The eating disorder bulimia is a terrible affliction, afflicting an estimated 1 in 50 people throughout the UK. Its food binging and purging behaviour leads to serious medical complications for many, such as acid reflux, constipation, dehydration, dental cavities, electrolyte imbalances, haemorrhoids and pancreatitis.
There are many forms of treatment, of varying effectiveness, but Wales Online this week reported on a remarkable young woman who has bodybuilding to thank for ridding her of this debilitating and distressing condition.
Cardiff resident Lydia Rees told the journal that she had been fighting bulimia for nearly nine years before meeting a new boyfriend, who was a personal trainer and bodybuilding afficionado. Now she is in top physical condition and has put her eating disorder firmly behind her – and is even gearing up and training hard to enter next year’s International Federation of Body Building European Women’s Championships.
Speaking of her bulimia, the 30-year-old said:
“I could be sick up to eight times in one sitting, but on average I was purging about five times a day.”
“My skin was bad, I was constantly bloated and tired, my face and glands were always swollen and my knuckles were red raw.”
But after meeting new boyfriend Jordan, she went on a date to a local bodybuilding contest, where she had her eyes opened by the fantastic physiques of the female competitors.
“Their figures were amazing. They had muscle definition but not too much – it was the body I’d wanted for years,”
she said.
“Jordan agreed to help me achieve my goal. He told me to eat six meals a day, which freaked me out a bit at first, and I started training four times a week. I started to see my body changing and decided to take part in a UK Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation competition.”
Now, after strenuous muscle building exercises and a rich diet containing many natural bodybuilding supplements, Lydia is a size eight who weighs nine-and-a-half stone.
“There’s no reason to suffer alone with an eating disorder,”
she told Wales Online.
“There are people out there who can help you, like the charity Beat and personal trainers who can devise you a healthy eating and exercise plan.”
Excellent advice from someone who has been at the sharp end of eating disorders and has now discovered the incredible powers of bodybuilding!