“I spent a solid three to four hours at the gym every single day.”

I'm a Senior Staff Writer who writes a wide range of topics, spanning from people's real-life drama to pop culture to funny things I find on the internet.

"I’m relatively recovered now, but I still have lingering body image issues. I nitpick my appearance to no end and suffer from self-esteem issues, but I’m slowly getting better and learning to love the body I’m in. I eat relatively healthily now (for a low-income 23-year-old), and I’m learning to accept my own skin."

"If I have a good day and eat healthy, I immediately formulate plans for how I can be back to race weight if I just... I’ve never been formally diagnosed. I’ve never had any counseling. No one ever really tried to intervene. If anything, it was celebrated and lauded. I was super thin, very fast on the bike, and 'disciplined' in the eyes of my cycling friends. I know there’s a lot of athletes like myself out there, especially in running and cycling. Pros blog about it more openly than they used to, and that has helped me see what my own behavior was heading toward."

"I felt proud and happy. Hunger started becoming like a form of self-flagellation to me. It was like I got some sort of masochistic high from doing it. I'd just like to say, contrary to what people believe, EDs are rooted in a lot more than just body image issues. Sure, this started because I wanted to see my abs. But having an ED also takes a lot of willpower and discipline. It feels empowering."

"I'm 31 now. In the decade I spent being miserable, I learned that the only enjoyable part of this was weightlifting for its own sake. And the goal of setting new personal records is almost removed enough from eating to not trigger my weight anxiety."

"If I gave in and ate literally a piece of chocolate, I would body shame myself because I believed that by eating just that, I would get fat. If I wasn't always on track and looking 'insane,' I'd get depressed. My body looked phenomenal, but people don't understand how hard it is to keep your body looking model status. It is so unbelievably mentally damaging because if you eat a calorie over what you're supposed to, you want to throw up, get depressed, and fat shame yourself."

Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

If you’re dealing with an eating disorder and need someone to talk to, the National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237. For 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.