Monica Seles was born on December 2, 1973 in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, current day Serbia. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1994 after moving to the United States in 1986 with her family. Ever since she was five years old she was very involved with tennis and went on to join tennis academies to become more serious about it. In 1988 at age 14 she played in her first professional tournament where she then became an official professional in 1989 when she joined the tour full-time. Between winning 9 Grand Slam singles titles and becoming the youngest-ever to win the French Open at 16 years old, tennis was the most important thing in her life (Adams 2011). Her reign of success lasted a long time until finally admitting and opening up to the public about a disorder she had been dealing with a long time.
Seles discussed her struggles with Binge Eating Disorder to abcNEWS and how it affected her life. She stated, "My eating was just uncontrollable" and ,"My permanent experience binge eating is eating huge and i mean huge quantities of food in a very short period of time so for me when I was in stressful situations I would start my binge eating" (abcNEWS 2015). Like many others, it was possible for her to find a turning point. A friend asked Seles to be a bridesmaid for her wedding which motivated her to confront her disorder. She went to a healthcare provider to seek help. After finding an individualized treatment plan, she found the light that worked for her. "So for me there came a point when I said there's more to life than this. I decided to talk to my health care provider and really come up with an individual plan that worked for me. This is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about it because I live with it and if you feel you are experiencing some of the symptoms go out there, talk to your health care provider, there's help out there. You don't have to suffer in silence like I did for so many years" (Seles 2015).
Seles discussed her struggles with Binge Eating Disorder to abcNEWS and how it affected her life. She stated, "My eating was just uncontrollable" and ,"My permanent experience binge eating is eating huge and i mean huge quantities of food in a very short period of time so for me when I was in stressful situations I would start my binge eating" (abcNEWS 2015). Like many others, it was possible for her to find a turning point. A friend asked Seles to be a bridesmaid for her wedding which motivated her to confront her disorder. She went to a healthcare provider to seek help. After finding an individualized treatment plan, she found the light that worked for her. "So for me there came a point when I said there's more to life than this. I decided to talk to my health care provider and really come up with an individual plan that worked for me. This is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about it because I live with it and if you feel you are experiencing some of the symptoms go out there, talk to your health care provider, there's help out there. You don't have to suffer in silence like I did for so many years" (Seles 2015).
Famous Case Study #2: Demi Lovato
Famous singer and actress, Demi Lovato, has spent her entire life struggling with body image issues. At age 22 she admits that she has always had an eating disorder. She started off as a binge eater at the age of eight then developed other eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia in her teenage years. Being in the spotlight made it especially hard for Demi. After a roller coaster of weight gain and weight loss, she finally opened up about her disease. She checked herself into rehab to address personal issues with food and over-eating in 2010. After a long battle back to health, Demi is stronger and more secure now that she found the right treatment plan for her self. She finds strength by advocating her views on eating disorders and promoting good messages to her fans about being happy in the skin you have and having the confidence to embrace who you are.
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In the video below, Demi Lovato shared her story about her eating disorder and how she is continuing to work through it. At 2:45, she begins to describe how at only 3 years old she began to look at her self in a judgmental light. She talks about beginning to binge eat at the age of 8 which then went onto develop to anorexia and bulimia in her teenage years.