Langrendsstjernen Jessica Diggins has for many years suffered from an eating disorder, which in particular influenced her in the late teens.
In an interview with NRK tells the american now, about the time a trainer got her to believe that she was fat.
“I had a trainer who said something to me many years ago. He said, ‘you have been much bigger than you were when you were in high school’.”
“I should have thought, ‘yes, I have gone through puberty, of course I’m bigger than I was when I was 15 years old’. But the brain was thinking, ‘god, I am bold’,” says Jessica Diggins.
She points out that it may have been intended as a compliment to her greater muscle mass, but it was not how she perceived it:
“The way it was said on, hurt me. It can be difficult for young boys and girls who do Kalebet not have self-confidence, to get to know. They look up to coaches and seek advice to become better, and when a coach says that you are slow because you are bold, it is very hard to hear,” says Jessica Diggins.
In the interview with the NRK she explains also, why the emphasis on weight and weight loss are dangerous:
“If you look at the skiers, most of us, we in the USA call ‘type A people’. We are working hard, trying to be perfect and make every little thing right.”
“If you tell such a person that ‘this is not good, this must be addressed and be perfect’, then the person will only focus on it, and it may unfortunately lead to an eating disorder,” says Jessica Diggins.
For winter publishes her book ‘Brave Enough’ to help teenagers, who may experience pressure with regard to their weight and in the worst case, suffer from eating disorders.
Jessica Diggins writes about how she was sick, how the treatment went, and how she got away from the problems.
In 2018 won Jessica Diggins, along with Kikkan Randall olympic gold in sprintstafet in the south Korean Pyeongchang. The american duo also won the world cup in Italian Val di Fiemme in 2013.
