Gymnast who battled anorexia from the age of TWELVE overcomes illness to work on an avocado farm in Australia
Sophia Jansson, 25, from Stockholm, Sweden, felt pressured to stay slim for her sport
A FORMER anorexic won her fight with the eating disorder so she could jet off to Australia to work on an avocado farm.
Sophia Jansson, 25, from Stockholm, Sweden, started battling the life-threatening illness when she was just 12 years old.
The beautiful blonde, who now lives in Queensland, Australia, was a competitive gymnast and felt the pressure to stay slim for her sport.
After a back injury left her immobile for a month she restricted food to compensate and her weight dramatically dropped.
Sophia was taken out of school and into an eating disorder day care clinic in 2013.
"I wanted to be the best at everything I did. I compared myself to everyone else and I started to cut out certain food from my daily life,” she said.
"I was so stressed and so anxious all the time, constantly thinking about my weight, appearance, training and food.”
Sophia revealed it was never her intention to “lose a lot of weight”.
She added: “I just wanted to eat a bit less so I wouldn't gain any weight while not being able to train.
"But I miscalculated big time, and my weight dropped drastically.
"By the time my back was healed, my body was so weak from the big weight loss, and I couldn't do anything anymore.
"In my mind I believed this was because I was too fat, and I needed to punish myself with not eating."
Over the next few years, Sophia would slowly get better only to crash again and be remitted to the clinic.
She decided to fulfil her dream of moving to Australia but by the end of her first year Down Under her demons had returned with a vengeance.
She spent the next four months in hospital, being watched around the clock.
At her lowest weight, size six clothing hung off her.
She said: "I can honestly say this was both the worst and the best months of my life. It totally changed me.
"It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my whole life. I was screaming and crying, I even escaped a few times.
"I was going insane. I wasn't allowed to move more than absolutely necessary.
"I cheated all the time as my demons were too strong and I couldn't resist following anorexia's voice.”
Sophia, who does not want to disclose her weight in case it affects other sufferers, continued: "I was still in such a bad place at that time, I could not see any positive thing with life which resulted in serious thoughts about ending my life."
With the help of her dedicated team, Sophia decided to give recovery another go - and this time she was determined to learn from her past.
She said: "I followed every single little step my case managers and nutritionist told me to do.
"I put myself on autopilot for a while. Both my physical and mental health improved and I decided to go visit my best friend in America.
"I came back to the clinic with so much more energy and for the first time, I was determined to get better. My case manager and I still talk about that trip as my fresh start.
"Summer 2014 will always be the summer I remember as my first ever truly happy summer."
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To round off her recovery she moved back to Australia and began working on an avocado farm.
“I came to Australia for the surf and the lifestyle and decided to do the farming so I can get my second year visa,” she said.
“The work is exhausting. I've been so busy out on the farm, every single day, but it’s a beautiful place to work – very calm and healing.
“The work on the farm has meant a lot to me. I wanted to show and myself that you can recover from anorexia and live life exactly like you want.
"Someone once called me weak, and it was at that point I decided to work my hardest to become the opposite. The physically demanding work at the farm is the perfect way to show everyone that I did it.”
Sophia has shared her story in the hope it will inspire others to beat their demons.
"I am now living my life to 110 percent, doing everything I have ever wanted,” she said.
"I will never let anorexia control me or my life again."