Anorexia represents a severe eating disorder that prevents the person suffering from it from eating food because of fear of gaining weight, body image disturbance, and a strong desire to be thin.
These people are excessively underweight, yet, they see themselves as fat and struggle to regain control on their eating habits which are reduced to minimum.
Annie Windley, a 21-year-old woman from Woolley Moor, was diagnosed with anorexia when she was 15. For six long years, she was so underweight that she was on the verge of death. At her lowest weight, Annie weighted just 60 pounds.
Her eating disorder got out of control while attending Monkton Combe boarding school in Bath. That’s when she started avoiding carbs, meat, and dairy and started counting calories. When the time came for her to have a meal, Annie started feeling fear, and that lasted for around six years, until she decided to change her life for the better.
Recalling how severe her problem was, she said, “It got so bad, one time I was sectioned I would scream and bang my head on the wall, I just wanted to leave and not be around food.
“I was even told I was at risk of a heart attack because I was so small.
“I could barely stand up without blacking out, looking back at the pictures I took, I was scary to look at but I just wanted to be smaller and smaller each day.”
In fact, what caused this young woman to realize that food wasn’t her enemy was a single Lindt chocolate.
One day, she forced herself to try a piece, and when she realized that it didn’t affect her weight, she started improving her relationship with food one meal at a time.
“It was crazy to think by eating one part of chocolate I’d instantly gain weight but that day was when I realised eating was not as frightening as I’d made it out to be,” she said speaking to The Sun.
Today, she shares her journey of fighting anorexia as she wants to help people like her to get their life back and start eating healthy and regularly. On her Instagram, she shared photos of her and we must agree that she looks incredibly beautiful today. She has around 12,000 and says it was her friends and family who helped her during her darkest of times.
“I have a boyfriend and new friends now who has helped me so I am not as lonely as I used to be.
“People think it’s about attention seeking but it’s not, it’s hard to explain what you’re going through to someone who does not understand.”
We are so glad Annie managed to win her battle with anorexia.
