Katie Couric is choosing to use her show to talk about serious topics. We all watched her journey through the painful suffering of the loss of her husband and other personal issues. Now she has chosen to reveal another painful fact.
She suffered from bulimia from the ages of 18 to 24. She struggled with how much she ate but eventually overcame the disorder with professional help.Today Katie admits on camera during her show that she suffered with bulimia
“I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that. And I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that’s wrong, you’re full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself, whether it’s one cookie or a stick of gum that isn’t sugarless, that I would sometimes beat myself up for that.”
“How do you have a healthy relationship with food and say, ‘You know what, I can have one cookie and it’s OK?’ That is such a huge thing for people who wrestle with this,” Couric explained. Her guest for the special episode is Demi Lovato, who has also opened up about her struggle with healthy eating habits. In an editorial written for Seventeen magazine, Lovato revealed she “started compulsively overeating at a very young age. And then I almost stopped eating altogether at the age of 12, after being harassed by kids at school for being ‘fat.’”
Lovato has worked hard to become a successful young actress and singer and has used her fame to help others struggling with bullying or eating disorders. She currently works with the Jed Foundation for the Love is Louder Than the Pressure to be Perfect campaign, which encourages everyone to accept who he or she is.
Bulimia facts are hard to pinpoint as eating disorders have only recently started receiving serious study. Adoelscent women in industrialized countries who suffer from low self-esteem appear to have the highest risk for developing bulimia. Bulimia statistics suggest that cultural norms surrounding beauty and thinness can affect the development of bulimia, but race itself is not a factor. Facts about bulimia include:
- Bulimics are often normal to slightly overweight
- Bulimics overestimate their body’s size
- One third of patients who present for treatment of bulimia nervosa have past histories of anorexia nervosa
- Median age of bulimia onset is 18 years
- Bulimics commonly have other mental illnesses such as depression or substance abuse
- Bulimics commonly have irregular menstrual periods and may become infertile
- 0-3% of women with bulimia eventually die from complications of the disease, although these numbers may be underestimated
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, we are here to help. Call our toll free, confidential Helpline Monday-Friday, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time: 1-800-931-2237 or click here. Our helpline volunteers will be there to offer support and guidance with compassion and understanding.
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Katie Couric Reveals Eating Disorder History To Demi Lovato was originally published on elev8.com
