I Was Bulimic and Anorexia, once.

I know that I am young, but I have a voice, and I have a life full of stories to tell. I haven't always been as confident about the way I look up until the last couple of months. I used to wear a t-shirt over my bathing suits, and I used to eat and then throw up afterwards, so yes, that means I was bulimic. I changed for myself. Not for others.

My bulimia started when I was in late sixth grade and carried with me through a good portion of my eighth year. I didn't eat lunch in front of people at school, and I skipped breakfast. I snacked on little granola bars and things like that, and all I drank was water. After dinner, I had a date with the toilet bowl and my finger. Things got so bad from my bulimia that I used to envision cutting off the flabbiest parts of my body, since I already cut marks in my hips from depression. I never did, thankfully I realized how stupid it was.

I started giving up on the bulimia when one of my friends asked me why I was always going to the bathroom after I ate something, and I wouldn't tell him, so he followed me and found out for himself. I had a massive mental breakdown, and he was there to comfort me. I slowly started eating healthy, and by healthy I mean, salads and sandwiches that were healthy, but I still drank only water. I managed to get three meals a day in.

I weighed 95 pounds at 5'4", which isn't healthy. I now weight 112 pounds at 5'4.5", which, is healthy. I believe that changing how I saw myself has helped me today.

I no longer have thoughts of cutting off "flabby" parts of my body. I don't cut my hips. I eat like a normal person, not running to the toilet after every time. My life is finally how I want it to be. I hope that this lasts and that I don't go running back to my past when things get hard.

I like who I am. I like my hips. I like my stomach, I like my face. I like my arms. I like my weight, yes, I like my weight. I don't feel like I'm hiding my true self anymore. I feel comfortable enough to hang out with friends in public and to wear a bathing suit, and to just have fun like normal teenager, except my past is a little bit more serious than most 14-year-olds.

I truly feel that I have changed for the better and I like myself now. I want to speak out against how dangerous eating disorders are. And how society does play a role in eating disorders…

Eating disorders pose so many health risks. It's quite frightening.

Bulimia can include but isn't limited to these health risks: metabolic alkalosis which is an imbalance in the bodies acid/base balance, due to frequent vomiting. Some effects of metabolic alkalosis range anywhere from slowed breathing to irritability to irregular heartbeat to convulsions and coma. And, your teeth can suffer too. All of the stomach acid from vomiting can start decaying your teeth, and make them more sensitive. And frequent vomiting can increase the likelihood of lung aspiration, which can damage the lung tissue. It can also cause pneumonia, shock and respiratory distress. Vomiting due to Bulimia can be induced by a syrupy substance called Ipecac and it is being misused due to bulimia. Ipecac misuse can cause muscle weakness, tachycardia (an abnormal and potentially dangerous heart rate), and can cause cardiomyopathy, which is a condition in which the heart can no longer pump sufficient blood. And Bulimia can cause mental disorders and depression.

Anorexia is another incredibly serious eating disorder. The risks of this are long term as well as short term. Extremely thin body, brittle hair and nails, dry skin, lowered pulse rate, cold intolerance, constipation, diarrhea, mild anemia, reduced muscle mass, loss of menstrual cycle, and swelling joints. Regardless of treatment individuals can still experience heart problems, Osteoporosis, mental health issues, or death. Heart issues can include: slowing of the heart rate, lower blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, and/or heart failure. Mental health issues can include depression and anxiety. The death ratio: 1 out of 10 women, affected with Anorexia will die of starvation, cardiac arrest, or other medical complications, making its death rate among the highest of psychiatric diseases.

Polyphagy is next. Polyphagy is the excessive or pathological desire to eat. It can often lead to obesity, either of the above two disorders.

I am not trying to judge, but eating disorders are not healthy and are mostly just drastic measures but shouldn't be taken up by anyone. They are incredibly dangerous, and if you think you may have one or know someone who does, get help, immediately.