GET HELP NOW

I need you to really hear me and take it to heart when I say that eating disorders come in all forms, behaviors, sizes, ages, genders and weights. In many ways I was as sick at 221 pounds as I was at 56 pounds. Perhaps medically I was not in immediate danger, but mentally I was equally as ill. Also, I struggled for years at what others would consider a healthy and normal weight. Little did they know that I was having near death episodes periodically every time I binged and then overdosed on laxatives. The bottom line is that eating disorders do not discriminate and are dangerous and deadly all the same. Please don’t think you are the exception. Don’t think that because you don’t think you “look sick” that you are okay. Please don’t think that you are okay because others are worse off. Please don’t avoid help because you fear you will be judged or are embarrassed. I have seen too many lives lost by falling into this trap.

I can tell you that I was embarrassed to seek help nearing 60 pounds because I thought I looked “normal.” I can also tell you that I’ve had too many close calls during my “healthy” and obese weights due to electrolyte imbalances and dangerous behaviors. Seek help. Seek help now. You are always sick enough. This is not about weight. This is not about food. This is about your happiness, your health, your peace of mind, your future and why you are using your eating disorder as a means to cope, self-medicate or to numb certain feelings. This is about you and you deserve the best care, period! ~Britt