How it came to this

Wanted to share my story, but preface that I am a 41 year old Male, so have a large amount of life experience.

I have been affected by anorexia for a number of years, as well as body dysmorphia, excessive exercise and have hurt my body in a way that I wouldn’t want for anyone.

I remember a few years ago quite vividly that I wanted to be a part of the “fitness” industry and really transform the way I lived and looked. This involved eating a specific way and training very methodically – daily. What eventuated was not a hobby or a “lifestyle”, as those on Social Media would claim, but an obsession. What happened from there was a 5 year battle with image, extreme exercise and a very unhealthy view of food and nutrition.

In 2017 I decided I wanted to “compete” as a Bodybuilder and did so in April. During that time, I started to dramatically restrict calories, nutrients and increased exercise. I would often train multiple times a day in a gym, plus perform hours of cardio – all for that elusive “appearance” for the bodybuilding stage. What resulted was an very malnourished body, a brain that just wouldn’t function and hormones that effectively stopped.

Following my competition, I didn’t come out of the “dieting phase” and kept the restrictive diet going – even further. As I wasn’t eating anywhere near enough to sustain a certain physique, my body started eating away at all the muscle I had and even began to start eating away at my liver. Thankfully, I managed to identify I needed help and reached out to Butterfly as well as a team here in Adelaide (SEDS) to get some help. I ended up in hospital late 2017 as in-patient as I was extremely medically unstable and am now on the path to recovery.

I’m not saying it’s easy – far from it as the psychological aspect is tough – tougher than anything I have ever experienced. But – the ability to get at least some of my life back now is motivating and with the guidance and assistance of Butterfly and SEDS – I will get there.