Why this fitness blogger will 'never go back' to having abs

Sally O’Neil is a blogger from the United Kingdom who moved to Sydney, Australia six years ago. O’Neil was inspired by Sydney’s beautiful weather (and proximity to great beaches) to live a more fit and active lifestyle — which is why she started her blog, The Fit Foodie.

However, the blogger recently admitted she may have taken the fitness lifestyle a little too seriously.

“I’ve got a secret. In fact, I’ve got a few, but this one seems the most controversial given the career I’ve created for myself,” wrote O’Neil on her blog. “I’m The Fit Foodie. I’m supposed to be incredibly fit, and eat all the right things, all of the time. Here’s the thing though…I did that for a while, and got incredibly sick… in this world of beautiful imagery, impossibly pretty models and Photoshop, I fell victim to social media envy.

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“More specifically, envious of girls with perfect six-packs who demonstrated a level dedication to their exercise and diet that to date, I had simply not been able to reach,” she continued.

She admitted that before long, her social media feed consumed her, and she began devoting her previously balanced lifestyle to getting an Instagram-worthy stomach. She attributes her addiction to an online community of fitness inspiration, where she’d spend hours looking through the more than 53 million posts of strangers dedicated to the same goals as her.

“In usual #fitspo style, their photos spurred me into believing that I could do it too, that I could absolutely have a washboard stomach. I was motivated by their words and selfies, and embarked on a gruelling program of exercise and dietary restriction,” wrote O’Neil. “I thought I was doing all the right things. Working out as often as possible — two hours per day, most days, with at least one hour of that as intense cardio. I was constantly strapped into my heart rate monitor checking to see if I had burnt more than the day before.”

Her extreme diet and exercise routine resulted in O’Neil losing 13 pounds in three months. Motivated by compliments from friends, family and the online community, she continued her intense lifestyle — and that’s when her health issues began.

“I spent so much time on the cross-trainer that I wore away the fat pad behind my knees, but still, I had abs. That’s all I cared about,” she wrote. “At 43 kilos [95 pounds], drained of all energy and struggling to rationalize eating anything more than salad, my periods stopped completely.”

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After realizing she had become obsessed with her new lifestyle, O’Neil finally decided to see a doctor, who told her to start eating more and stop exercising excessively.

A different doctor diagnosed her with orthorexia — an addiction to exercise and clean eating. The disorder can start innocently enough, with people simply cutting out artificial flavours and sugars, but can grow to a dangerous point quickly.

While O’Neil still exercises regularly, she has drastically cut her fitness routine and food planning back and lives a more balanced lifestyle. After 12 months of therapy, she says she’s starting to feel like herself again.

Despite continuing to commit to a healthy lifestyle, the fitness blogger no longer has rock-hard abs, and while she admits she’s a little sad over it, she’s proud of the progress she has made in changing her mindset.

“I still want to think I’m chiseled and strong. But I’m no longer prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to get there. I made a choice to have a healthy mind, and the body that comes along with that – whatever that looks like.”

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