This story discusses eating disorders. If you or someone you know has an eating disorder please call the National Eating Disorder Association at (800) 931-2237 or visit the website for a live chat. If you feel like you’re in crisis text “NEDA” to 741741 to talk with someone at the crisis text line.
Remi Bader is known for her entertaining and “realistic clothing hauls,” but the TikTok star took a much more serious tone with her latest post.
Earlier this week, the 26-year-old revealed that she’s seeking treatment for a binge eating disorder in a raw three-minute video.
Bader began the clip by explaining that she’s been in a professional groove and feels blessed to have seen so much success in her career.
“The past year and a half, I can’t even explain how happy I am that I’ve gotten to the point where I am and that this is my life and that this is my job and I enjoy very much what I do every day. I really do,” she said.
The TikToker, who has 2.1 million followers, then explained that she’s been struggling with self image, especially over the last few months.
“Things are getting worse for me (with) how I feel about myself, my body, my confidence. And obviously a lot of that has to do with my binge eating that I’ve said, back and forth, has gotten better, has gotten worse. But to be honest, has gotten to a point where it’s not getting any better,” she explained.
The TikToker said she’s embarking on a six-week outpatient program to address her binge eating and will be spending a few hours a day there, a few days each week.
“I’ll be eating there. I’ll be participating in all their different therapies that they have, and I just want to be transparent with you that this is something that I can’t share while I’m there for confidentiality reasons what is going on,” Bader said.
The social media star said she plans to give her followers an update on her progress when she’s done with the program.
“I’m really hoping that I have positive feedback for you guys where I can really feel better about myself and share everything I’ve learned with all of you,” she said.
In a recent interview with The Local Optimist, Bader explained that she started binge eating when she was stressed at her job, prior to becoming a social media influencer.
“When I was working in the music industry and feeling stressed, I would come home and order like $50 worth of food and just eat it all. Afterwards I would cry and be so upset about it, and it just turned into this really scary phase that no one — my family or close friends — could understand,” she said.
As she began to build her social media career, Bader started to open up about her eating struggles and found that her followers were very responsive to her honesty.
“I have always been a pretty open book and when I see that people care, want to learn more, and connect with me because they have similar issues, that makes me so happy. To be able to connect with people that understand — that’s why I’ve continued to talk about it,” she said.
What is binge eating?
According to the Mayo Clinic, binge eating disorder is an eating disorder where someone frequently consumes “unusually large amounts of food” and feels “unable to stop eating.”
“Most people with binge-eating disorder are overweight or obese, but you may be at a normal weight,” the organization explained on its website.
The Mayo Clinic lists several symptoms of binge eating, including eating quickly during binge episodes, eating alone or in secret regularly and eating until you’re uncomfortably full.
“Unlike a person with bulimia, after a binge, you don’t regularly compensate for extra calories eaten by vomiting, using laxatives or exercising excessively. You may try to diet or eat normal meals. But restricting your diet may simply lead to more binge eating,” the Mayo Clinic notes.
