Sara Bradley Heals from Disordered Eating, Body Dysmorphia, and SIBO

Sara Bradley

Age: 23

Location: Western Massachusetts

My story started all the way back in elementary school. I remember being in the cafeteria and this cute boy coming up to me. He asked my to be his girlfriend, and I said, “yes!” Of course, reflecting on this now, we had no idea what that meant. However, at the time I was so happy he liked me. Not long after that, he ended up breaking up with me. That wasn’t what hurt me, but what did is knowing that he was actually dared to ask me out. This is when I started to think that something was wrong with me. Is it my face? Is it my hair? Is it my body? I wasn’t sure until middle school.

I was at my best friend’s house and I was talking about this boy I liked. As you can tell, I definitely have a thing for boys…lol. Anyways, I was nervous about telling the boy I liked him and so on. My best friend’s brother came in and said, “Maybe he won’t like you because of your oversized belly button.” At the time, I didn’t make the connection that “oversized belly button” meant overweight. This is when I started thinking that my body was what was “wrong” with me. Through high school, I struggled with eating disorder behaviors, body dysmorphia, poor relationships with boys, and eventually poor gut health. It wasn’t until college that I started to see that I could change my gut health.

I wasn’t making the connection that my poor relationship with myself was a root cause. I started diving into possible causes of where my symptoms came from. What’s funny is I found Christina’s Instagram way before I was truly ready to begin healing. I remember disregarding her content. Through therapy, I know that was a defense mechanism because I was not ready for what Christina had to share. However, through her and other women she has connected me with, I was finally able to find the root cause to my gut issues (hello methane SIBO) along with other co-infections. I learned about the power of real food, the tests to have done, and so much more. I am happy to say I am finally SIBO-free! I am on the last leg of my journey (as of 1-22-2020) in getting my period back, learning to release my eating disorder tendencies, and being a badass woman. Through this journey, I learned so much about myself and how I treat others. Christina not only inspired my drive to heal, but my passion for coaching other women. No woman deserves to fell less than her highest self.

Christina’s podcasts and blog posts have helped me the most. Her content has connected me to other modalities of healing and other women I connect with. If you want to start anywhere, I would grab yourself a cup of tea and read her blogs!