But I feel led to tell apart of my story I’ve never shared.  Except with Matt. All of those struggles above led me to a place as a sophomore in college that I am not proud of, but I know that I am free of it.

Like a lot of people, I gained that “freshman fifteen” my first year of college.  With a smorgusboard of food available in the cafeteria, I took full advantage of my meal ticket.  I had never had trouble with gaining weight before, so I ate!  I was not a believer at this time, and to feel accepted and boost my confidence I would drink alcohol in excess on the weekends.  

All that combined with the fact that I spent the summer after my freshman year working at a five-star resort with amazing food in Maine led to quite a bit of weight gain by the time I returned for my sophomore year of college. If I could find a digital picture, I would definitely share!

And I didn’t really now HOW to tackle that.  I knew I wasn’t eating healthy, but I wasn’t sure how to approach weight loss, because I had never had to deal with it.  And I was so immediately discontent with how I looked, that I developed an eating disorder.  I took laxatives or made myself sick to get rid of the food I was binging on.

And I did it for a year.  I’m not sure if those closest to me knew about it.  I feel like I hid it pretty well.  At first, it seemed like it wasn’t affecting me. I lost weight, although I’m not sure that’s why.  And I stopped pretty abruptly.  Not because I thought it was wrong or because I knew better, but because I was SCARED.  Of what I was doing to my body and what the long term effects would be.  

I began running more and trying to make better choices. But I never told anyone.  Now, I wish I had gotten some help or learned more about the disorder.

So, you may be wondering why I am sharing this now.  It’s certainly not easy.  And as much as I wish it wasn’t part of my story, I know full well that God can use it in some way to help someone else.


Did you know that eating disorders are a struggle for 10 million females and 1 million males in the US?  And that 4 out of 10 individuals have either personally experienced an eating disorder or know someone who has?  (www.eatingdisorderhope.com)

It’s prevalent. It’s probably happened to you or someone close to you.

I share this not for sympathy or attention, but in the hopes that someone WILL get help today.

Our bodies are created beautifully imperfect.  No matter what the tabloids reflect, No ONE is perfect.

Rejoice in the body God created for you.  Take care of it.  Maybe that means that you need to change your eating habits and exercise more, but make healthy choices.  Not destructive ones.

There are many resources available and help for those struggling with this disorder.  Seek help today.

Michelle Myers wrote a beautiful account of her struggle with anorexia and how she overcame with God’s help.  You can get a copy of that book here.

Click on the image to purchase

Great site for finding verses to deal with this.