Emelle Lewis’ journey from being anorexic to stupid fit is inspiring

Some happy news today. Emelle Lewis, 22, was formally anorexic, but thanks to social media, she was able to beat her disease.

When she was 15, Lewis felt unattractive and, like most struggling with anorexia, blamed her issues on her weight.

#transformationtuesday When nobody else believed in me, I believed in myself. I made the decision to recover and the only way I learned was by going through it on my own. Each time I fell down I rose up just that little bit stronger, because I was determined that I wouldn’t be beaten. The hardest thing about my recovery was believing I was worth it, but today I can say with pride that I am bloody worth it and nothing is going to stop me now So no matter how tough the road gets, keep going, keep believing in yourself and remember…you are worth it! #anorexiarecovery #strongnotskinny #believeinyourself #bodypositive #determination #igotthis ##eatforlife #eatforgains #gains #gym #gymgirl #fitness #fitnessjourney

A post shared by Emelle Lewis (@emellegetswell) on Dec 5, 2017 at 1:20am PST

Weighing somewhere in the 70 pound range, Emelle was considered unhealthily skinny.

“It started in high school when I wanted to lose weight because I always felt fat growing up. I always found it hard to fit in, and when all my friends were getting boyfriends at that time but I didn’t, I began to think it was because I was fat and ugly.”

Emelle would excessively exercise, focusing on her abdominal area and restricting her diet to mere salad and rice cakes.

“When I was ill, I didn’t believe there was anything really wrong with me,” she shares with the Daily Mail, “I genuinely believed I could maintain at that weight and still live a fairly normal life. I didn’t want to get rid of my eating disorder.”

#happyhumpday 🍑 hope you’re all loving yourselves 💖💖 #anorexiarecovery #strongnotskinny #booty🍑 #strongereveryday #bodypositive #loveyourself #gainingweightiscool #gym #gymgirl #girlswholift #fitness #fitnessjourney

A post shared by Emelle Lewis (@emellegetswell) on Nov 29, 2017 at 1:05am PST

She continued,

“I refused to comply with treatment and was convinced that everyone was against me, lying to me and trying to ruin my life. I didn’t really feel that weak because my body had adapted to my low weight, however the thing that got me the most was the cold. I was so cold it was painful.”

After her story went viral on the web, Emelle has been happy to talk about her struggle and the motivation needed to get to where she is today. She said,

“Nothing is more powerful than a changed mind… change your mindset and you can change your whole world.”

In an empowering post, Emelle shares herself eating a donut for the first time and celebrating the extra calories.

#recoverywin never have I ever had a #krispykreme donut! So I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to tackle yet another fear and of course I didn’t just have one donut, I had three the new chocolate fudge brownie flavour reeses peanut butter, because peanut butter is life and of course had to try an original glaze ✨ I can see why people rave about these donuts so much, they Taste so damn good so so happy I managed this challenge and broke another one of anorexias stupid rules ❌ #anorexiarecovery #strongnotskinny #strongereveryday #igotthis #determination #winning #eatforlife #bodypositive #girlswholift #gymgirl #fitnessjourney

A post shared by Emelle Lewis (@emellegetswell) on Nov 18, 2017 at 6:35am PST

“The most difficult part of recovery was going against everything I had believed for the past six years. Physically stopping myself from doing things that had become second nature to me through years of suffering with anorexia. I literally had to ignore my own mind.”

Now, she is a professional weight trainer, with a killer body. The differences between her before and after pictures are insane.

I’m thankful for my past struggle. Anorexia stole everything from me and almost succeeded in taking my life. But all those years of suffering taught me some valuable lessons and made me the person I am today. I’m thankful that I experienced such a battle because now I’m stronger than ever. I’m grateful for everyday that I’m alive and I’m learning to love my body for what it is. My goal now is to help and inspire everyone else to love themselves and just love being alive. I know times get really hard sometimes and I know we all have this desire to be “perfect” but I’ve learnt now that life is too short to dwell on things that can’t be changed. Love yourself, love your life, and love being alive #lifeisbeautiful #feelgoodfriday #anorexiarecovery #progressnotperfection #strongnotskinny #bodypositive #transformation #loveyourself #lovelife #gymgirl #girlswholift #determination #igotthis

A post shared by Emelle Lewis (@emellegetswell) on Nov 10, 2017 at 1:10am PST

Anorexia affects nearly eight million people yearly, with one in five anorexia deaths relating to suicide. Emelle’s story is certainly a special one, overcoming mental illness takes serious effort and mental strength.

We’re glad to see she’s happier and healthier than ever! Keep it going, Emelle!