"A Subtle Difference to Keep Me Motivated"
             Sitting at the dinner table with my family, all I could think about is that the mash potatoes smothered in gravy will go straight to my thighs. My dad would always try to make me eat, and sometimes I would, but what he and the rest of the family did not know was that I headed straight to the bathroom to throw it up. I am one of the many victims of eating disorders. Eating disorders affect the victim's physical health, mental health, and has a huge impact on their friends and family.
             I always had a tiny voice in my head, telling me I looked fat, and when I would look or even think about food, it would tell me that if I would eat it, I would get fat. When looking in the mirror, all I could see is my distorted body image of myself over weight. People would tell me that I am to skinny, but I just did not see it. "Looking into a mirror there is often criticism of their shape and weight- seeing themselves as fat even though they may be very thin. This is a very frightening experience and feels very real- driving the person to diet" (ANAD 2). Sometimes, just by looking at food I thought I would get fat. Even though I was hungry, I was afraid to eat. I scared myself into starvation. The eating disorder also made me depressed and moody. I felt ashamed and guilty and my self-esteem got lower than it was.
             Along with the psychological affects, there was the serious physical affects that were happening to my body. I was dehydrated, and had low blood pressure. I was cold all the time, my fingers even could turn blue. Along with those, other repercussions are malnutrition intestinal ulcers, ruptured stomach, serious heart, kidney and liver damage, tooth and gum erosion, and tears of the esophagus. "The mortality rate is about 5% for each decade and increases up to 20% for patients that have the illness for more than 20years. These disorders are not fads,...