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Jinger Duggar admits she tried ‘extreme dieting’ & ‘had to be skinny’ as she battled ‘eating disorder’
JINGER Duggar admitted she tried “extreme dieting” as she battled with an “eating disorder.”
The mom of two got candid about her struggles and revealed she felt she “had to be skinny” when she was a teenager.
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, 27, opened up about the struggles she had faced in the past and admitted she had only told her mom and husband Jeremy Vuolo about it all.
The reality star got real about her body image in an interview with .
She said: “For me, the wrestling was with my weight and my body image, even though I was very in shape and I didn’t need to lose weight.
“I felt like I needed to; as a 14-year-old girl, I was really wrestling with that.
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“I think in this culture around us, there is so much talk about what true beauty is and what we’re defined by — if it’s by how we look, how we were raised or how popular we are, whatever those things may be.”
Jinger revealed that previously only and mom, , had been aware of her struggles.
She said: “I talked to Jeremy. He knows about that, of course, from day one and my mom, but I think just those [issues] that I had, I wanted others to be able to see that they’re not alone and that there are answers for that.
“And you don’t have to feel like you have to measure up to a certain standard of beauty or personality or whatever it may be, but [it’s about] just accepting who you were made to be.”
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The reality star also admitted in the interview that being under scrutiny, she still finds herself questioning her weight at times.
She said: “I think it’s something that I feel like I have really just found my identity in Christ and, like, realizing, ‘OK, I don’t have to measure up.'
“There are days where I feel like it will come up in my mind for a second, but it’s not something that I struggle with on a daily basis.
“I mean, everybody will look in the mirror at some point and say, ‘Oh, like, I feel terrible.’ Or if I’ve [been] eating super unhealthy, like, ‘I know, OK. I just got to get back on track.’”
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Jinger’s sister recently praised her for speaking candidly about her eating disorder battle.
The expectant mom applauded Jinger for "sharing her struggle" in order to help others.
The DuggarsSnark Reddit account shared a video of Jessa telling Jinger: "You opening up with your journey, with like eating disorder. I know that's something mom struggled with as well...
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"I've known so many people that have had that struggle. I think it's great to just be open and share that struggle and that journey and how G-d brought you through that. And I know that will be a huge encouragement to so many people...
"I just enjoyed reading more of your perspective. I knew that was something you struggled with in your teen years... It was just so much more depth and like how the Lord brought you through."
and Jeremy, released a new book, The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God, on May 4.
Ahead of the book launch, Jinger revealed there were points during couple's courtship when .
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The 27-year-old shared: “There were some ups and downs in that time, and … at one point I kind of froze, and I was like, ‘Do I want to do this?’”
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She found it hard to bring up those painful memories, admitting: “That was something for me that was really tough. I don’t like to think about that day,” the TLC star said.
Jinger and Jeremy are parents to Felicity, two, and baby Evangeline Jo.
Jessa Duggar praises sister Jinger for being ‘so open’ about her eating disorder battle and ‘sharing her struggle’
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