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Obesity and anorexia. It is almost surprising that these two modern illnesses are inseparably linked even though each of them is actually the opposite of the other. However, extreme weight loss can be just as unhealthy as being overweight, and in the end it can even cost a person their life …
Twenty-three-year-old Hannah Lucas knows about this. During puberty she was overweight, and so the little girl became the target of ridicule from her classmates. Hannah had also loved dancing since she was a child, so even her dance teacher pointed out that she should lose a little weight.
And so Hannah decided to lose weight
At first she skipped lunches at school – thus avoiding the mockery and at the same time reducing her daily calorie intake to 1300 kcal.
The diet was a success – people around her began to praise the little girl, saying how good she looked. And so Hannah decided that she wanted to lose even more weight. She skipped dinner, later also breakfast. At that time a few apple slices and a cup of plain yogurt a day were enough for her to eat. Hannah began to become addicted to losing weight.
Result
The result of this “amazing” diet was that Hannah then could no longer dance. Nor walk. She simply didn’t have the strength. No wonder – due to her eating habits she reached an unbelievable weight of only 28 kg. And so her body simply gave out and Hannah collapsed. She arrived at the hospital literally at the last moment. She was skin and bones, she had many bruises and pressure sores on her body, her hair and teeth were falling out, she constantly had headaches and she hadn’t had her period for several months …
In the hospital she fought for her life for several weeks. Fortunately she won that fight. Her diet, however, did not come without consequences – Hannah has osteoporosis, which is a metabolic bone disease manifested by thinning of the bone tissue. Moreover, most likely she will never have children.
We should learn from her story not only as young girls who want to lose weight, but all of us. Today’s society likes to judge people by their appearance. Society likes to condemn individuals and does not ask about the reasons why a person looks one way or another. But we should be more understanding and not condemn. We should remember that mockery or even condemning looks can cost someone their life.
She admits that when she once treated herself to grapes instead of an apple, the next day she starved because she felt guilty about how she was overeating. She wanted to punish herself for gluttony and for being fat …
The body’s reaction to this diet
More photos can be found in the photo gallery.
