Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson East has detailed her struggles with body image, weight-loss medications, and nutrition after the 2008 Bejing Olympics.
Johnson, 28, shared a nearly 25-minute video on her family’s YouTube page, “The East Fam,” which she updates with her husband Andrew East, a former NFL player. In it, Johnson shared her body image story over the past decade to answer fans’ questions about her body after childbirth. She gave birth to her daughter, Drew, in October.
Johnson won gold on the balance beam in 2008 and added silver medals in the team, general and floor competition. She said in the video, titled “Body Imaging Problems: 110 Lbs. To Pregnant,” that it hit a low point after those games and appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2009.
“Every decision I made in my life up to that point, for at least 13 of my 16 years, was based on gymnastics. What it would take and what you had to do to get to the Olympics. What I ate, who I dated, how I dressed, “he said.” Literally every decision I made was for the Olympics. Now that the Olympics were over, he didn’t know how to function like a normal human being. “
Johnson, who was 16 at the time of the games, said there were bad habits related to being a gymnast that she tried to continue. A big one was being perfect, and that included a body type that she thought was perfect. She was eating about 700 calories a day for two meals, she said, and would pass out after practice. When the competition ended, she started taking different types of weight loss medications plus Ephedrine and Adderall. It was a “kind of dark spiral,” she said.
“I started doing everything I could to lose weight and look like what I did at the Olympics,” he said, “because in my opinion, everyone praised me for what I did at the Olympics, praised who I was.” as a human being when I was there. And in my mind if I could look like this, not necessarily compete or do gymnastics, but if I could become that person again, then the world would say that it was ‘enough’ and that it was accepted. “
Johnson detailed exactly when she decided to retire rather than continue gymnastics and how she hired a therapist and nutritionist to help her follow a healthy path. She said she has come a long way and “cleaned up” on all medications and prescriptions.
In 2016, when she married East, she said she had up to four healthy meals and about 1,500 calories per day. In 2017, she had a miscarriage, another low point in her life, she said.
When they decided to start trying again, he said he was concerned that his body problems would return to the way they were when he was younger. Instead, her comments to her nutritionist showed how far the gold medalist has come on her healthy journey.
“I said that my biggest fear is not eating enough. And it was just an iconic moment for her and me because she literally started crying on the phone. She says, ‘Shawn, you have worked with me for almost 10 years.’ She said, ‘Did you ever think you would be saying those words?’ Because until then my biggest fear in life was that I ate too much. And even though it would deprive me of calories, being able to say that I was afraid I couldn’t eat enough to protect my baby was this great step and victory. “
Johnson said she is proud of what has happened and how she has handled her postpartum body problems, adding that it is because of her record that she is doing so well. She wants to be a “good influence” for Drew to move forward.
