Though it's not widely discussed, men certainly suffer from body image issues. They also suffer from eating disorders, disordered eating and, it seems, a sort of reverse anorexia, called body dysmorphic disorder, in which a man looks at himself in the mirror and believes he is too small.

Just as women may feel pressure to conform to the gaunt appearance of a fashion model or the lean and muscular look found in women's fitness magazines, experts say men also may compare themselves to movie stars or professional athletes and feel as though they are either too fat or not muscular enough, even when neither is true.

Murray Drummond, a doctor and lecturer in men's health at the University of Australia, specializes in male body image issues. He estimates that about 5 to 10 percent of people with eating disorders are male, although accurate figures are difficult because, he says, men avoid seeking medical assistance.

Linda Smolak, a professor of psychology at Kenyon College and a specialist in body image and eating problems, agrees that men and boys are suffering.

"Boys are dissatisfied, but they're not quite as invested as girls are, yet," she told The Washington Times recently. Smolak noted that young men can find themselves involved in sports that are simply not compatible with their natural body type, perhaps encouraging steroid and supplement use.

In other sports, notably football, male student-athletes may be constantly encouraged to "bulk up," sometimes in ways that are neither healthy nor practical.

Dewayne Barnes, now vice-chair of the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a graduate athletic trainer at Whittier College, also is a former football player.

"Some male student-athletes are taught to put on as much weight as possible as fast as possible," Barnes said. "Just as there can be pressure placed on student-athletes to lose too much weight, there also is pressure placed on some student-athletes to gain too much weight. I've seen people literally force-feeding themselves to try to meet a target weight."

Barnes points out that some student-athletes also may be encouraged to engage in the consumption of creatine, protein shakes and even illegal steroids.

"Some people want to take the shortest route possible," he said. "It may mean drinking shakes rather than eating food, and it may mean that, at the end of his career, a student-athlete has no idea how to eat a normal, healthy meal."

And just as female student-athletes may have their scholarships threatened if they don't lose enough, male student-athletes may feel tremendous pressure to gain enough. Or, it may just be the promise of enhanced performance that is enough to trigger a problem. Someone who aspires to play professional football may look to the NFL as an example.

And as Dave Kindred, a columnist for The Sporting News, has observed, football players in the NFL have become bigger and bigger.

"Fifteen years ago, there may have been 10 NFL players who weighed 300 pounds or more; last year there were 275."

From a health standpoint, trying to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger can be a serious problem. Carrying around too much weight, even if much of it is muscle, strains joints and vital organs, and also may put student-athletes at additional risk of heat-related problems.

"Being that big strains your heart, and of course you retain more heat and may be more susceptible to those kinds of heat-related problems," Barnes said. "You could be doing yourself much more harm than you realize."

And, as Barnes pointed out, most student-athletes are not going on to the NFL but to jobs as stock brokers, teachers or accountants.

"You get stuck eating the same amounts but you're no longer working out for several hours each day. We need to help student-athletes adjust at the end of their college careers. We need to provide education on nutrition, diet and ways to maintain a healthy and practical weight for everyday life."

Barnes, along with the student-athlete focus group at the NCAA Convention that discussed body image, nutrition and eating disorders, wants to be sure that men's issues are a vital part of campus discussions and workshops on these topics.

"We spend a lot of time telling student-athletes what not to eat, in terms of banned substances or unhealthy food. But we also need to talk about what to eat, and how and when and how much."