What It's Really Like After You Recover From an Eating Disorder

At some point in someone's life, an eating disorder can happen. According to statistics, there are approximately 20 million women who will suffer from an eating disorder. It's not just a fad or a choice. When you're in the middle of it, nothing is more satisfying than seeing yourself shrink and the recovery may seem like the most impossible thing to happen.

It takes every ounce of courage an individual has to admit that there is something wrong with them and seek help to get pass it.

Blythe Hurlburt, 44, is now a personal trainer and a mom who used to suffer from Bulimia when she was in her thirties. Ashley Baird, 28, had an eating disorder which started when she was only 14 years old. These two survivors sat down and spoke with The Stir about how it was living with an eating disorder.

Hurlburt said she had issues with her weight and body image since she was a teenager and how it worsened as she got older. She said she got so obsessed with dieting and exercising that would calculate how much workout she needs to do to counter her food intake, cafemom.com reported.

Baird, on the other hand, said that there were a lot of factors that contributed to her eating disorder. One that really stood out the most was her being a perfectionist. She also said that part of the reason why she became so fixated with losing weight was because she was always thin and she got praised all the time for looking like that. That's why she thought she would do whatever she can to stay that way.

They also talked about what drove them to get help and how they cope on a difficult day. Hurlburt said that in September 2014, she was admitted to the hospital for ingesting too much laxatives. "I was exercising too much and eating too little," she said. "My best friend spent hours calling places until we heard of a new intensive outpatient program in our area. I was taken over that day." Hurlburt added.

In Baird's case, she kept the problem to herself until her body was the one who couldn't take it any longer. She said,"My brain was so starved. I couldn't concentrate and this was scary for me since I'd always been a perfect student. Also, my depression was at an all-time low. After admitting to my parents that I needed help ... they helped me get the services I needed."

On a bad day, Hurlburt usually avoids mirrors or cover them and leave positive affirmations while Baird chooses to talk things out with her support group and doing the things she loves. It helps her during a difficult day. According to Telegraph.co.uk, even after years of recovering from an eating disorder, living your life and managing food remains a challenge.

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