--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 19 years old, I came down with…" description: "\"When I was 19 years old, I came down with anorexia. I had it for about a year before it became public. And it had a lot to do with my self-esteem.\" — T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/tracey-gold-19268_anorexia_when-i-was-19-years-old-i-came-down-with_463580.jpg" --- # When I was 19 years old, I came down with anorexia. I had… ![“When I was 19 years old, I came down with anorexia. I had it for about a year before it became public. And it had a lot to do with my self-esteem.” quote by Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/tracey-gold-19268_anorexia_when-i-was-19-years-old-i-came-down-with_463580.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/tracey-gold-19268_anorexia_when-i-was-19-years-old-i-came-down-with_463580.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/tracey-gold-19268_anorexia_when-i-was-19-years-old-i-came-down-with_463580.jpg) > “When I was 19 years old, I came down with anorexia. I had it for about a year before it became public. And it had a lot to do with my self-esteem.” [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anorexia stemmed from low self‑esteem; personal struggles can be hidden for years before public awareness. **In simple terms:** Low self‑esteem can lead to harmful eating habits. Key Takeaway Address self‑worth to prevent disordered eating. Themes mental health self‑esteem eating disorders stigma Mood empathetic hopeful Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - Therapy - support groups - public speaking - health education Key Concepts Body image psychology personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - What steps can improve self‑esteem health - How does sharing personal struggles affect others? A Different Perspective Recovery is complex; external support alone may not resolve inner issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anorexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anorexia/) [Anorexia Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anorexia-year-4021265/) [Came Anorexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-anorexia-4021264/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/there-is-no-magic-cure-no-making-it-all-go-away-forever-there-are/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I had a very public battle with anorexia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-had-a-very-public-battle-with-anorexia/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [Anorexia, you starve yourself. Bulimia, you binge and purge. You eat huge amounts of food until you're sick and then you throw up. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/anorexia-you-starve-yourself-bulimia-you-binge-and-purge-you-eat-huge/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I've experienced the tabloids when I had anorexia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-ve-experienced-the-tabloids-when-i-had-anorexia/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I unwittingly became sort of this anorexia spokeswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-unwittingly-became-sort-of-this-anorexia-spokeswoman/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [Anorexia is such a self-consuming, selfish disease. It's all about you. Becoming a mother, all of a sudden it wasn't about me anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/anorexia-is-such-a-self-consuming-selfish-disease-it-s-all-about-you/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [Never let the opinion of another affect your opinion of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-mummert/never-let-the-opinion-of-another-affect-your-opinion-of-yourself/) [Teresa Mummert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-mummert/) > [You never exist quite so much as when you are not thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/you-never-exist-quite-so-much-as-when-you-are-not-thinking/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Spina bifida affects every single aspect of your life, from your child's self-esteem to your ability to sleep at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-ari-parker/spina-bifida-affects-every-single-aspect-of-your-life-from-your-child/) [Nicole Ari Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-ari-parker/) > [Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/don-t-worry-so-much-about-your-self-esteem-worry-more-about-your/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [You would not exist if you did not have something to bring to the table of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/you-would-not-exist-if-you-did-not-have-something-to-bring-to-the/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [So I went to a club the other day, which is timely because my self esteem had been hovering right around 'normal' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/so-i-went-to-a-club-the-other-day-which-is-timely-because-my-self/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Nothing is better for self-esteem than survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellhorn/nothing-is-better-for-self-esteem-than-survival/) [Martha Gellhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellhorn/) ## More by Tracey Gold > [After the crash happened, I was so humiliated and embarrassed. I thought of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, that they must hate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/after-the-crash-happened-i-was-so-humiliated-and-embarrassed-i/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [Anorexia is such a self-consuming, selfish disease. It's all about you. Becoming a mother, all of a sudden it wasn't about me anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/anorexia-is-such-a-self-consuming-selfish-disease-it-s-all-about-you/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [All I need to do to stay healthy is look at my three boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/all-i-need-to-do-to-stay-healthy-is-look-at-my-three-boys/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [You can't enjoy life if you're not nourishing your body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/you-can-t-enjoy-life-if-you-re-not-nourishing-your-body/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I'm not a religious person. I'm Catholic, so I consider myself more of a spiritual person. I believe in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-m-not-a-religious-person-i-m-catholic-so-i-consider-myself-more-of/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [You can stay in therapy your whole life, but you've got to live life and not talk about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/you-can-stay-in-therapy-your-whole-life-but-you-ve-got-to-live-life/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [You can never prepare yourself enough to see your mug shot and DUI.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/you-can-never-prepare-yourself-enough-to-see-your-mug-shot-and-dui/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I've been so in my moment about my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-ve-been-so-in-my-moment-about-my-life/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I'm the most cynical person, and I know what that sounds like when you say, I don't drink and drive, and I don't. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-m-the-most-cynical-person-and-i-know-what-that-sounds-like-when-you/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I unwittingly became sort of this anorexia spokeswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-unwittingly-became-sort-of-this-anorexia-spokeswoman/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [You don't have the judgment after you've had the drink. If something truly catastrophic had happened that evening, I don't know how I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/you-don-t-have-the-judgment-after-you-ve-had-the-drink-if-something/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [Any actor will tell you, anybody in the public eye, that the tabloids are the worst kind of ramification of being a celebrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/any-actor-will-tell-you-anybody-in-the-public-eye-that-the-tabloids/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I've experienced the tabloids when I had anorexia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-ve-experienced-the-tabloids-when-i-had-anorexia/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I just don't like to drive. I'm not a bad driver, I just don't like to drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-just-don-t-like-to-drive-i-m-not-a-bad-driver-i-just-don-t-like-to/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) > [I'll always have a baby face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-gold/i-ll-always-have-a-baby-face/) [Tracey Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) [Explore all 33 Tracey Gold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-gold/) ## More Anorexia quotes > [“Anorexia is, without doubt, a serious eating disorder, but there is a hell of a lot of mainstream disordered eating going on out there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-woolf/anorexia-is-without-doubt-a-serious-eating-disorder-but-there-is-a/) [Emma Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-woolf/) > [If we are ready to tear down the walls that confine us, break the cage that imprisons us, we will discover what our wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-elmore-meegan/if-we-are-ready-to-tear-down-the-walls-that-confine-us-break-the-cage/) [Michael Elmore-Meegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-elmore-meegan/) > [“Being constantly hungry is no life at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-woolf/being-constantly-hungry-is-no-life-at-all/) [Emma Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-woolf/) > [“I’ve never had anorexia, but I know it well. I see it on the street, in the gaunt and sunken face, the boney chest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-brown/i-ve-never-had-anorexia-but-i-know-it-well-i-see-it-on-the-street-in/) [Harriet Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-brown/) > [“Between 10 and 20 percent of people with anorexia die from heart attacks, other complications and suicide; the disease has the highest mortality rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-brown/between-10-and-20-percent-of-people-with-anorexia-die-from-heart/) [Harriet Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-brown/) > [ “Emma cites the structure of the \[Eating Disorder\] Unit as being important to her decision to disengage from her illness, and the fact that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-lee/emma-cites-the-structure-of-the-eating-disorder-unit-as-being/) [Carol Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-lee/) > [I was struggling with anorexia, and one of the biggest problems with an eating disorder is you don't realize you have it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-stirling/i-was-struggling-with-anorexia-and-one-of-the-biggest-problems-with/) [Lindsey Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-stirling/) > [Finding a cure for anorexia should be a piece of cake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-elba/finding-a-cure-for-anorexia-should-be-a-piece-of-cake/) [Charles Elba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-elba/) > [“I know what you're thinking. ‘How the hell does this broke ass piece of trailer trash know words like caveat,’ right? Well guess what?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isobel-irons/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-how-the-hell-does-this-broke-ass-piece-of/) [Isobel Irons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isobel-irons/) > [I wanted to kill the me underneath. That fact haunted my days and nights. When you realize you hate yourself so much, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wanted-to-kill-the-me-underneath-that-fact-haunted-my-days-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even with friends, I had difficulty giving or receiving physical affection, although I secretly craved it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-m-taylor/even-with-friends-i-had-difficulty-giving-or-receiving-physical/) [Kate M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-m-taylor/) > [Man is never alone. Acknowledged or unacknowledged, that which dreams through him is always there to support him from within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/man-is-never-alone-acknowledged-or-unacknowledged-that-which-dreams/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [Anorexia was my attempt to have control over my body and manipulate my body and starve my body and shape my body. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/anorexia-was-my-attempt-to-have-control-over-my-body-and-manipulate/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I am forever engaged in a silent battle in my head over whether or not to lift the fork to my mouth, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-morrow/i-am-forever-engaged-in-a-silent-battle-in-my-head-over-whether-or/) [Jena Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jena-morrow/) > [“Fooling the body into thinking it's full on only a thousand calories can be difficult. The trick is to chew the food until it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-matthew-nespoli/fooling-the-body-into-thinking-it-s-full-on-only-a-thousand-calories/) [J. Matthew Nespoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-matthew-nespoli/) [Browse all 197 Anorexia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anorexia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 19 years old, I came down with anorexia. I had it for about a year before it became public. 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