She was only 21. Beautiful and with so much life ahead of her, she was destined for greatness. People raved about how beautiful she was. Yet each time she looked in the mirror she saw an overweight face staring back at her. She saw those not so beautiful “love handles” staring back at her. How could anyone love what she saw? Truth was, what she saw was not reality. Reality was that she was 5’8” yet she only weighed 88 pounds. In 2006, she died with a body mass index of barely 13.4. Her name…..Ana Carolina Reston, an up and coming Brazilian model whose life was extinguished in a flash before the world got to really know her. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by a fear of gaining weight, an aversion to food and extreme and unhealthy weight loss. If you feel someone you love may be affected by this deadly disease look for the warning signs like: a fixation to the point of obsession when it comes to their appearance, extreme weight loss, talk of being fat when they are already thin; periods of compulsive exercising. These are just some of the things to look for. If you feel someone you love is suffering form Anorexia, get them help immediately. Every minute that passes is another minute they are taking off their life by living with this disorder.
