Student whose anorexia left her weighing a tiny five stone and hours from death is now a power lifting gym bunny
Emma Hynard, 20, was first diagnosed with anorexia when she was just 14 years old
A STUDENT who was just hours from death after her weight dropped to a tiny FIVE STONE is now a super fit gym bunny.
Emma Hynard, 20, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was first diagnosed with anorexia when she was just 14 years old.
But Emma decided to do fight back after being told by doctors that her organs were beginning to fail and she could soon die.
After upping her calorie intake, brave Emma managed to gain over three stone and is now a healthy size 8 and studying sports and exercise at university.
Emma has shared her ordeal and transformation online and hopes she can help others battling eating disorders.
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Emma said: "I started dieting at 14 years old but it all spiralled out of control very quickly.
"I had spent five months in hospital when I overheard doctors saying I was at high risk of imminent death.
"I was on a feeding tube as my body was so weak that I could barely do anything for myself.
"My heart, liver and kidneys were failing and with every bone in my body visible, I suddenly realised I was running out of time and needed to start eating.
"I had battled anorexia for four years before I finally managed to beat it once and for all.
"I have been in recovery for 18 months now and I know I'll never hit rock bottom again.
"I go to the gym and lift weights instead of focusing solely on cardio and shedding the weight."
Emma spent a year in hospital during her battle with anorexia - and despite being just five stone, she still felt she was overweight.
She added: "Looking back at photos now is crazy, I didn't feel that I was that thin at the time.
"I was so fixated by not eating and losing weight that I hadn't even acknowledged how fragile I'd become.
"I was terrified when doctors began discussing how close to death I was, my organs weren't working properly as I'd starved my body for such a long time.
"I'd go days without eating a single thing and although I couldn't explain why, I was scared of eating and it made me anxious."
Emma, who is 5ft 5, had never been overweight as a child, but when she hit her mid-teens she began to feel body conscious.
She added: "I started dieting and it all went from there, and once I decided to try and recover, I needed to eat twice as much food to repair my body.
"But unlike when I had relapsed previously, this time I wanted to get fit and healthy.
"As soon as I was well enough, I began going to the gym and building muscle.
"I now power-lift and focus on strength when in the gym rather than weightloss.
"Another factor in my recovery was going on a medical trial in London which aims to help people battling anorexia by using magnetic brain stimulation in an attempt to change habits.
"This really helped me."
It has taken the sporty student 18 months to overcome her eating disorder, but now she finally feels back to normal.
Emma said: "I can never imagine having that mind-set again, I'm 100 per cent sure I won't relapse again.
"I'm really happy with my life now and I hope to become a personal trainer someday too.
"I decided to create a blog, called Finding Emma, to update everyone easily as I was always being asked questions.
"But I quickly decided to make it public so I could raise awareness for anorexia and how I beat the disease.
"I've had lots of lovely messages from people who have been through something similar.
"It's amazing being able to help inspire others to recover and seek the help they desperately need.
"I know I have been exceptionally lucky to have come back from being so unwell and that's why it's so important to spread the word."
Earlier this week, we told how a former anorexic written off as a ‘lost cause’ by doctors went on to become a super-fit MMA enthusiast.