A little before the onset of her MS symptoms, Jamie-Lynn Sigler developed another health condition. “I have something called exercise bulimia, which is where you rid of your calories by over exercising,” she said on “The Early Show” in 2003. It started small, with Sigler reducing her meal portions a bit and working out in the mornings. But it quickly began to take over her life. “It snowballed into six or seven hours a day of exercise,” she said.
Sigler felt paralyzed by it as she had no time to do anything else. “The difference between a lot of exercise and exercise bulimia is when an individual is willing to cancel their whole life to fit in exercise,” she told CNN in 2005. She started waking up at 3 a.m. to jump on the treadmill, where she stayed for the next four hours until she had to get ready for school. She was down to 80 pounds. Sigler had already shot the pilot for “Sopranos,” but the show was on hold for about a year.
When she returned to set, she had everyone concerned. Sigler finally sought help and decided to become a spokesperson for the disease. Her co-stars were proud of her, including James Gandolfini. “He said, ‘You know, I think it’s really great what you’re doing, talking out about what you went through, because it’s hard to put yourself out there to help other girls,'” she recalled on “The Early Show.”
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA’s Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
