Warning: Some people may find images or issues raised in this story upsetting.
A woman has overcome her battle against anorexia after admitting she once went two years eating nothing but lettuce, tomatoes, and apples.
Mai Kerivel, a 25-year-old French teacher who currently lives Ho Chi Minh City, had starved herself to just 73 pounds, leaving her looking so weak that she was denied work.
"I ate no protein and drank a lot of water. My diet was very extreme," Mai said.
Standing at 5-foot-4-inches inches tall, Mai's insufficient eating habits left her weak and emaciated.
"On an average day, I’d eat some lettuce, maybe some tomatoes and apples. I was weighing everything. I weighed my lettuce and tomatoes," she revealed.
"I was even freaked out about eating tomatoes because of the sugar."
Mai believes that her eating disorder may have been triggered when her family moved to Vietnam from France when she was 17.
"In Vietnam girls are pretty skinny. It’s just in their genes," Mai said, adding: "I was feeling really fat compared to everyone.
"When you’re 17 years old it’s really easy to get into the mindset of wanting to be skinnier and skinnier. But when I got there I was already skinny. I was around 95 pounds."
It was at this point in her life that Mai started to dramatically reduce her food intake.
"In less than six months I lost 22 pounds but I still saw myself as fat compared to everyone else," she said.
However, in 2014, Mai left Vietnam to spend a year living in Melbourne, Australia - a decision that changed her views on body image dramatically.
"In Australia, people aren’t so naturally skinny," she said, adding: "That’s when I realized I was not at a healthy weight.
"I couldn’t find a job because no one would hire me because of my weight. I was applying in coffee shops and bakeries and restaurants.
"They’d tell me I looked too weak for the job or that I should come back when I gain some weight.
"I don’t blame them. I looked sick."
According to The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), eating disorders affect at least 9% of the population worldwide, and are the direct result of 10,200 deaths every year.
The non-profit also explains that anorexia - or Anorexia Nervosa - is when an individual suffers from a significantly low body weight, caused by a lack of calories.
Individuals struggling with anorexia may also show an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat.
The ANAD adds that while suffering from anorexia, a person may have a hard time recognizing the serious health implications of their current weight.
Fortunately for Mai, after being turned away from any form of employment, she realized it was time to overhaul her diet and lifestyle, and get healthy.
Six months later, her attitude toward food and her weight had changed dramatically.
"I started eating normally again when I was in Australia," she said. Adding: "Anorexic girls, when we start to eat again, we will gain a lot of weight.
"I gained weight quickly and in about eight months I weighed around 120 pounds.
"The weight all went to my face and my belly. The weight doesn’t go where you want it to of course.
"In order to combat this, I started boxing classes and I lost five pounds of fat very quickly."
Over the last three years, Mai has maintained a healthy weight and remained active by going to the gym almost every day - combining both weight-training and cardio.
Mai showcases her newfound strength:She said: "I eat more than my friends and I go to the gym more than most of them.
"I don’t eat meat, but for breakfast, I’ll eat egg whites and sweet potatoes. For lunch it’ll be something like pho and dinner will usually be stir fry veggies."
Nevertheless, despite her recovery, Mai is still dealing with health issues associated to her anorexia. As she explains:
"When you’re very skinny, you destroy your metabolism. Your metabolism won’t come back to normal even if you get healthy. It’s very easy for me to gain weight.
"My hair doesn’t look the same as it did before because it was falling out when I was anorexic.
"Menstruation also stops when you’re anorexic. It comes back, but It’d be very hard for me to get pregnant. I didn’t menstruate for three years."
However, she now finally feels like she has won her battle against her eating disorder. Revealing that she has found love - something that she never thought was possible when she was anorexic.
"When I was very skinny my dating life was zero,” she said. "I didn’t date anyone at all when I was anorexic. Now I have a boyfriend.
"We’ve been together since I recovered. He’s a personal trainer so it’s very convenient."
After her own personal victory, Mai's advice to anyone suffering from anorexia is: "No one is perfect and being skinny isn’t something that will make you perfect.
"They should detach themselves from how people see them. They should stop living for people’s opinions and stop controlling themselves.
"Also, eating one real meal won’t make you obese. Recovery is all about taking small steps every day."
Inspiring words from Mai. We wish her all the best in her future.
