In parallel with world-class boxing, Anthony Yigit is faced with another opponent: the eating disorder.
He talks about his problems in SVT's new documentary series "Eaten".
- The first thing I think of when I wake up is what I weigh and I go through what I have eaten the day before, he says.
"Not worth it"
Yigit, who among other things participated in the Olympics and competed for the World Cup title, explains that he thought he had found a way to eat what he wanted and at the same time have control over the weight.
- You eat a lot and then you think "it is not worth it" and then you vomit.
Every time you have spat, you say that it is the last time.
A classic mistake
Ata Ghaderi, professor of clinical psychology specializing in eating disorders, says:
- Many people think that vomiting works for weight loss, but this is not the case.
When you vomit for a period, the body almost signals hunger.
The digestive system prepares to consume calories, so in the long run it is pointless.
You press the body in a way that is unnatural.
The teeth are affected and the esophagus is not made to tolerate stomach acid, he says and continues:
- Only 25 percent seek help (for the eating disorder) and it takes a very long time for them to do so.
Yigit himself believes that it is difficult for athletes in weight-based sports to have a healthy relationship with food.
He also believes that the environment in general makes it challenging.
- We live in a world where society tells us what we should look like.
"For me it was mindblowing"
Yigit has had an eating disorder for 13 years.
- Then I decided at New Year's.
What helped me on the road to recovery was to start talking about it, he says and tells about the response:
- When I chose to talk about it, the curtain fell around me and behind it were people who heard about it and had eating disorders.
For me, it was mindblowing.
The documentary series "Eating Disorder" consists of three episodes that are released once a week. Premiere in SVT Play is April 3 and in SVT1 April 7.