Forget the before-and-after weight loss pics that often flood our Instagram accounts—this woman is determined to promote a healthy body image on the social media site.
20-year-old Amalie Lee is documenting her recovery from anorexia via her account @amalielee, sharing pics of herself wearing everything from a bikini to casual jeans and a t-shirt while posting inspirational messages and candidly sharing her weight gain story.
Amalie began struggling with her eating disorder in 2012 and later sought treatment at an outpatient center
"I went through a depressive phase in my mid-teens, and my perception of myself hit an all-time low," the blond beauty shares. "I just wanted to disappear. My eating disorder was never about looking like a model, it was a way to cope. I made bizarre rules for myself about what I allowed myself to eat, when, where — even what spoon to use. These rules made me feel safe and in control. But I had lost control, and the obsessive need for control controlled me in every way."
Amalie details her recovery down to her estimated calorie intake and says she had to learn how to take control of her own life.
"My weight gain process," she wrote of the above pic. "Half a year between top left and down right. Reposting this to remind those of you that are in recovery that YES, the uneven weight gain WILL even out...The recipe? Eat 2500-35000 calories (+/-) and don't exercise. When you are recoverd and feel ready, eat after hunger-they will gradually return and you will eventually learn to recognize them."
As for how she found recovery?
"By realizing that I am the boss of my own life. it might sound harsh, but if I'd spend the rest of my life in the depths of anorexia that would be because of ME. Getting an eating disorder is not a choice, but recovery is," she explains. "Yes, it is hard as hell, I felt like giving up so many times but those feelings are not a reason to quit. Never tell yourself you can't, never start seeing yourself as a fragile victim that is meant to be miserable."
The blond stunner also posts pics of her weight gain and boasts about the new found strength her body has.
"I am damn proud of the physical change as you can see, and I enjoy showing you my progress. But always remember that healthy is not a look, and neither is recovery."
And she encourages her followers to ignore society's perceived body ideals.
"For some, recovery may mean letting go of a body seen as 'fit' and ideal by society, and instead embrace a higher body fat percentage. A woman might get praised for her six back, when she is in fact eating 1000 calories a day to maintain a body fat percentage so low that she does not even have her period. Social media rationalize eating disorders at times. It is not healthy to be ripped for fat. It is not healthy to eat restrictive. It is not healthy to obsess over weight or food."
While Amalie has not revealed her past nor her current weight, she says that "recovery was worth every tear."
We bet it was also worth it for all the people she's inspired. Props to Amalie for providing such a positive message on social media.