Woman lost 19 STONE… then was so scared she’d put the weight back on she battled an eating disorder before eventually recovering
Lisa Milburn's mum was terrified she would end up dying
A WOMAN who lost 19 STONE but then developed an eating disorder was shocked into changing her lifestyle after her mum told her she was terrified she would die.
Lisa Milburn, 31, tipped the scales at 29st 10lbs at her heaviest. After deciding things needed to change she managed to drop a staggering 19st, but then became so obsessed with staying slim she developed an eating disorder.
“Losing such a large amount of weight felt amazing. I felt truly confident for the first time in my life,” she recalled.
“I loved seeing the number on the scales go down and down each week - so much so that it become an obsession.
“I became so scared of my weight creeping up that I developed ridiculous habits and went too far.
“It wasn’t until my mum told me that if I carried on I would end up dead that the realisation finally set it.
“When I look back at old photographs of me - fat or thin - I just can’t believe it’s me.”
Lisa is 5ft 7in and at one point she weighed a tiny 7st 10lbs.
She weighed herself eight times A DAY to make sure she stayed the same, and by the time she was diagnosed with atypical anorexia she was eating only 300 calories a day.
Lisa had always struggled with her weight and was obese as a teenager, then 29st 7lbs by the time she was 20.
“I ate constantly,” she said.
“Three meals a day just wasn’t enough for me.
“I would eat a burger as a snack followed by a dessert of crisps and chocolate.
“I was huge and wearing clothes sized 32, but for some reason, I wasn’t bothered.
“I took on the role of the fat funny friend, and was never short of attention.”
Then Lisa, from Edinburgh, saw a documentary about a man who weighed half a tonne.
He was bed bound and suffered ill health, and she suddenly realised that could happen to her if she didn’t make some changes.
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She swapped fatty meals for healthy ones, started swimming and joined Scottish Slimmers.
After three years she was 19st lighter, weighing just under 11st.
She decided to have a boob job to help boost her confidence, going from a 32AA to a 32E, plus she had an operation to get rid of excess skin.
Lisa was desperate to keep her new figure, so went to the gym five days a week.
When she moved to Germany to work as an au pair, it became harder to work out regularly so instead Lisa began to skip meals at night.
“The family I was living with ate a lot fattier foods than I was used to and I became terrified of gaining weight,” she said.
“I convinced myself that if I didn’t cut out meals, I would end up fat again.”
That was in September 2009, and by August the following year she’d lost another 2st.
Her mum Judith was horrified by how slim her 9st daughter looked in photos and demanded she came home.
“She told me that if I didn’t come home within the next couple of weeks she would drag me back herself,” Lisa said.
She brushed off the concern, but did move back to the UK. As she was living alone Lisa kept missing meals though, and her weight sank even lower to 8st 7lb.
Her mum eventually made her go to the doctor, which was when she was told she had atypical anorexia. That means she had all the tendencies of someone with anorexia, but her weight was in the normal range.
Nothing changed in Lisa’s mind, she still didn’t put any weight on. Even when she stopped having periods and was diagnosed with a bone condition she didn’t make a change.
“I was so terrified of becoming fat that I completely dismissed anything the psychologist said,” Lisa, who was referred to the specialist, said.
“I didn’t see my weight as being low enough for me to have a real problem, and so I would say all the right things in front of people and but then secretly carried on restricting my diet.”
By October 2011 she was skipping breakfast, having celery for lunch and only 300g of veg for dinner.
She was also walking eight miles a day to burn off the calories.
Admitting she was “obsessed”, Lisa wouldn’t even drink water after 3pm and took up to 30 laxatives a day.
She dropped to 7st 10lb and a size 6, but was hysterical when she found she’d put on 3lb over Christmas 2012.
“I called my mum and just sobbed down the phone to her about how disappointed in myself I was,” she said.
“When I’d finished, she outright told me how ridiculous I was.
“She said if I carried on the way I was going, I would kill myself.”
This proved to be the kick Lisa needed – she realised she had a lot to live for and was horrified by the thought she could die.
She began eating more, exercised only a couple of times a week and now weighs 11st.
Lisa also stopped weighing herself and is now determined never to take her health for granted again.