Eleebana's Tim Conway says self-worth was a key part of his experience with an eating disorder.
"I was pretty heavily teased by my mates. You know how blokes are with that sort of stuff. I became obsessed around that, thinking no one could love me and I'd never be in a relationship because of the way I looked," he said.
"I went down a really bad path of fixing that."
He endured this cycle in his mind "for a long time".
Mr Conway said his mates would comment that "girls approach me when I'm skinny".
"That reaffirmed in my mind that I needed to lose weight to the point where I couldn't lose any more.
"I had good and bad foods, safe foods, foods I wouldn't touch, things like that. It becomes dangerous because you restrict yourself from so many food groups."
Mr Conway, now 31, said talking about an eating disorder was a "taboo for males".
He said this was related to the convention that "males can't talk about their feelings".
"We're having some wins now with that online."
But he said body image remained a big problem for many, citing "the rise of gym culture" as fuelling the problem.
"Everybody has to look a certain way. They fill themselves with different chemicals to look like the Rock. It's unrealistic expectations. When do we embrace normal body types?" he said.
"It's taken me a while to learn and I still struggle with my body image sometimes. You've got to learn to be comfortable in your own skin."
He sought treatment when "it became evident I needed to get some help".
He did a "pretty ordinary program in Sydney".
He lived in London for a while, but returned "even sicker".
"I went to another place in Wentworthville. I rotated out of there six times, then came back and did the day program at the old James Fletcher [hospital in Newcastle].
"I did a day program in Sydney as well. I'd travel down three times a week."
He said patients who need emergency help often do an "inpatient program".
"With the day program, you go in maybe three times a week but go home at the end of the day."
Mr Conway said the planned 12-bed eating disorder treatment centre at Charlestown was "overdue".
"With 12 beds, you will have people vying for who is the sickest to get the beds," he said.
"There will be people at a tipping point, but if they don't meet a criteria they won't get that help and they'll get sicker."
Such people can find themselves in the health system being told "you're too sick for us to help", then being referred to palliative care.
"It is quite shocking. I've had people who I became friends with die from this."
Butterfly Foundation interim CEO Anna Cullinane said anyone affected by an eating disorder should "first seek support from their GP".
Ms Cullinane said GPs can provide information about "the Medicare benefits for eating disorders".
This includes an eating disorder management plan that provides "up to 40 psychological treatment services and 20 dietetic services for 12 months".
"We need to better coordinate mental healthcare with physical healthcare and nutritional support," she said.
"This can help to prevent people from reaching an acute stage of illness, limit pressure on the health system and reduce the likelihood of severe and enduring eating disorders."
- Butterfly's National Helpline is 1800 33 4673.
