When your jeans no longer fit or your shirt doesn’t button up, it can be difficult to feel good about yourself. But one woman hopes to change that mentality.
In a poignant Instagram post, Lucia Litman revealed that she struggled with an eating disorder for a number of years.
Earlier this week when she tried on an old dress, she found that it no longer zipped up at the side. However for Litman, this is a sign of progress rather than a step backwards.
The Instagram star, who has 74.3k followers, revealed that she now has a healthy relationship with food - and has urged others to not let their lives be dictated by a thigh gap or the number on a set of bathroom scales.
Litman shared a photo of herself in the size 2 dress, which would no longer fasten at the side.
“Here’s a picture of me in my favourite dress from three years ago,” she wrote in the caption.
“Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my body image and health, after a ‘friend’ told me that I’ve let myself go and should stop eating so much bread.
“I don’t really talk about this much (or ever publicly) but I struggled with an eating disorder all throughout high school and college and was in and out of different therapies and centres.”
She explained that she used to weigh herself five times a day. The number that stared back at her on the scales would dictate her happiness and influence the activities that she “allowed” herself to do.
“This restriction on my own happiness and life ended a lot of friendships and relationships because I’d isolate myself at home so I didn’t have to be around food,” she said.
“A lot of my work that I share here is inspired by this experience - food wasn’t always a happy thing for me, and for many friends and family food still isn’t fun - so I’m hoping to show a more playful side to what we eat and get people thinking about colours, shapes and textures instead of calories or how much exercise they’ll have to do to burn it off.”
Litman regularly shares posts of foods matching Pantone colour charts, as well as quotes about eating such as: “Real queens eat pizza.”
She said she now has the “healthiest relationship with food” that she’s ever had.
Her post has received more than 2,500 likes. One commenter labelled Litman “an inspiration”.
Another wrote: “You are beautiful and young girls and women alike could learn a thing or two from your great outlook. I have gained quite a bit of weight over the last year and I am having a hard time dealing with it, but posts like yours give me courage to face it the right way.”
Litman concluded her post with advice for other people struggling with eating disorders. She wrote: “Know that you’re more than a number and that having a thigh gap is irrelevant (and physically impossible for some people’s bone structure), but most importantly that you are not alone and are loved.”
Useful websites and helplines:Mind, open Monday to Friday,9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393 Samaritans offers a listeningservice which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.) Get Connected is a freeadvice service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@getconnected.org.uk