Fatima Sana Shaikh on battling bulimia: 'I could eat for two hours non-stop and then vomit'
During that painful chapter in her life, actress spoke about how she went to extremes
Dubai: Bollywood actress Fatima Sana Shaikh opened up about battling bulimia for a year during her candid conversation on the Chapter 2 with Rhea Chakraborty podcast.
The actress revealed how the discipline she maintained for her transformation in Dangal slowly gave way to cycles of binge eating, restriction, and emotional turmoil.
“For Dangal, I trained intensely, often three hours a day, alongside additional workouts,” she said. To gain weight for the role, she consumed between 2,500 and 3,000 calories daily. “When I am goal-oriented, I will do everything,” Fatima explained, describing the structured, athlete-like mindset she adopted during filming.
But once the shoot ended, that structure disappeared, but the appetite didn’t.
“I could eat for two hours non-stop,” she admitted.
“I have two extremes. If I am not holistic, I go towards extremes.”
The cycle became painfully familiar: binge, guilt, restriction. She would obsess over calorie counts, calculating mentally how to “undo” what she had eaten.
“The problem is not in the food,” she reflected.
“It’s in you because you’re feeling insecure. You’re eating your feelings.”
In one of the most vulnerable moments of the podcast, Fatima revealed, “I felt I had absolutely no control. My understanding of diet was so rigid.” After episodes of overeating, she would induce vomiting to avoid “taking the calories.”
The secret ritual, fuelled by shame and self-criticism, caused both physical and emotional strain. Outwardly, she appeared fit, disciplined, and strong. Inwardly, she felt weak.
“When anyone has a mental health disorder, everything seems fine on the outside. But all the demons are in the mind,” she said, underscoring how eating disorders often hide behind appearances.
Fatima also described the pressures of image in Bollywood and social media.
“There are days I binge eat. But I chose it. I’m not punishing myself the same way,” she admitted.
Awareness, rather than compulsion, became her turning point. Friends helped her embrace a more holistic approach that includes smoothies, balanced meals, and nourishment without guilt.
“You can eat. You can be full,” she recalled being told.
Today, Fatima continues to work out and prioritise fitness, but her focus is no longer punishment or perfection and it’s sustainability and balance.
