Tiffany Mulligan, 19 credits her boyfriend Seth Altimus, 21, for helping her on the road to recovery from anorexia. Photo: Instagram@here2happiness
A teen who battled anorexia for five years is now on the road to recovery - thanks to her high school sweetheart.
For Tiffany Mulligan, 19, who developed the serious eating disorder in 2010, came to a turning point came when she realised her boyfriend of seven years, Seth Altimus, 21, could be forced to watch her die.
After suffering from depression, Tiffany began reducing her food intake –eating fewer than 1,000 calories per day. Exercising daily for two hours, the young woman reached a BMI of 14.4, weighing just 38kg (84lbs).
Tiffany told the Daily Mail that she also drank soft drinks to stop her from fainting during her workouts.
"Because I had so little energy I found that I couldn't even open doors or shut windows," she said, adding that her body looked "starved".
Tiffany described, that because of her protruding bones, it hurt to sit – preventing her from staying in the same position for too long.
"People were surprised at how thin I was, my bones stuck out a lot and my clothes didn't fit me - they would hang off me," she says.
When it came to her relationship with her boyfriend, the young woman, who is now studying medicine, says she constantly put her eating disorder first. Last year, Tiffany realised she needed to beat her illness so that the couple could have a healthy relationship.
"I was terrified that if I didn't recover, my boyfriend would have to witness my premature death, which I couldn't do," she says.
While recovery hasn't been easy, Seth, she says, has been there every step of the way. The 20-year-old eats meals with her, packs lunches when the pair goes out and constantly tells Tiffany how proud he is of her progress.
"He would always hold me during the night when I would break down and cry from feeling sick or overwhelmed.
"And even kept ice cream at his house just for me because it was something easy for me to eat that wouldn't make me sick."
This month, Tiffany reached a healthy weight. Despite the milestone however, the teen admits it's still tough.
"Every time I gain weight I have to remind myself that I need to do this and that no one wants me to lose weight.
"I have a boyfriend and a family who love me, and I won't let myself do it to them again."
The young woman has been sharing her journey on Instagram, where she posts pictures of her meals. She's hopeful the pictures will help others recover, too.
"Don't be ashamed to say it. You are badass every time you disobey your eating disorder."
A photo posted by Tiffany Mulligan (@heres2happiness) on
"The greatest feeling in recovery is when you get to the point where you don't have to plan your meals or where you eat because you are able to eat anything, anytime, anywhere."
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