Woman spent years chasing 'perfect body' but later discovered dark reality

Woman spent years chasing 'perfect body' but later discovered dark reality Alix Lynx, 37, who has over one million Instagram followers, has spoken candidly about the fact that she spent years chasing the "perfect body". Later down the line, she discovered the dark reality As much as many people like to think it exists, there is no such thing as a "perfect body". One woman knows this all too well, but it took her time to understand. Alix Lynx, 37, has spoken frankly about the dangerous reality of striving to look "perfect" online, and she has a vital message to share about body image based on her experiences. She has been very honest about her journey, and how life experience has led to altering her views, and she shared just how much she's overcome in recent years. Alix, who commands over one million followers on Instagram, admitted she once wanted to be "as skinny as possible" as she strived to "look good from every angle". Yet, there came a point when her ambitions grew so all-consuming that they began to take a serious toll on her health. Reflecting on why she wanted a six-pack, Alix, from New York, said: "It was a couple of things. The first was that I felt this need to look perfect. "I've always been a very all-in or nothing type of person. I felt like, if I was going to spend all this time at the gym and go all in on this career, I wanted to make myself as perfect as possible, which was insane. "Honestly, I also had body dysmorphia, and I would get very, very finicky looking at myself. When I started at 25, I put a lot of pressure on myself to look a certain way. "I would see photos of myself and get really hypercritical. I'd think, 'Oh my God, I look really fat. I'll fix this. I'll fix that'. I felt like being really skinny took away a lot of the criticism I was giving myself. "Also, the camera really does add 10 pounds. I don't know what it is, but it does. In real life, I was so skinny but, if you look at the old photos of me, I was skinny, but I looked fit. "I don't think I looked like a toothpick. When I look at those photos now, though, I know myself and I know my body, and I can just tell I was not healthy." In her pursuit of that appearance, Alix would push through 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training six days a week, while also lifting weights three or four days a week. On top of that, she followed an incredibly strict diet. She scrutinised every gram of sugar, every carbohydrate and every macronutrient she put into her body. Looking back, she acknowledged it was a "very unhealthy" way to live, and it led to significant weight loss. It was only when Alix's periods stopped that she realised something wasn't right, as it became apparent that all these changes were seriously affecting her wellbeing. When asked whether she was concerned at the time, she said: "Yes and no. For a minute, I thought maybe it was problematic, but I was young and I was kind of like, 'whatever, I'll just let it ride for a little bit', and a little bit turned into a year. "It's insanity to me now because I can't even picture myself being in that position at this point in my life. I could never do that now, but back then I was just like 'whatever. It stopped. Oh well. I'm skinny, I'm hot, it's ok.' "Eventually, I realised it was because I wasn't eating enough. It wasn't even really the workouts. They were consistent, but they weren't anything crazy. I literally was not eating enough, and my body stopped giving me a period." In time, she came to recognise that her behaviour was far from healthy. Looking back, she believes there were underlying reasons why things began to spiral. "It made me feel like I had some semblance of control over one part of my life," she added. "It's interesting thinking about it now after all the therapy, life experience and self-work I've done. "I look back and realise I was at such a transitional point in my life. I started doing this when I was around 24 and continued for about three years. "It made me feel super disciplined and super in control, and honestly, it made me feel confident. I'm not going to lie. I never looked at myself and thought 'oh my God, I look too skinny'. Not until years later. "At the time, I was like, 'I'm awesome because I look this way', which is crazy to think about now." Thankfully, she has now come through the other side, adding: "I really like my body now. I've learned to love myself the way I am." Do periods really stop when you lose too much weight? They could. Periods can cease or become extremely light following substantial weight loss, restrictive eating patterns or excessive physical activity. This condition is commonly referred to as hypothalamic amenorrhea. This is not a positive sign, as it may suggest that your body is experiencing physical strain. If you have any concerns about your period or wellbeing, please get in touch with your GP for guidance. The NHS also provides advice on what constitutes a healthy diet.