SWNSA fitness Instagram influencer admitted to faking her workouts to hide the truth of how she lost weight.
Vlogger Ashley Beeman, from New River, Arizona, uses her Instagram to ‘[empower] women to unlock their confidence so they can love their bodies and their businesses’ by giving tips on how to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Though the 34-year-old informed people about how to work out, she has revealed a 16kg weight loss was actually the result of being prescribed Adderall, a prescription drug she was given for attention deficit disorder (ADD) in 2015.
See Ashley talk about her ordeal here:
The mum-of-two became addicted to the drug, and her weight loss only encouraged her habit as she dropped from 165lbs to 128lbs. Before long, Ashley’s life spiralled out of control as she began using her monthly prescription in just two weeks.
Speaking of her addiction, the influencer said:
When I was on Adderall I was selfish. I was just living my life and I wasn’t present for my children. I wouldn’t spend time with them.
I feel like I’ve missed a lot of memories with my youngest one. I became obsessed with my business. I felt like I was being really productive but in reality I probably was just a tornado.
I hate looking back at photos of myself during that time because I don’t look good, even though I thought I looked amazing. When I watch old videos, you can tell by my eyes I’m not really there.
SWNSAshley faked a healthy lifestyle to her 32,000 social media followers and grew her business through the lies, with many people complimenting her appearance.
She explained:
I would fake my workouts for my social media followers and my business grew a ton, and I feel terrible about that now.
People were complimenting me, which spurred me on and made me feel great. I thought I looked fantastic but I was just skin and bones.
SWNSIn 2016, the mum managed to get herself off the drug with the help of a ‘nightmare detox’. The following year, Ashley felt it was time to come clean to her followers.
The influencer revealed the truth in a Facebook Live video, after which she received a wealth of support, with some of her viewers speaking about their own struggles with Adderall.
Though Ashley felt guilty about lying to her followers when she first got clean, she has since ‘tried to forgive [herself] and move on’.
The 34-year-old is now trying to make up for lost time with her family and she has managed to take on a truly healthy lifestyle, explaining she now ‘genuinely love[s] to work out and eat well’.
The influencer has had to work on her body positivity after she gained 20lbs within the first three weeks of quitting the drug; a change she described as ‘devastating’ because her view of her physique had become so warped.
Though it took some time for Ashley to stop her ‘crazy diets’, she has now learned to love her body.
SWNSAshley has now gone three years without the drug, which she feels she was wrongly prescribed after filling out a simple quiz at the doctor’s. The 34-year-old believes the drug is ‘too easy to get’ and needs to be taken more seriously after it took over her life.
The influencer now shares many positive and inspirational images on her Instagram page, which you can view here.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or email via http://www.talktofrank.com/contact 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Or Live Chat at http://www.talktofrank.com/livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.