Healthy Kids: Colorado Springs football player overcomes eating disorder

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- In the U.S. as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. However, there's a misconception that eating disorders don't affect boys and young men. Statistics vary, but it's believed around a quarter to a third of eating disorder patients are male.

Now, a 17-year-old football player shares his own struggles with anorexia.

"My eating disorder started the summer of 2020," says Shelten.

Like many teenagers, Shelten's life changed dramatically during the pandemic. He couldn't play football and says he became depressed without practice to look forward to. That's when Shelten started limiting his food and began obsessing about his weight.

"Restricting foods, not wanting to eat foods that they used to eat, cutting it into small portions, and only eating certain foods and things at once," says Shelten. "And really losing a lot of weight and just being more irritable and emotional and feeling tired all the time."

Thankfully for the Colorado Springs teen, his parents got him the treatment he needed.

"What really helped me was first of all just my parents taking me to the hospital," says Shelten.

Shelten spent two weeks at Children's Hospital Colorado, before continuing an eating disorder program for the next five months.

"The hospital really helped me to get mentally and physically and emotionally stable," says Shelten.

Shelten dreams of playing football in college and maybe even the pros one day, so talking to his teammates about his health was important, but far from easy. He says he's grateful his team has his back.

"I was a little nervous at first because it is something serious to me," says Shelten. "At first they didn't understand what that was but then as weeks went by they really started to understand and were very supportive of me."

Eating disorders can be caused by stress, poor nutritional habits, and food fads are relatively common problems for teens.

For more resources to help children with eating disorders, anxiety and depression click here.