Female College Athletes Say Pressure to Cut Body Fat Is Toxic

She transferred to Arizona State in 2017 to be closer to her family after a year at T.C.U. The Arizona State athletic department said it uses two body composition tests — one that measures body fat and muscle mass and another involving skinfolds measurements. Williford kept telling herself that she would feel better about her body and her performance if she had less body fat.

“No one ever says: ‘Oh, look at you. You’ve gained weight,’” Williford said. “Every time I was leaning out, everyone was like: ‘Oh, my gosh. You look so good.’”

She made herself vomit daily. Her hair came out in clumps. To numb her emotional pain, she’d started depending on painkillers, which had been prescribed to her for physical injuries.

“We’re taught as an athlete, ‘How bad do you want it?’” Williford said. “If you want it, you have to make it happen. So, we’re making things happen, and now we’re hurting ourselves trying to seek this thing.”

Williford didn’t tell anyone about her eating disorder, not even the school’s dietitian, Amber Yudell, whom Williford said would have helped if she’d known about Williford’s struggles.

Williford contemplated suicide. She confided in her mother, who encouraged her to tell her coaches about her struggles. “They’re shocked that I have an eating disorder, which for me, I was like, ‘How are you surprised?’” said Williford, adding that she checked into an outpatient program for treatment and medically retired from track and field.

“At the time, it hurt, because I ran track since I was 6,” she said. “It was kind of part of my identity. But I know it’s for the best because I can’t be doing this with my body in this shape.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/sports/college-athletes-body-fat-women.html