World’s Thinnest Woman Shares Her Painful Journey to Warn Others About Extreme Dieting
Valeria Levitin, once labeled the world’s thinnest woman, weighs only 56 pounds (about 25 kilograms) — far below the healthy range for her 5’8” height. Her fragile frame stands as a haunting reminder of how dangerous extreme dieting can become.
Now 39, Valeria is using her experience to speak out about the reality of eating disorders and the pressure to meet unrealistic beauty standards. She says her goal is to help young people understand that starving yourself for perfection only leads to pain, not happiness.
Valeria’s struggle began early in life. Her mother, afraid she might become overweight, placed her on strict food limits as a child. By the time she was 16 and living in Chicago, Valeria began cutting out sugar and carbs, trying to fit in and feel accepted. What began as a diet soon turned into an obsession.
At 23, she had dropped from a healthy size 12 to a thin size 6, and her modeling ambitions only made things worse. By 24, she weighed just 84 pounds. Despite seeing dozens of doctors, her weight kept falling, at one point reaching only 52 pounds.
Today, Valeria continues to face health challenges. She avoids many foods and depends on supplements to stay alive. But emotionally, she’s fighting harder than ever.
She dreams of returning to Moscow to focus on recovery and hopes to become a mother through surrogacy one day.
Her message to others is powerful: “Starving is not beauty. Real strength comes from loving your body, caring for your mind, and finding peace with who you are.”
