Shedding nearly half your body weight isn't something that happens overnight, and Becka Gill knows that all too well. The 32-year-old from Cheshire, England, has garnered millions of views on TikTok by sharing her weight-loss journey over the last year and half. But in a Nov. 2023 interview with Newsweek, Gill opened up about how her real story spans back even further than that.
Describing her relationship with food as "quite scary and daunting," Gill told the magazine that she used to hide wrappers from her parents when she was young. These negative habits only continued over the years as she moved out on her own. Eventually, Gill started finding herself staring down at her 269-pound body in the shower and crying.
"I would raid the fridge and cupboards, I couldn't have much food in the house because I knew I would binge until I felt sick," Gill told Newsweek. "I didn't have any control, I seemed to be in my own little world at that moment, I would just eat whatever I could get my hands on at the time."
The 32-year-old ended up being diagnosed with a binge-eating disorder just a few years ago. After that, Gill started taking active steps to get where she wanted in her weight-loss journey, and now said she feels like she has been "given a new lease of life." Read on to find out how Gill finally lost 100 pounds, and what one weight-loss expert wants people to know about binge-eating disorder.
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After struggling with food consumption her entire life, Gill told Newsweek that she was officially diagnosed with binge-eating disorder in Sept. 2020.
"I wasn't conscious of my eating habits until a few years ago when I realized something is wrong with me. It's hard because people think you are just overeating but it is a mental illness. I would subconsciously eat until I felt very ill," she said.
As Gill explained to the magazine, even the "littlest thing" could set her off and lead to a binge. This resulted in a vicious cycle where she would eat excessively one day, and then restrict herself for days after as a punishment.
"Eating disorders are mental illnesses; everyone has their troubles, and sometimes it affects us in different ways," Gill said. "My weight made me depressed. I couldn't even touch my own body. I would stand in the shower and just sob."
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Eventually, Gill said she reached a breaking point where she realized she wanted to improve her quality of life and fix how she viewed food. So she reached out to a doctor and worked with a therapist for 18 months, according to Newsweek.
"I had a private therapist to help rebuild a healthier relationship around food and my own body. I had to do that before even considering to lose weight," she explained. "It took a lot of work and unpinning bad habits while trying to find different strategies and healthier routines."
Gill said there were several things she had to do first in her journey.
"I had to learn how to look at food as fuel rather than anything else," she shared. "I had to stop demonizing food and working on interval eating and listening to my body when it's hungry, rather than eating for the sake of eating. I also had to start appreciating myself as a human and not look at myself so negatively."
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In her interview with Newsweek, Gill said that she now weighs 167 pounds. But it wasn't just the work that she did to rebuild her relationship around food and her body that helped her drop over 100 pounds. She revealed that she went to Turkey to undergo gastric sleeve surgery in July 2022.
But while going under the knife was what ultimately helped Gill get her dream body, she admitted that this decision wasn't one she made lightly.
"Some people say that surgery is the easy way out but no one realizes the mental battle that we deal with," Gill told Newsweek. "For me, surgery was the last resort as I have tried every fad diet in the book and I didn't feel comfortable in my own body."
Gill is certainly not the only person who has struggled with binge eating disorder (BED). Phyllis Pobee, MD, a triple board-certified physician who specializes in weight loss and the founder of Slim Signal, tells Best Life that this is actually the most common eating disorder in the U.S.
"BED is characterized by recurring episodes of eating large quantities of food, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and experiencing shame or guilt afterward," she explains. "Signs of this disorder include eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific time frame, eating even when not hungry, eating rapidly during binges, and feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty afterward."
As with any surgery, Pobee says there are both pros and cons to gastric sleeve surgery. But the one thing she wants people to know is that it is not a "standalone solution" for those struggling with binge eating like Gill.
"While it can be effective for weight loss, it's crucial that individuals with BED receive comprehensive psychological support. Surgery doesn't address the underlying emotional and behavioral aspects of BED," she shares. "Gastric sleeve surgery's success, particularly for individuals with BED, greatly depends on integrated care involving psychological support and lifestyle changes."
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Best Life offers the most up-to-date information from top experts, new research, and health agencies, but our content is not meant to be a substitute for professional guidance. When it comes to the medication you're taking or any other health questions you have, always consult your healthcare provider directly.
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