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Teenagers are probably the most at risk for anorexia. We often hear success stories of recovery. But often, the cases we hear about don’t get this dire.
But Elle Lietzow, then 17, barely skirted death when she refused to eat for a week.
For Elle, it all started when she was a young girl. Though she was only slightly overweight, she was made fun of by her peers. They’d kick her and push her and call her a “fat whale.”
She joined swim team, where her six hours per day training routine saw her losing weight and gaining friends.
But she was forced to quit swim team in order to focus on her friends and school work. Not wanting to gain the weight back, she compensated by working out before school for two hours every day, and going for hikes near her home.
She only ate fish and vegetables, and as time went on she weighed less and less. She lost 28 pounds, and was hospitalized for the first time.
After her first hospitalization, her family pressured her to gain weight back. So she binged—she ate cake frosting, chocolate bars, whole boxes of donuts and huge pieces of cake.
“I was punishing my body,” said Elle. “I didn’t want to put on weight but my family and friends were so angry and frustrated.”
She ended up at 174 pounds, disgusted with herself. “I hated the way I looked and I wouldn’t leave the house.
“Healthy eating turned into only eating a salad or steamed cabbage at dinner, loaded in salt. Then I cut out food completely.”
She lost 98 pounds in just a few months.
She couldn’t get out of bed, and had to stay home from school. She was constantly lying to her friends and family. But she couldn’t stop. Eventually, she cut out food and water completely in a last effort to lose weight.
A week later, and insatiably thirsty, she went for a glass of water. She took one sip, and immediately had a seizure. She woke up on the floor of her bathroom, surrounded by broken glass and water.
“I just had no energy anymore,” she recalls. “I knew I was dying.”
She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors found that her liver and kidneys were failing. They were shocked that she was even still alive.
She realized she needed to make a change.
Now 19 years old, she follows a vegan diet that allows her to get all the nutrients she needs. She goes out with friends and uses Instagram and YouTube to share her journey.
“A message I have for those suffering with anorexia at the moment is that only you can save yourself. You have to make the change and choose life.”
