anorexia

It was at this point when my starvation began at age 7 that I wondered: Am I controlling my body or is my body controlling me?

"A common response that folks struggling with eating disorders hear is something along the lines of “Just eat,” “Just stop purging,” or “Just stop overeating.” And that’s akin to telling someone with depression to “Cheer up” or someone with anxiety to “Calm down.” That is: It’s not effective. At all. It’s actually kind of offensive."

"Because diet culture is so ingrained in our society, and therefore our psyches, a common misconception about eating disorders – and particularly those of the restricting and purging varieties – is that they’re choices that people make with the end goal of losing weight."

I wake up hungry, but I also wake up lighter, emptier. Something about it makes me feel purer. This is one feeling that’s positive in a sea of negative.

35: Percentage of “normal dieters” who progress to pathological dieting

It might take years before you can hold a cupcake in your hand and not nearly have a panic attack.

“I don’t have a problem,” I repeated, this time with my voice raised. And then, spitting defiance, “You’re just jealous.”

It can be easy to forget that celebrities are, you know, real people, fighting their own battles outside the public eye.