Many of us struggle with our appearance and weight for a variety of reasons. Even though there are movements encouraging us to love ourselves at any size or more realistic models in advertising, many people around the world struggle with eating disorders on a daily basis.
This woman is sharing her story to help others struggling with an eating disorder. Annie Windley is from Derbyshire, England. She is on the road to recovery after suffering from malnutrition for years and now hopes to share her story to help others in her situation. The highest weight Windley ever reached was never above 29kg, or about 63 pounds. Her low weight led to a variety of medical complications and put her at high risk of a heart attack.
The 21-year-old struggled with her eating disorder for five years, a challenge that continues to haunt her today. During her illness, the Woolley Moor resident went through numerous hospital stays and medical treatments. However, according to the young woman, she was able to use her love of running to start her recovery process. She even took part in the Chesterfield Half Marathon in October last year.
In one of her social media posts, she wrote: “I came to the wonderful realization that rehabilitation is a breathtaking process that should be exciting, unforgettable and amazing. I believe my anorexia will always be a part of me, but I have learned to control it and stop thinking about food all the time.”
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According to Windley: “It’s never too late to change for the better.”
In 2012, Annie received her diagnosis, and two years later, her recovery began. In October 2017, she finally decided to fight her eating disorder.
“I can’t say exactly what happened, but this time I did it just for myself,” she said online.
“The struggle has been incredible and every day has been marked by painful emotions and extraordinary courage.
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“I’ve gained three stone (19kg) in the last four months and I’m now at my heaviest since 2014.”
Her experiences have shown her that the way people treat themselves and others is more important than anything else, including outward appearance.
“These are the things that make you happy and that are important to you,” she said.
Focusing on respecting others and on her own love of running is what ultimately saved her. She invested the energy she used to put into restricting her food intake into something that felt like a success, which completely changed her mindset.
“Look after your enthusiasm and drive to succeed in where you want to go.”
Having previously eaten almost nothing but a piece of bread most days, Annie was so ill and underweight that she would often get dizzy or fall over. Now she is moving towards a healthier weight and has developed a healthier attitude towards her body.
“We need to show our disorders that we can do it. We don’t want to spend our lives being unhappy and regretting that we couldn’t do things because of anorexia.