She wanted a reset — a cleaner body, a clearer mind, a life she could finally feel proud of. At 27, she was convinced that discipline was the missing ingredient, that if she could just control what she ate, everything else would fall into place. What no one realized was how quickly that pursuit would tighten around her like a noose, turning a simple diet into the last chapter of her life.
In the beginning, it looked harmless. She talked about wanting more energy, less anxiety, a body she didn’t feel ashamed of. Social media had fed her endless promises: glow from within, heal your mind through restriction, reach your “true self” by cutting out everything that wasn’t “pure.” Influencers showed before-and-after photos that seemed to prove it worked. She believed them. Why wouldn’t she? They looked happy. They looked transformed. She wanted that too.
So she began trimming her meals. First, she cut sugar. Then dairy. Then carbs. Then anything processed. What started as a “clean eating challenge” morphed into an obsession she called discipline. She told her friends she’d never felt more in control. She said this with dark circles under her eyes and fingers that trembled when she held her phone. She brushed it off as detox — the body “releasing toxins,” as the blogs had claimed. No one pushed her. She sounded confident, determined, even proud. People praised her shrinking waistline. Compliments flowed faster than caution.
Encouragement drowned out the warning signs.
By month two, she had reduced her diet to a handful of foods she believed were safe. Bowls of steamed vegetables, a few nuts carefully counted, lemon water she swore was “resetting her system.” She was constantly cold, wrapping herself in blankets even when the heater hummed in the background. Her once lively laugh softened into a quiet, brittle version of itself. She started avoiding dinners with friends because “restaurants weren’t clean enough.” She skipped birthdays, brunches, nights out — anything involving food.Food Delivery Service
