A bodybuilder has won her first crown after successfully battling eating disorders for more than 15 years. Carly Tierney, from Woolley Grange, South Yorkshire, came first in the Miami Pro UK bodybuilding competition in St Albans, having overcome both bulimia and anorexia in a staggering 18-month transformation. The 31-year-old beat off stiff competition from 65 entrants to win the 'Miss Bikini Tall' category in October. Scroll down for video . Carly winning the 'Miss Bikini Tall' category at the Miami Pro UK bodybuilding competition . Carly now has a totally different body, working out every day and eating eight small healthy meals a day . After reading about bodybuilding, Carly was inspired by the fact the female athletes' bodies  are 'priceless' Miss Tierney, who is also a manager of an insurance company, has been battling with eating disorders from the age of 15 to just before her 30th birthday. 'As I child I was overweight and was bullied for this,' said Miss Tierney, who is originally from Southport, Merseyside. 'I decided to diet in order to look better but in fact I started to look horrible. People would say "oh look at her, she looks good, she looks skinny", when in actually fact I was going through hell.' Carly struggled with eating disorders from her teenage years up until her 30th birthday . Her battle with food intensified when she began university at 18, when she became anorexic. Miss Tierney would later recover before battling the same disorder once again at age 25, while also suffering bulimia into her late 20s. Both these psychological disorders wreak both emotional and physical havoc on sufferers. As well as intense mental anguish, those with anorexia or bulimia can suffer many health problems due to excessively restricting food, over-exercising, vomiting and abusing laxatives. Anorexia is one of the leading causes of mental health-related deaths, and recovery can be complex, usually requiring a combination of psychotherapy and nutritional education. For Carly, it was only when she approached the milestone of her 30th birthday that she decided to change her life. 'I was thinking about all the things I wanted to achieve in life,'  Miss Tierney said. 'Firstly, I'm single and I have not done everything I wanted to do because I have been so consumed by an eating disorder. This is when the cogs started to turn for me.' She began researching about her body and educated herself on nutrition, which eventually led her to the sport of bodybuilding. After reading about bodybuilding, she was inspired by the fact that the bodies these female athletes have are 'priceless'. Despite being a regular visitor to the gym throughout the years, Miss Tierney admits she purely worked on cardio and attended classes. Miss Tierney said: 'I was one of those people who go in and just get on a treadmill. I had really no idea what I was doing and just stayed in my comfort zone.' It was only after chance encounter with someone from BSN Nutrition, who she is now a sponsored athlete for, while at her local gym that she realised bodybuilding could be a realistic goal. Carly has now been asked to speak in schools and universities about her struggles with eating disorders . She now trains at the gym twice a day, five days a week, while following a bodybuilding diet, which includes 6-8 small meals per day to help her through training and keep her metabolism going. The whole process of the sport is judged on how your body looks, how athletic your muscle tone is and how you present yourself on stage. Miss Tierney has made a drastic transformation going from someone who was previously unhappy with their body, to confidently showcasing it on stage in front of a panel of judges. If you or anyone you know know is affected by an eating disorder you can find information on the NHS website or through the eating disorders charity BEAT. She said: 'I am still like any other girl, when it comes to worrying how I look. In fact, I almost pulled out of the competition after hearing I would go up against 65 entrants. 'I think differently about my body than I did before as this is a sport and means things always need improving. The judge commented that I needed work on my bum and my legs. If I had been told that before, I think I would have had a nervous breakdown.' Miss Tierney's remarkable journey will soon be told to the next generation after being asked to speak in schools and universities about her struggles with eating disorders and how she educated herself on healthy eating and keeping active. She added: 'Winning Miss Bikini Tall was huge deal to me. I was ecstatic to win and I hope this will inspire people to be more comfortable and happy in their bodies. 'It is really important to educate people on eating disorders, especially bulimia. People see these high achievers and think they are successful, skinny and fine but they don't know what goes on behind closed doors.' Miss Tierney also plans to enter more bodybuilding competitions throughout next year while continuing work as a personal trainer alongside her full-time occupation.
Carly Tierney struggled with anorexia and bulimia from  age of 15 .
At 30 was unhappy, unhealthy and felt she had a missed out on so much .
Began researching about her body and educated herself on nutrition .
Starting bodybuilding training, gaining respect for her body .
Trains twice a day and eats eight small healthy meals .
Came first in the Miami Pro UK bodybuilding competition in St Albans .
Says she hopes she will inspire people to be happier in their bodies .
A bodybuilder has won her first crown after successfully battling eating disorders for more than 15 years. Carly Tierney, from Woolley Grange, South Yorkshire, came first in the Miami Pro UK bodybuilding competition in St Albans, having overcome both bulimia and anorexia in a staggering 18-month transformation. The 31-year-old beat off stiff competition from 65 entrants to win the 'Miss Bikini Tall' category in October. Scroll down for video . Carly winning the 'Miss Bikini Tall' category at the Miami Pro UK bodybuilding competition . Carly now has a totally different body, working out every day and eating eight small healthy meals a day . After reading about bodybuilding, Carly was inspired by the fact the female athletes' bodies  are 'priceless' Miss Tierney, who is also a manager of an insurance company, has been battling with eating disorders from the age of 15 to just before her 30th birthday. 'As I child I was overweight and was bullied for this,' said Miss Tierney, who is originally from Southport, Merseyside. 'I decided to diet in order to look better but in fact I started to look horrible. People would say "oh look at her, she looks good, she looks skinny", when in actually fact I was going through hell.' Carly struggled with eating disorders from her teenage years up until her 30th birthday . Her battle with food intensified when she began university at 18, when she became anorexic. Miss Tierney would later recover before battling the same disorder once again at age 25, while also suffering bulimia into her late 20s. Both these psychological disorders wreak both emotional and physical havoc on sufferers. As well as intense mental anguish, those with anorexia or bulimia can suffer many health problems due to excessively restricting food, over-exercising, vomiting and abusing laxatives. Anorexia is one of the leading causes of mental health-related deaths, and recovery can be complex, usually requiring a combination of psychotherapy and nutritional education. For Carly, it was only when she approached the milestone of her 30th birthday that she decided to change her life. 'I was thinking about all the things I wanted to achieve in life,'  Miss Tierney said. 'Firstly, I'm single and I have not done everything I wanted to do because I have been so consumed by an eating disorder. This is when the cogs started to turn for me.' She began researching about her body and educated herself on nutrition, which eventually led her to the sport of bodybuilding. After reading about bodybuilding, she was inspired by the fact that the bodies these female athletes have are 'priceless'. Despite being a regular visitor to the gym throughout the years, Miss Tierney admits she purely worked on cardio and attended classes. Miss Tierney said: 'I was one of those people who go in and just get on a treadmill. I had really no idea what I was doing and just stayed in my comfort zone.' It was only after chance encounter with someone from BSN Nutrition, who she is now a sponsored athlete for, while at her local gym that she realised bodybuilding could be a realistic goal. Carly has now been asked to speak in schools and universities about her struggles with eating disorders . She now trains at the gym twice a day, five days a week, while following a bodybuilding diet, which includes 6-8 small meals per day to help her through training and keep her metabolism going. The whole process of the sport is judged on how your body looks, how athletic your muscle tone is and how you present yourself on stage. Miss Tierney has made a drastic transformation going from someone who was previously unhappy with their body, to confidently showcasing it on stage in front of a panel of judges. If you or anyone you know know is affected by an eating disorder you can find information on the NHS website or through the eating disorders charity BEAT. She said: 'I am still like any other girl, when it comes to worrying how I look. In fact, I almost pulled out of the competition after hearing I would go up against 65 entrants. 'I think differently about my body than I did before as this is a sport and means things always need improving. The judge commented that I needed work on my bum and my legs. If I had been told that before, I think I would have had a nervous breakdown.' Miss Tierney's remarkable journey will soon be told to the next generation after being asked to speak in schools and universities about her struggles with eating disorders and how she educated herself on healthy eating and keeping active. She added: 'Winning Miss Bikini Tall was huge deal to me. I was ecstatic to win and I hope this will inspire people to be more comfortable and happy in their bodies. 'It is really important to educate people on eating disorders, especially bulimia. People see these high achievers and think they are successful, skinny and fine but they don't know what goes on behind closed doors.' Miss Tierney also plans to enter more bodybuilding competitions throughout next year while continuing work as a personal trainer alongside her full-time occupation.
Grange, South Yorkshire, came first in the Miami Pro UK bodybuilding competition in St Albans, eating eight small healthy meals a day . After eating disorders from the age of 15 to just going through hell.' Carly struggled with eating researching about her body and educated herself previously unhappy with their body, to eating disorders and how she educated herself on