts for a season and climb up more gradually. In my bind.

I watched the YouTube vid, what a yawn fest. Good for her though. If people need help they should seek it. Always nice to have friends ready to intervene.

I look at my kids running data. They are so efficient, it's like 1hr run, 8- 9ish miles, only burns 500ish calories. So girls do all this running and if they eat two donuts they get fat. So it could easily be the plight of a pro. Can they really compare their diets to general population?

Regardless of the mental/eating disorder:

The body needs to be healthy and in balance to perform at your best. It should be normalized with women to use your monthly period as a marker of your health/energy balance/hormone balance. Missing your period is a red flag the body isn’t in balance. If you can’t provide enough energy for yourself, you can’t provide enough energy for a fetus. Your reproductive system (and hormones) are the first thing to go.

A lot of runners have eating issues and seem to think missing your period is normal. No, it isn’t normal. Plenty of us run lots of miles and get monthly periods because we eat well to match the energy expended. The hormones stay balanced, and that means the body is healthy and strong to perform at it’s best.

Nope. You aren't running sub 15 for 5k. Most elite women miss their period.

Agree, perspective is everything. Any visit to a public environment including the nation's schools will give someone visible proof that obesity is much more of a national problem than a variety of ED disorders.

Long term health costs and early deaths from a variety of diseases related to obesity are at an obscene level, yet for some reason (money) don't get enough priority as a national health crisis.

Not to take the blame away from one's individual diet, but the food/restaurant industry is partly responsible for this epidemic.