Anorexia survivor overcomes crippling eating disorder after Instagram photo of healthy woman saves her life

A YOUNG anorexic who used to lie about her health by hiding weights in her underwear, believes that Instagram saved her life.

Silvia Fascians, 22, whose battle with the life-threatening eating disorder began at 18, used to make herself sick five times a day in a bid to counteract her binge-eating.

As a young teen Silvia was healthy, enjoying playing professional basketball team with her friends.

Sadly, her obsession with her body image led to her weight spiralling out of control and her losing many of her close friends.

Silvia, from Padua, Italy, remembered: "From the moment I left the changing rooms, my teammates, who had been like my siblings, never considered me again.

"That made me feel abandoned and worthless.

"Thoughts about restricting food began to take advantage of me.”

The teen’s unhealthy relationship with food worsened after her granddad tragically passed away.

She explained: “I felt abandoned and lonely.

"Then I fell into what I call my darkest nightmare.

"I was feeling really lonely, I was pushing everyone away. I had many suicidal thoughts, I began binge eating and became bulimic.”

Constantly restricting her food portions and skipping meals caused Silvia’s weight to plummet to seven stone, leaving her with a worrying BMI of just 14.1.

Concerned by her dramatic weight loss, Silvia’s family intervened and made her stand on the weighing scales.

Determined to hide her condition, she hid weights in her underwear in order to bump up the reading on the scale.

If matters couldn’t get any worse, Silvia’s grandma passed away shortly after.

She recalled: "I moved back to Italy. I had nothing to do all day - I just spent it eating and puking my feelings away, even up to five times a day.

"Food was all that occupied my mind. I couldn't think about anything else.”

It wasn’t until Silvia stumbled across a picture of a fit-looking woman on Instagram that she was spurred on to change her life.

She confessed: "Something clicked and I began to think that I could be that girl too.”

Even though doctors advised her against rigorous exercise, Silvia began weight training with her brother.

She said: “My brother trusted me and took me with him to the gym, straight to the weight lifting area.

"He was there since the beginning, always next to me helping me and protecting me from bad glares I could get.

"Just thinking about it now makes me tear up. I owe my life to him and his trust in me."

After a couple of years of her new regime, Silvia has managed to put on two stone and is set to start her MSc in Food Marketing and Business strategy in September.

Sharing her tips on her Instagram account, building_muscles, inspirational Silvia has racked up 156,000 followers.

She revealed: "It's funny to think how a few years ago food was my nightmare and now it is my main source of joy.

"I want to keep motivating, sharing my past and present life with people."