Demi Lovato wants her fans to know that she is not concerned with dieting — and in typical Demi fashion, she’s sharing her message in an educational and empowering way.
Earlier this week, an Instagram user posted a paparazzi photo of Lovato leaving the gym and tagged her. The fan — who has since apparently deleted their account — captioned the shot with an offer: “hey demi dm me so we can discuss a diet plan for you,” @selenuer wrote.
In a response to the would-be body-shamer, which was captured by the website The Whisp, the outspoken star wrote: “I actually am choosing not to diet and fall back into unhealthy behaviors at the risk of losing my sanity or mental health but thank you for the offer! Super sweet.”
While her answer could be read as sarcastic, the heart emoji she concluded it with seems to suggest she was being sincere.
The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer, 26, has long been open about her struggles with past issues ranging from bulimia to cutting to drug abuse. After a headline in March commented on her “fuller” body size, the star posted a series of Instagram Story slides about the dangers diet culture. “I am more than my weight,” she wrote. “Unlike the past, I’m not triggered, I’m not upset that someone wrote a headline about my ‘fuller figure.’ I’m angry that people think it’s OK to write headlines about people’s body shapes.”
In July 2018, Lovato — who had been sober for six years up until that point — was hospitalized following a near-fatal overdose in her home. Afterward, she attended an in-patient rehab center.
As part of her recovery, Lovato dedicated herself to working out. Regular boxing and MMA sessions at Unbreakable Performance Center in L.A. help her stay healthy now — and helped her in the past too. As the pop star told Us Weekly in 2017, she finds exercising “therapeutic.” Said Lovato, “I feel the most confident when I’m in the gym — whenever I’m training, whether it’s boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu.”
