MAFS' Sara Mesa reveals heartbreaking personal struggle: 'Couldn't stop'

Trigger warning: This article contains content around disordered eating that some readers may find confronting

Married At First Sight’s Sara Mesa has hit back at claims that she is “setting an awful example for women everywhere” by posting about her eating habits and revealed her history with eating disorders. The 29-year-old nutrition and fitness coach received backlash earlier this week after she shared photos eating pastries and drinking wine - which one follower deemed “unhealthy”.

Taking to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Sara admitted it’s taken her years to get to where she is today in terms of both her physical and mental health. She explained that “back in the day” she was in a restrictive mindset, was obsessive with counting calories, and would be constantly dieting to get a ‘better physique’.

“I was always trying to improve and look a certain way and I had extreme body dysmorphia,” she shared. “I did not think that I looked at the way that I looked, I would look at myself in the mirror and think, ‘Oh my god, I'm so fat, oh my god, this could be better, what can I do to improve this?’. I was never, ever content with the way that I looked.”

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Sara went on to say that her physique became her identity and she restricted her eating and drinking habits so much that she became “a shell of [herself]”.

“What ended up happening was I was so lean, I had so much muscle, I had very little body fat, and I ended up going through such a stressful time in my life,” she detailed. “I ended up losing my hair, having extreme hormonal acne, and going through a depressive state. Not only that, but what ended up happening was I started binge eating and I was self-sabotaging because I didn't feel that I looked the way that I looked.

“I couldn't stop eating and I ended up gaining 10kgs. So I went from one extreme to the other because of all of those years of restricting and stopping myself from doing the things that I love and eating the things that I love.”

Sara slams 'damaging' health industry

Sara then told her followers that she’s proud she’s gotten to a place in her life where she is content with her body and the way she lives her life.

“I've been the extreme and I’ve been the other way as well and now I have found my happy medium,” she remarked. “It is a hard thing to do, but I am so glad that I can show women everywhere that you shouldn't fear those foods.”

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Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle, Sara said she believes it’s important to speak out about her history with body dysmorphia because “social media can make it look like people have it all together”.

“As a nutrition and fitness coach, I know what it's like to feel the weight of society and ‘health norms’ weigh in on you and make you think you need to look a certain way or restrict a certain food,” she shared.

“Just like every woman out there, I have struggled with my health, fitness and weight and it wasn't always easy. And comments like that about someone's body or what they eat should never be made. Women shouldn't fear food. That's what's wrong with the health industry these days. It's so damaging and we as women need to do better, always supporting and never bringing each other down.”

For confidential support about disordered eating and body image issues you can call the free Butterfly Foundation National Hotline Support for Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues | Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673.

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