Jinger Duggar learned to have a “healthy relationship with food” after his childhood struggles.
“I think, for me in particular, (my people-pleasing tendencies were) definitely something that I wasn’t sure (of) for so many years, which led me to bad places,” Duggar, 31, said during the panel on Wednesday, January 1. 15, episode of “Unexpected” podcast. “Even with the way I viewed eating and things like that. I was struggling with not eating enough and it was because I thought I was too fat – and that wasn’t the case.
She added: “It was a thought process about wanting to belong and having authentic friendships. At some point we realized, “OK, well, we were built for community. It’s a good thing (and) we weren’t designed to live alone on an island. We are meant to be in community with other people.
For Duggar, she was afraid of being rejected and not being accepted by her peers. THE Rely on one former student also compared herself to others as she reached her teens.
“I was like 13, 14, 15 (and) I had friends who were naturally super skinny and I would look at these girls and compare myself to them,” Duggar recalled. “I was actually pretty skinny at the time. I wouldn’t gain weight easily, but I thought I could do it. It was this fear of, “I wasn’t as skinny as them, but I was still healthy.” It was this comparison that began to occur in my mind. I wasn’t thinking properly about myself.
Duggar continually thought she wasn’t “pretty enough” or “skinny enough” compared to her peers and slowly began trying to “avoid meals and stuff like that.”
(L to R) Jessa Duggar, Jinger Duggar, Jill Duggar and Jana Duggar visit “Extra” at their New York studios at H&M in Times Square on March 11, 2014 in New York City.
D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra“I felt unhappy because I thought, ‘OK, I don’t want to eat,’ or I thought, ‘If I went to someone else’s house, then I would (think) about what we were going to eat (and) Am I going to have something that won’t make me gain weight?’ “, she said. “My whole day would be consumed by that thought.”
Jinger finally spoke with her mother: Michelle Dugarsince she herself struggled with bulimia as a teenager. (Jinger, part of Michelle and her husband Jim Bob Duggar(The 19 children did not struggle with bulimia.)
“I was able to go talk to him after several months of struggling with it,” Jinger said. “When I spoke to her, she was really nice with the way she handled the situation. That was really helpful because she didn’t go from one extreme to the other, where she was just like, “Okay, now you have to eat everything in sight.” » She didn’t force me to eat unhealthy things.
Jinger Duggar has been honest about the challenges of growing up in the TLC spotlight — and breaking free from the conservative teachings of her childhood. Jinger is one of 19 children of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar who were raised as followers of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a fundamentalist organization founded by (…)
Jinger continued, “She said, ‘Jinger, I really appreciate you telling me that,’ but she came up with a plan (to) ‘text me about what you eat every day and I’d like too be responsible, and I’ll text you what I’m eating.’
Jinger found her mother’s support “so sweet” when she was “struggling so much.”
“I was so embarrassed by the way I was struggling,” the reality TV personality admitted. “I didn’t want to open up to her, but I knew I could because she is the sweetest person in the world.”
According to Jinger, Michelle, now 58, also insisted that she ate enough protein and fiber.
“That was the most helpful to me because then I started to develop a healthy relationship with food,” Jinger explained. “That’s something I realized, ‘OK, yeah, when you’re struggling like that,’ she told me, ‘that doesn’t mean she’s going to force you to eat three cheeseburgers because you don’t have any. need.’ (It’s) just, ‘eat what you need and that’s enough.’ That helped me understand and she kept telling me, ‘You are beautiful the way God made you.’
19 Kids and Counting alumna Jinger Duggar loves her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, despite their differences. “I am grateful for my childhood. It wasn’t perfect. I shared a lot of difficulties that I struggled with throughout my childhood, but in the end, I am grateful to my parents,” Jinger, (…)
Once Jinger was able to adjust her diet, she made sure she was eating “the right amount” of food for her body which invigorated her.
“I started feeling better (and had) more energy,” Jinger exclaimed. “I’m enjoying life again because I wasn’t thinking about food and then when I got to someone’s house and they were eating something that I usually didn’t eat or it was super fatty or unhealthy, I was like, ‘I’m fine,’ I’m going to eat this and it doesn’t matter.’
If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call its hotline at +1 (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.