HOUSTON -- Two women are upperclassmen at the University of St. Thomas, but they also share something else -- experience with eating disorders, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.

"Well, my eating disorder started when I was about 8 (years old)," Melissa Binstock said.

Nicole Walker added that her eating disorder, "… got pretty extreme. I got down to about 84 pounds."

Both women are recovering and teamed up for an eating disorder awareness program at UST where they asked students to take a hard look at body image.

Binstock explained, "What we really wanted to emphasis was the difference between what's important to you and what the media tells you is important."

Binstock, who also struggled with Tourette's syndrome and dyslexia, said her eating disorder was her way of controlling her body.

She penned her experiences in a book called "Nourishment."

Binstock said, "I found that most of the stories ended morbidly or they ended that everything was happily ever after ... and that was unrealistic. I wanted to write something that was realistic."

Since Binstock's eating disorder began at such a young age, her focus now is on prevention programs as early as elementary and middle school.

"Kids as young as 5 or 6 years old understand the concept of dieting, and they know how to use dieting in order to achieve a particular body type," Binstock said.

Walker added, "I can guarantee you that I know a lot of girls with eating disorders right now, and it started when they were little. If only someone had taken them aside and said, 'let's talk about something that's important in your life right now, let's refocus you,' that probably would've helped them a lot."

Binstock's book has been embraced by the publishers of "Chicken Soup for the Soul." Health Communications will re-launch "Nourishment" later this year.

Binstock hopes it provides sufferers and their families with valuable coping strategies.