For Becka Gill, crying in the shower while staring down at her 269-pound body became all too familiar. But now she gleams with pride at her new physique after dropping over 100 pounds.
“I wasn’t conscious of my eating habits until a few years ago when I realized something is wrong with me. It’s hard because people think you are just overeating but it is a mental illness. I would subconsciously eat until I felt very ill,” she told Newsweek.
In September 2020, Gill was diagnosed with a binge eating disorder after a lifetime of eating copious amounts of food in one sitting.
Looking back, the 32-year-old describes her poor relationship with food as “quite scary and daunting” as she recalls hiding wrappers from her parents from a young age. She continued these negative habits after moving out and living alone as an adult.
Gill documented her weight loss journey by taking photos and videos of herself in the same place daily. On the left, Gill can be seen at her heaviest weighing 269 pounds. The right is a…
Gill documented her weight loss journey by taking photos and videos of herself in the same place daily. On the left, Gill can be seen at her heaviest weighing 269 pounds. The right is a recent photo and Gill weighs 167 pounds.
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Becka Gill/Instagram/@beckalosesit
“I would raid the fridge and cupboards, I couldn’t have much food in the house because I knew I would binge until I felt sick,” she told Newsweek. “I didn’t have any control, I seemed to be in my own little world at that moment, I would just eat whatever I could get my hands on at the time.”
What Is a Binge Eating Disorder?
Newsweek reached out to Dr. Steven Batash to find out more about the disorder that affects 2.8 percent of American adults during their lifetime, according to a Biological Psychiatry journal.
“Binge eating disorder, or BED, is a serious, potentially life-threatening, eating disorder. It’s identified as recurring periods of time where a person experiences a sense of compulsive eating and loss of control and eats large portions of food in one sitting,” said Batash, the leading physician at the Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center in New York.
He added: “They feel as if they are unable to stop and often deal with shame and guilt after binge eating.”
Gill explained the “littlest thing” could set her off and lead to a binge, and she was often triggered by anxiety. She told Newsweek her life turned into a vicious cycle of excess eating followed by restrictive days where she would starve herself as a punishment.
She describes her mental health as “extremely low” and her social life was non-existent as a result of her weight.
“Eating disorders are mental illnesses; everyone has their troubles, and sometimes it affects us in different ways.
“My weight made me depressed. I couldn’t even touch my own body. I would stand in the shower and just sob,” she told Newsweek.
Gill can be seen wearing baggy clothing in a bid to hide her size 18 frame.
Gill can be seen wearing baggy clothing in a bid to hide her size 18 frame.
Becka Gill/Instagram/@beckalosesit
Gill explained she reached breaking point and desperately wanted to improve her quality of life. To do this, she reached out to a doctor and worked with a therapist for 18 months.
“I had a private therapist to help rebuild a healthier relationship around food and my own body. I had to do that before even considering to lose weight.
“It took a lot of work and unpinning bad habits while trying to find different strategies and healthier routines.
“I had to learn how to look at food as fuel rather than anything else.
“I had to stop demonizing food and working on interval eating and listening to my body when it’s hungry, rather than eating for the sake of eating.
“I also had to start appreciating myself as a human and not look at myself so negatively,” she said.
In July 2022, Gill, from Cheshire, U.K. went under the knife in Turkey for gastric sleeve surgery. The keyhole surgery has helped her achieve her dream body and she now weighs 167 pounds.
Gill can be seen lying in the hospital bed after weight loss surgery and standing in the mirror. The surgeon made four small incisions in her stomach to remove most of it.
Gill can be seen lying in the hospital bed after weight loss surgery and standing in the mirror. The surgeon made four small incisions in her stomach to remove most of it.
Becka Gill/Instagram/@beckalosesit
“Some people say that surgery is the easy way out but no one realizes the mental battle that we deal with.
“For me, surgery was the last resort as I have tried every fad diet in the book and I didn’t feel comfortable in my own body,” she told Newsweek.
Gill has documented her weight-loss journey online, and shared a clip to TikTok on October 26 that racked up 1.7 million views.
Captioned: “It’s safe to say the jeans don’t fit anymore!!” it shows Gill measuring her non-scale victories by trying on a pair of size 18 jeans frequently.
One week after the surgery, the jeans could barely fit over her bottom, but as the weeks and months pass her waist becomes smaller and the jeans become bigger and bigger. By 14 months, Gill must hold onto them to stop them from falling to the ground.
Two recent photos of Gill who is happier and healthier. She has now regained her confidence and loves nothing more than shopping for new clothes.
Two recent photos of Gill who is happier and healthier. She has now regained her confidence and loves nothing more than shopping for new clothes.
Becka Gill/Instagram/@beckalosesit
A slow and steady approach to losing weight is said to be the most effective, according to the CDC. People who lose one to two pounds per week are more likely to keep the weight off.
Gill told Newsweek: “I feel like I have been given a new lease of life, I am at a place where I am happy, I feel like I am the real me now.
“I am not putting on a façade and I don’t need to act anymore, I feel like my true authentic self now.
“I am the person I have always wanted to be, I was hidden under a barrier of mental health problem.
“I am enjoying life again, I go out and have fun. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, not the weight I want to be but wouldn’t be mad if I didn’t lose any more weight.
“It has changed my life for the better, I am a better version of myself.”
Is there a health issue that’s worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
