Brittany Miles Beat An Eating Disorder And Now Loves Her Curves

Brittany Miles had an eating disorder then began compulsive dieting and exercising after being tormented about her weight in high school. She went from a size 18 to a size 4 and was 15 pounds underweight. Over time, she began to exercise less, eat more and reshape her attitudes toward food and her body. Miles now hosts a site on Tumblr that encourages people to embrace their bodies and reminds them that eating disorders don’t manifest themselves in a certain appearance.

“Our society and my peers told me that I wasn’t lovable when I was fat. That when I was fat, I couldn’t be anything else,” said Miles, now a senior and a biology major at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. “So, I was determined to be the farthest thing from fat possible.”

She began what she called a war against calories, and it quickly spiraled out of control. She limited herself to 400 to 600 calories and did 90 minutes of intense cardio daily. Yet at her lightest, Miles never dropped below a size 4.

“Just because my bone structure stopped me from being the size 00 everyone pictures, doesn’t mean that I wasn’t in an incredibly unsafe and unhealthy place,” she said.

Although she was 15 pounds underweight, no one caught onto her habits because they were too busy praising her for her weight loss.

“We constantly push people to lose weight, but sometimes that’s not right for everyone,” Miles said.

In the United States, some 20 million women and another 10 million men suffer from a clinical eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. Many people also struggle with some form of body dissatisfaction or unhealthy eating behaviors that can lead to the development of clinical disorders. Studies suggest half a million teens are suffering from eating disorders, and that their concerns about weight begin as young as 6.

Miles says she didn’t treat her body like she loved it when she began to lose weight.

“I deprived it, punished it and tortured it,” Miles said. “I was convinced that a smaller dress size was the key to happiness.”

Read more: fox40.com

Brittany Miles Beat An Eating Disorder And Now Loves Her Curves.