A woman struggling with binge eating disorder has taken to her YouTube channel to share her struggle and reveal that overweight people can have eating disorders too.
Samantha Schreiber, 20, from Wisconsin, explained that although she had a really good childhood, she was always the ‘heavier friend’.
However, a break-up in her sophomore year of high school triggered a dependency on comfort eating that Samantha hasn’t been able to shake since.
Struggle: Vlogger Samantha Schreiber, 20, from Wisconsin, has revealed her struggle with binge eating on her YouTube channel
Heartbreak: The college student revealed that a bad break-up triggered a period of comfort eating that led to her binge eating disorder
Active: Samantha shared that she when she stopped playing sport towards the end of high school she gained a ‘ton’ more of weight
‘It just broke me, it was so sudden,’ she told the camera. ‘It knocked me off my high horse. That summer I got super depressed and I gained even more weight’.
Explaining that because she was going into her junior year of high school and was still doing track and volley ball, she didn’t gain any weight and maintained her weight gain.
But in her senior year, Samantha stopped doing sport and said she gained a ‘ton’ of weight.
‘All I could do was think about was food. I’d wake up and be like ok breakfast. Then as soon as I was done eating breakfast, all I could think about was what am I going to having for lunch, what am I going to have for dinner. What am I having for a snack,’ she explained.
She added: ‘I knew it wasn’t healthy so I wouldn’t eat and then would binge out hard core, 5000 calories. And if you were to ask me right after a binge what I ate, I couldn’t tell you.’
She also explained that binge eating disorder is like bulimia but without the throwing up or purging, so she continued to gain weight.
It was at this point, that Samantha reached out to an Instagram trainer named Bailey Ducommun for advice and guidance.
Bailey put Samantha on a meal plan and she successfully lost between 35-40 pounds.
However when she went on an all-inclusive cruise with her family, she went ‘a little nuts’, gained around five pounds and triggered her past binging behavior.
‘I thought I had cured by BED,’ she admitted. ‘But I could not get it back and by the time school came around this fall, I had gained all of it back’.
She also revealed that she had gained another 30 pounds on top of what she gained back.
Motivated: Samantha started a weight loss program in April 2017 (left) and successfully lost nearly 20 pounds in two week, pictured left
Set back: Although she lost 35-40 pounds with the help of trainer Bailey Ducommun, pictured, by September 2017, Samantha put all the weight back on after an all-inclusive family cruise
Self-esteem issues: Now in her freshman year of college, Samantha shared that she doesn’t want to get out of bed most days and would prefer to stay indoors watching movies
Inspiration: Samantha is hoping to inspire others to share their struggle with binge eating so they can help each other recover
Now in her first year of college, Samantha shared that she really wants to try and lose weight but is struggling with her self-esteem and cannot find the motivation to make a change.
‘I don’t care for myself. I barely put make-up on, I have no self-confidence even though it looks like I do. I would rather stay in bed and watch movies so no one has to see me and I don’t have to go anywhere, and no one can make fun of me,’ she disclosed.
‘Even if people don’t make fun of me out loud, I know that when I walk by them, they’re making fun of me in their head.’
And she also revealed that she feels sad that life is passing her by and that her eating disorder has prevented her from enjoying her life and her youth.
‘Everyone always says it’s as simple as “eat healthy and workout” and it’s not. There’s something wrong with me.
‘I’ve shoved myself into a hole so deep I don’t know how to get myself out of it.’
However, Samantha is hopeful that her honesty will help her recovery and will also strike a cord with others struggling with body issues and binge eating disorder.
‘I think a lot of things can be prevented if you start with loving yourself. If I had to chose to love myself when I went through that break-up I’d never be in this situation,’ she concluded.