This Woman Is Bravely Sharing Her Body Transformation in Combating Anorexia

connie inglis anorexia
Connie Inglis (Photo: Instagram)

Connie Inglis, a young woman living in Leeds, England, has used social media to raise awareness about body image positivity and also to document her daring battle with anorexia. Today, Inglis has emerged as an online activist of sorts, helping women embrace their imperfections while also learning to do the same for herself.

On her Instagram page, a stirring side-by-side image of Inglis details how small she had gotten just a year before. So extreme was her weight loss that she had to be fed via a tube through her nasal passages. Inglis started the page in hopes of documenting her recovery and to galvanize others who might also be battling the same issues, as reported by the Daily Mail.

January 23rd 2016- January 23rd 2017 ???? ???? Firstly I want to say this is not a look how skinny I was or look how well I've done post. This is to hopefully show you that no matter how lost you are in your own head, it is possible to escape! It is possible to find happiness again!!! ???? ???? Secondly you do not have to be this shape, size colour or gender for your struggles to matter! You are always deserving of help if you are struggling!!! ???? ???? It's a year ago today since I was sectioned under the mental health act. I was so ill I was doing everything I could think of to not take in ANYTHING. I had given up. My eating disorder had taken over and I wanted to die. So I was sectioned and forced to get better. I was put on an ng tube. I was forced to watch as the scale went up every week and I could do nothing about it. (Not that I didn't try) I hated everyone who put me through that! I was on drugs that put me out so I wouldn't hurt myself or anyone else. This time last year I was a mess. ???? But the people I loved stayed by me. My best friends and my boyfriend came to see me all the time and my parents where there every day. They where there to remind me to try. So I did. Eventually I asked my boyfriend if it was ok if I ate, he told me I should. For the first time in my life I realised that I loved these people more than my ed. so I fought, I fought like hell!!! ???? ???? I'm not telling you this for sympathy or to diminish anyone's struggles, (everyone's struggle is valid!!! No matter how long it takes!!) I was in this for 10 years before I got out. But I want you to know that it is possible!!!!! No not all my problems have gone away. Yes I still have the thoughts. But I am strong enough now to resist! Keep going! You can get through this hell and I will be with you every step of the way!!! We can do this together!!!! ???????????? (I don't want to answer any questions about weight) #positivebeatsperfect

A photo posted by Connie????????Positive.beats.perfect (@my_life_without_ana) on Jan 23, 2017 at 11:11am PST

Hammering this point home, with the photo, Inglis posted the following caption:

“Firstly I want to say this is not a ‘look how skinny I was’ or ‘look how well I’ve done’ post. This is to hopefully show you that no matter how lost you are in your own head, it is possible to escape! It is possible to find happiness again!!!

Secondly, you do not have to be this shape, size, colour or gender for your struggles to matter! You are always deserving of help if you are struggling!!!”

She continued the post by sharing intimate details of her difficult journey. Inglis said she was so sick that she wanted to die before she was admitted to a hospital to seek treatment. She added that watching her weight rise was agonizing for her, and she had to be medicated and subdued as part of her recovery process.

A lot of people have asking me how I did it. How I recovered so fast… the truth is, I didn't. An eating disorder is deceptive and horrible. It lures you in and makes you believe that you'd be nothing without it, you wouldn't survive without it. I used to believe my ed was my best friend but all it ever wanted to do was kill me. In the picture on the left I was 13 and had already been struggling for a long time. ???? There are 8 years between these photos and in that time I have weight restored and relapsed countless times. I have tormented myself mentally and physically. I told myself I was horrible and unworthy of happiness. I have hated my body. I have starved it, I have hurt it, I have left unmeasurable damage. THIS IS NOT MY LIFE ANYMORE!! After 10 years I finally decided I loved my family and friends more than my illness. I decided that I wasn't to blame for everything that had happened. I decided that I deserved to be happy!!! So I finally let go… ???? If your still struggling I am with you every step of the way. If you've been going through this for lifetimes and feel useless when you see others getting better, I completely understand. If you feel like your Ed is still taking care of you, I understand but I promise there are better things out there!!! If your not taken seriously because you don't fit into the typical anorexia box, your struggles are worthy and you deserve to be helped!!! If your turned away because of you weight, skin colour or gender, FIGHT LIKE HELL!! You deserve to be heard!!! ???? I'm not telling you this for sympathy or to diminish anyone's struggles!! Everyone's struggles are valid!! But I want you to know that it is possible!! Yes I still have bad days. I still struggle but I'm stronger now and know that I deserve to be happy! Keep going, it's going to be the hardest thing you ever do but it's so worth it! Fight like hell and I'll be fighting with you!! #positivebeatsperfect

A photo posted by Connie????????Positive.beats.perfect (@my_life_without_ana) on Feb 1, 2017 at 12:51pm PST

With the power of family, friends, and a loving boyfriend, Inglis found the strength to continue on and said she “fought like hell” because they were there for her. She said that her decade-long battle with anorexia might be over and she still has personal work to do, but she offered her encouraging story as a show of support for others just like her.

Recent photos of Inglis show her happy and glowing, showing off her midriff, “pudge” and all, as she puts it. With close to 39,000 followers and growing, Inglis is giving voice to others who might not know where to turn.

A commissioned report by BEAT, an eating disorders awareness group, estimated that around 725,000 people in the United Kingdom alone are affected by some type of eating disorder, with 11 percent of those being men, according to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.

In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men are battling or have battled with a form of eating disorder. This includes anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and other related conditions.

Related: Pretty Little Liar Troian Bellisario Opens Up About Her History With Anorexia

Related: Country Singer Lauren Alaina’s Bulimia Was So Bad, Her Hair Fell Out

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