Growing up, Gary Grahl was a popular kid. He had an active social life, excelled athletically and academically and was often asked out on dates. But he began to feel pressure to live up to other people's expectations, and that pressure eventually expressed itself as a full-blown eating disorder.
"I was afraid to gain weight,' he said, 'even though it was necessary to look like [famous movie stars and athletes]. So I started to lose weight when exercising and it got to be an addiction. I liked the control of losing weight.' He said therapy eventually forced him to recognize his three biggest fears: fear of growing up, fear of failure and a fear of his own emotions."
It took 17 years, but Grahl overcame his eating disorder. Now, he's published a book titled "Skinny Boy" that chronicles his battle with anorexia. Grahl is also a consultant for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders and a guidance counselor at Sturgeon Bay High School where he speaks to the kids about nutrition and healthy living.
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Labels: awareness, manorexia, pressures