Demi Lovato.Photo: Christopher Polk/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Demi Lovatois sharing a powerful message.
The 28-year-old singer — who has spoken candidly over the years abouttheir recoveryfrom an eating disorder — opened up about why “complimenting someone on their weight loss” can be harmful to their mental health.
“Idk who needs to hear this but complimenting someone on their weight loss can be as harmful as complimenting someone on their weight gain in regards to talking to someone in recovery from an eating disorder,” Lovato, whocame out as non-binaryearlier this week, wrote on their Instagram Story in a series of posts.
“If you don’t know someone’s history with food, please don’t comment on their body. Because even if your intention is pure, it might leave that person awake at 2 am overthinking that statement…” the star added.
Demi Lovato.Demi Lovato/Instagram
“Does it feel great? Yeah, sometimes,” they wrote. “But only to the loud ass eating disorder voice inside my head that says ‘See, people like a thinner you’ or ‘if you eat less you’ll lose even more weight.’ "
Lovato added, “But it can also sometimes suck because then I start thinking ‘Well, damn. What’d they think of my body before?’ Moral of the story: I am more than the shell for my soul that is my body and everyday I fight to remind myself of that, so I’m asking you to please not remind me that that is all people see of me sometimes.”
Earlier this month, theDemi Lovato: Dancing with the Devilstar opened up about how recovering from an eating disorder takes progress, one which for them hasn’t been without “daily” struggles.
“I painted this at@colormemineyears ago … even though I was in the throes of my eating disorder, I still made this in hopes that I would truly believe it some day,” Lovatowrotealongside a photo of a mug they made years ago, which reads: “I am worth it” along with the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) symbol for recovery.
“I still struggle. Daily. There are periods of time where I forget about my food struggles and other times it’s all I think about. Still,” the pop star added. “But that is what ED recovery looks like for some people and I still have hope that someday I won’t think about it anymore. For now my mug reminds me that I am worth it, and today I believe it.”
If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.
source: people.com
