After being misdiagnosed with anorexia and admitted into an eating disorder centre close to death– a young woman has documented her different kind of body transformation.
22-year-old Annalise Mishler weighed only 28kgs before seeking help at ACUTE, a rehabilitation center in America that works with severe eating disorders cases.
Four years after being diagnosed with anorexia, doctors revealed that Annalise was actually suffering from ARFID, which stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
[It’s different from anorexia in the sense that the restriction doesn’t stem from a desire to lose weight and body dysmorphia isn’t present,”Annalise explained to Life & Style.
“My particular case stemmed from a sexual abuse that left me anxious and experiencing sensory problems that were very present whenever I would eat. I didn’t like the feeling of being ‘full,’ which I now know was linked to my assault.”
With the help of the treatment centre, Annalise worked through her issues and trauma, and now weighs 50kgs.
She also runs an Instagram page and a blog where she shares her before and after photos in a hope to inspire others on a similar journey.
“After dancing on death’s shoulders at 60 pounds on my tall frame, I took my life into my own hands and I now look to my body as a vehicle for my soul–an instrument to help me live my dreams”, she wrote on her blog.
“I aspire to create a more accurate awareness of what eating disorders really are–to end negative stigmas and to help those that are suffering. So many suffer in silence, and I used to be one of those people.”
“I have learned through blogging that I desire to help as many people as I can. I desire to be a light and a distraction from the hell that is recovery from an eating disorder, mental illness, or even just a bad day.”