Tami Roman opened up about her eating disorder and the struggles she faces suffering from type 2 diabetes during a recent episode of “The Real.”
The 50-year-old’s revelation came after a discussion about a rise in cases of body dysmorphic disorder among people because of the increased use of social media. Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental illness that occurs when individuals obsessively focus on a perceived flaw in their physical appearance.
In the Nov. 22 episode, Roman shared she has been suffering from body dysmorphic disorder since she was 13 years old. She said, “I suffer from body [dysmorphic] disorder, and I’ve been since I was 13 years old. A lot of people don’t know it’s either hereditary or genetic or comes from a negative experience, where your self-image has been annihilated.”
Roman continued by mentioning the particular event that transformed her perception of herself. The former “Basketball Wives” star revealed since she was 13, she always wanted to be a model and was provided an opportunity. Still, when she went to an agency, Roman claimed an unidentified woman who worked at the undisclosed company “ripped her to shreds.”
“For me, when I was 13 years old, I wanted to be a model. You know we’re from New York. I was tall, I was 5’9, I was thin. And I went to this agency and walked in, and that lady ripped me to shreds. I thought I was perfect: 5’9, less than 120 pounds. Assuredly, they’re going to sign me. And she literally stood me in front of a mirror and said, ‘You’ve got back folds, you’ve got fat over your knees. You need to do something with your chin. Your breasts are sagging.’ “
Roman added that since that encounter, she’s long thought that something was wrong with her. She described the numerous ways she tried to lose weight to achieve her dreams of being a model. The list included “taking laxatives,” “not eating,” and “throwing up.” Roman also went as far as to have her mouth wired shut in 1993 in hopes of being skinny.
She stated, “I started abusing laxatives, I started not eating, I started throwing up, I started doing everything that I could think of to do to be as skinny as I could possibly be, being obsessive about my weight loss. People don’t realize, that’s why I got my mouth wired in 1993 to be skinny when I was already skinny.”
Roman wrapped up the discussion by opening up how this disorder affects her type-2 diabetes diagnosis. “Now today at 50 years. old, I’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and so my weight fluctuates with that and you couple that with the disorder, it’s a hard thing to manage. People don’t understand what it is to be a person with this disorder, particularly with the weight issues, because they leave negative comments.”
As Roman’s remarks about her struggles with an eating disorder went viral, many mentioned how her admission shows that no one truly knows what an individual is going through.
“Wow. and people were coming down hard on her in her comment section. you NEVER know what someone going through so it’s best to just keep s–t to yourself…”
“You never know what people are going through behind closed doors”
“This is exactly why people gotta understand what you’re doing to people when you’re making fat jokes or putting people down because of their weight. You never know what you’re adding on to or starting.”
“Wow you really never know what someone id going through! I’m glad she is open to speak her truth. She could be helping someone.”
In addition to the previous comments, others pointed out how Roman’s former “BBW” co-star Evelyn Lozada also poked fun at her weight during an episode of the VH1 series. One said, “Evelyn was always dragging her weight. With her being her close friend at one point, I’m sure Tami probably shared that story with her in some form smh ppl will use your low points against you every time.”
Another said, “This is so sad, and to believe @evelynlozada and the girls bullied and ridiculed for her weight loss.” Lozada’s infamous weight comment occurred in 2018 over a rumor that Roman allegedly spread about the star sleeping with Shaunie O’Neal’s ex-husband, Shaquille O’ Neal.
She said, “You need to worry about something else like your health,” she said. “You’re lookin’ like a crackhead these days.” Following that incident, Roman later explained that her smaller appearance was because she was making better “food” choices to control her diabetes.
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