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Writer Gary Nunn recounts his struggle with body dysmorphia, the extreme 5:2 intermittent fasting diet he nicknamed the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 diet, and how male body obsession is fuelled by social media and celebrity culture.
Writer Gary Nunn has described how an extreme intermittent fasting regime and deep-seated body insecurity pushed him into an unhealthy obsession with his appearance. He was in month three of the 5:2 diet, eating normally five days a week and just 500 calories on two days, when he realised he had become a nightmare to be around.
The moment of clarity came while he was sipping a grim, flavourless soup with the fervour and grace of a dog lapping spilt gravy, his only main meal that day. Slurping the final mouthful, he saw his mum and sister exchange a wry look. He knew what it meant. He was holidaying in Turkey at the time.
When he could have been eating kofte with his family, he was fasting and had become a giant bore about calorie counting. Their gentle exasperation did not deter him from his almost impossible goal: a muscular upper body and a tiny waist. He was still working out on fasting days because that seemed the only way he would find his body acceptable. His family nicknamed the regime his 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 diet.
Unhealthy Fasting Obsession Takes Hold
He admits the name was apt, like the backwards countdown of a humourless drill sergeant. That is what he was becoming. Buoyed by the hint of abs, having been a tubby 20-something, he was not going back. He had tried shortcuts to shred before, from diet pills to the grapefruit diet, which involved half a grapefruit before every meal for its supposed fat burning enzymes.
The obsession was built from insecurity. Classically handsome men were tall, dark and handsome, while he was short, ginger and plain. He believed he needed pectorals to be considered even vaguely attractive. He later learnt about body dysmorphia, a skewed perception of what his body actually looks like.
He saw photos of himself and thought they showed a potbelly and ill-defined abs, despite practically starving himself. The Butterfly Foundation says one-third of Australians with an eating disorder are male, with an overall increase of 21 per cent over a decade. Experts note that intensifying social media messages aimed at men and boys pose significant risks by equating success and self-worth with appearance. Actor Sylvester Stallone has also spoken about body obsession.
Body Dysmorphia and Cultural Pressures
He opened up about developing an eating disorder and taking steroids when younger. His appearance became an obsession, really bad, he said, and it took a terrible toll. He regrets it. It is easy to laugh at male body obsession.
From Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone's extremely muscled, weirdly unsexy 1980s bodies, to today's manfluencers who smoke meth and work out, the culture relentlessly pushes unrealistic ideals. A looksmaxxer known as Androgenic has been banned from Brisbane nightlife areas, highlighting the extreme end of this world. Eventually, after being told by loved ones that he looks better when he eats, Gary Nunn quit the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 diet forever. His body changed again, as bodies do.
He would love to say he accepts it more today. He probably does slightly more than he did. He did not think he had an eating disorder. Like many men he knows, he was eager to look muscled, manly, vaguely attractive and less bothered about being laughed at for striving towards it.
Orthorexia and Steroid Concerns Remain
He also names orthorexia, an intense adherence to clean eating or self-imposed food rules, as part of the problem. He abhors it all, yet participates in it. He objectifies men to those same largely unattainable standards and says he can do better here too. Sly Stallone says steroids are rife in the gym bro scene.
They are rife on the gay scene too, but the taboo means the true extent is unknown. In the Ozempic age, the risk of boys becoming body obsessed is even greater. Society is too busy mocking them to spot signs of struggle, shame and stigma. Gary Nunn's body remains steroid and ab free.
He is still the only person his mum knows who hits the gym on holiday. He is still finding his line.
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brisbanetimes:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Male Eating Disorders 5:2 Diet Body Obsession Steroid Use
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