Fatima tells the harsh truth about her struggle with epilepsy, bulimia and the years she lost

Fatima Sana Shaikh talks about her long-term struggle with epilepsy and eating disorders, which started after her physical transformation for the film ‘Dangal’. The actor explained that the intense training and diet required for his role made it difficult to form a relationship with food.

“I have had a love-hate relationship with myself and I have become addicted to a certain image of myself. I have had a toxic relationship with food. I gained weight in Dangal because I had to. When I’m goal-oriented, I do everything. I was training for three hours, so I had to consume 2,500-3,000 calories every day to gain weight. When the film ended, I wasn’t training that much, but then Was also increasing by 3,000 calories because I was used to it,” he said during his appearance on actor Rhea Chakraborty’s podcast.

After the film, Fatima’s eating habits became unhealthy and difficult to control. She revealed that she was afraid of leaving her place due to her sudden eating habits. The actor said, “Food became my place of comfort. I could eat continuously for hours. I hate myself because I have no control. I work out to extremes. Just a few days ago, I kept eating for two hours. Then I went into a state of starvation. In fact, it was so disabling that I was not leaving the house.”

Fatima said she struggled with bulimia for two years and explained how her strict approach to dieting contributed to her struggle. She added, “My understanding of diet was so rigid that I had to consume only so many calories a day. Even now, I think about food all the time. I’m always hungry. But I’ve become aware of it because that unhealthy relationship has been changing over the years.”

The ‘Metro…In Dino’ actress also discussed the impact it has on mental health and recalled how her friend and ‘Dangal’ co-star Sanya Malhotra had confronted her about her habits, which left her feeling embarrassed and introspective. He thanked another friend, screenwriter Rahul Modi, for helping him adopt healthy habits. She said, “This is no way to live. Are you so trapped in your mind that you can’t even step out of your house? Now there are days when I eat too much, but I don’t feel guilty. I chose this.”

Fatima addressed the impact of social media on body image. “Overeating is not a problem. But the problem is with you because you are insecure and eating your emotions. You just want to go numb. It’s like the apocalypse. At the end of it you feel nauseous.” Fatima said, “Whenever someone has a mental health disorder, everything seems fine from the outside. All the devils and dark thoughts are within you, and you are dealing with them all alone.”

Apart from her eating disorder, Fatima also suffers from epilepsy. He mentioned an incident where symptoms were triggered by exposure to bright light. “I didn’t know epilepsy was such a challenge in daily life. I just thought you get a few episodes and you can’t work for a few days,” the 33-year-old said.

She now takes the medication regularly, although she initially resisted it: “I thought there was nothing wrong with me. Why are you giving it to me.” crazy medicine (Medications for mentally handicapped people)? Because your association is that if someone has an epileptic fit, it means they’re drunk or on drugs or seeking attention. I don’t feel bad for myself, but I feel bad for them that they don’t have the empathy to understand that this could be a situation.”

Fatima shared that her coworkers have been supportive, but concerns remain: “Now, this is my life. I have to live with it. The people who work with me know about it and they don’t have any problems. My world is accepting of it,” she said. “But it gives me a lot of anxiety, especially at first, because I wonder what will happen if I’m in front of the paparazzi?”

Actors are now preparing for this His upcoming film is ‘Gustakh Ishq’.In which she has been paired with Vijay Verma. Manish Malhotra’s first production also stars Naseeruddin Shah and Sharib Hashmi. It is set for release on November 21.