15 Apr Demi Lovato Eating Disorder | Her Story of Recovery and Relapse
Demi Lovato eating disorder story is no less than inspiring!
An eating disorder is often taken lightly and is not considered to be serious until it comes to a point that you need treatment.
Demi Lovato, in her podcast with Ashley Graham, made sure that people know that eating disorder is a Pretty Big Deal.
The life of the 29-year-old singer looks all shiny and glittery from far, but the truth is farther from that.
Demi Lovato has seen a lot of ups and downs in her life when it comes to mental illness, overdose, eating disorders, and even bullying.
The eating disorder story of Demi Lovato came to light when she went for treatment in 2010.
Since then, Demi has been open about her struggles and recovery, inspiring many to choose treatment over suffering.
So, what’s the Demi Lovato Eating Disorder story?
How did she recover and are there any other celebs who faced the same predicament?
Well… we have answered it all for you.
Demi Lovato Eating Disorder – Insights Into Her Struggle
Demi Lovato’s eating disorder struggle goes long back to 2010.
It was then that her struggle with bulimia and self-harm came to the public eye. Since then Demi has seen a lot of ups and downs in her recovery.
She suffered many relapses and recovery and finally took a step back and assured her fans that she’ll tell them about her struggle.
Demi also took some time and focused on herself and her recovery.
The Camp rockstar explained her struggles with bulimia when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2020.
“I asked for help, and I didn’t receive the help that I needed. So, I was stuck in this, like, unhappy position.”- she said
She said her bulimia got really bad.
It’s hard to imagine a life like her. In order to recover, Demi faced many challenges.
Demi Lovato And Her Eating Disorder Challenges
Everyone talks about the before and after transformations, but only those who have faced the in-between stage know the challenges up close.
There’s no skip button in the journey to recovery. You have to go through the challenges and sufferings to see the healthy side of yourself again.
By the same token, the link between Demi Lovato and eating disorder recovery brought to light a lot of challenges.
Apart from dealing with an eating disorder, Demi also faced addiction, self-harm, bipolar disorder, and eating resistance.
These underlying issues only worsened the situation for her.
While Demi Lovato’s Bulimia symptoms were visible, her eating disorder hid behind overexercising and extreme dieting.
In fact, many times she thought that she was recovering. She also mentioned that her condition worsened even more because there was no one around her who could help her notice the signs.
There were times when she literally lived in the gym. She would even take business meetings to the gym and only do workouts even in her free time.
It was not only Demi’s personal health issues that she found challenging.
The expectations of being a certain size and maintaining a certain figure also showed no mercy on her.
She talked about it to Ashley Graham on her podcast.
Lovato said,
“I think when you have certain people around you that are telling you certain things that you should look a certain way, it makes it harder,”.
Lovato also had to go through numerous relapses in order to reach the state of recovery she is in now.
Demi Lovato Eating Disorder Recovery Is Full Of Relapses
Demi Lovato eating disorder story is incomplete without discussing the relapses she faced.
Lovato faced a relapse in 2018 after being sober for 6 years.
Not only this but she also experienced a life-threatening drug overdose at the same time.
In 2019, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she shared that, 3 months previous to her overdose, she had also relapsed back into her bulimia symptoms.
On World Mental Health Day in September, she also wrote on Twitter that she has been dealing with suicidal thoughts and depression.
Clearly, the process of recovery was not a cakewalk for Demi Lovato.
She once said in her MTV documentary, Stay Strong, “People think that you’re like a car in a body shop. You go in, they fix you, and you’re out. It takes constant fixing.”
With time and patience, Demi finally found the courage and strength to break through the weight-obsessed world.
Finally, Demi Lovato’s eating disorder recovery started when she realized neither her weight nor her jeans size defined her.
She started to feel freedom and wanted to recycle the pain and those 20 years that have gone to waste.
At this point, when you look for Demi Lovato diet plan, the answer will be Demi eats what she wants.
In 2021, ahead of the release of her four-part documentary Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, Lovato revealed that she enjoys guilt-free eating her favorite food.
Fun fact:I never had boobs until I started eating what I wanted. My whole life I hated my small tittaayyys & then when I finally let go of my eating issues, I GOT THE BOOBS I WANTED! 😂 this is no push-up bra or boob-job y’all! IT’S ALL ME! you know what, they’re gonna change too pic.twitter.com/sculvXkNyN
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) October 9, 2020
“Allowing myself to eat a Mexican pizza from Taco Bell, I found freedom in my eating disorder,” she told the New York Times.
Demi Lovato’s eating disorder journey is painful. It visibly took a toll on her mind.
Demi often shares about her recovery and thoughts on mental illness and eating disorders on her Instagram handle.
Demi Lovato’s eating disorder story is complex in comparison to other celebrities.
Nonetheless, the fighting spirit of Demi and her openness and boldness to openly talk about it gave courage to other celebrities as well.
However, this doesn’t make the suffering of others any less painful.
Other Celebrities Who Also Suffered From Eating Disorder
The eating disorder has severe and fatal effects if not taken into consideration at an early stage.
Sadly, eating disorders are not really uncommon among celebrities.
The lifestyle choices and the pressure to look a certain way to last longer in showbiz make them try every means to “stay fit”.
However, the truth, the suffering, and the pain stay hidden behind the glitz and glamour.
However, Demi Lovato’s eating disorder journey gave voice to many other celebrities.
Some of the other celebrities with an eating disorder include:
#1. Zayn Malik
The singing sensation and one of the previous members of the One Direction band also suffered an eating disorder.
However, unlike Demi, Zayn suffered secretly.
Zayn, in his autobiography, mentioned that he has been through such conditions when he could go days without eating.
He felt out of control, anxious, and weak all the time.
Zayn Malik’s anorexia took a toll on his mind, body, and career as well.
Nonetheless, we are happy to see him healthy and beautiful.
#2. Russell Brand
The comedian and actor Russell Brand fought his eating disorder at a very early stage.
He was a teenager when it all started for him.
It has been a long and tough journey for him, and he has been open about it.
His experience with loneliness added to the challenges of Russell Brand’s bulimia struggles.
Russell also had to go through substance abuse and this made it even more difficult for him to come out of it.
However, he is recovering well and using yoga to overcome his eating disorder.
#3. Lady Gaga
Who can ever guess by looking at Lady Gaga that she could have faced such a hard time?
But it is that hard time that develops a personality like her.
Opening up about her experience with bulimia, Lady Gaga said, “I used to throw up all the time in high school. So I’m not that confident”.
She always wanted to be a thin little ballerina-like but she was voluptuous.
Her father served meatballs every night, and it soon started to affect her voice.
Hence, she had to stop and a Star was Born.
And we thank her for that. Or else we could have missed the shallow masterpiece.
#4. Taylor Swift
Taylor swift’s life has no less drama. Her experience with her eating disorder was small but still relevant.
It’s a relief that this living Barbie soon realized that she doesn’t need to feel tired in the middle of the show.
In an interview, Taylor mentioned that she felt like she would pass out after every show.
In her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, Taylor shared a lot.
She further mentioned I’m a lot happier with who I am. I don’t care as much if somebody points out that I have gained weight.
Taylor has always been an inspiration among teen girls. This step will create a sense of being healthy among teenage girls.
#5. Lily Collins
Lily Collins has not only played the character battling anorexia on screen. She has battled an eating disorder for years in her real life as well.
In 2017, she told Shape, that she suffered from an eating disorder for years and it includes restricting food intake, using laxatives, and taking diet pills.
After playing the role of an anorexia battling character in the Bone, she opened up about it at the Sundance Film Festival.
She said that it is something very common among young women. Most women go through this and there is no shame in it.
She further advised those suffering from it to surround themselves with supporting people to get through it.
Clearly, an eating disorder is no joke!
When you see the flat bellies and slim figures of your favorite movie stars, it’s not always the result of a workout.
Most of the time, it is the outcome of sustaining or reaching the so-called perfect figure to stay in the buzz.
Be it Demi Lovato eating disorder story or Russel Brand’s bulimia experience, the effects are not only physical.
Considering the journey, it won’t be wrong to say, an eating disorder eats away at your overall health including your mental health.
The awareness of facts can help conclude what an eating disorder feels like.
ALSO READ: Celebrities Who Overcame Addiction and Substance Abuse
What Does Eating Disorder Feel Like?
Demi once mentioned that she was under a lot of stress and used to bake cookies for her family.
However, she’d end up eating them all and no one would get anything.
Taylor also mentioned that she couldn’t tell at that time that she has an eating disorder.
Both speak of the same story.
You don’t really know when you start to fall into it.
Also, most celebrities with an eating disorder also talked about binge eating in their eating disorder story.
Demi Lovato binge eating issues would trigger as soon as she starts to get emotional. And as a result, she would end up eating a lot.
The same was the case with Lilly Collins.
When battling such disorders, it’s important to know that there’s no universal size you need to fit in.
Embrace the way you are; just stay healthy and happy. Everything else is just temporary, but peace of mind is something with long-term benefits and you should choose that.
And like Demi says, “It’s OK Not to Be OK”
NOTE: If you or someone you know is dealing with an eating disorder, call the toll-free number of The National Eating Disorder Association.
Monday-Thursday 11AM-9PM ET & Friday 11AM-5PM ET at 1-800-931-2237.
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