Michelle Duggar Opens Up About ‘Destructive’ Bulimia Struggle

Michelle Duggar discussed her previous struggle with bulimia in Tuesday's (March 10) episode of 19 Kids and Counting.

Us Weekly reports that while the reality TV star previously opened up about her eating disorder in her daughters' book Growing Up Duggar, she shared even more on the show.

"Before I came to know the Lord, I had been struggling in my self-worth, just feeling like I needed to measure up with all of my friends around me. I just really began to have a wrong view of who I was and felt like I gained weight so easily," Michelle said.

She continued, "I ended up starting a bad habit of making myself get sick after I would eat, especially if I had more food than I felt like I should eat, and it was destructive for my health and my life."

However, Michelle is aware that self-image is a struggle all women face, including her daughters.

"I think all girls probably struggle with the same body issues," she said. "The struggle is going to be there and I just talk with my kids — my girls, my boys — and I'm honest with them about the things that I struggled with."

Michelle also shared her current outlook on her body image.

"Life is too short to never have a chocolate chip cookie," she said. "But you need to be wise in how you do that."

Last year, Michelle's daughters Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger discussed their mother's eating disorder in their book Growing Up Duggar. Initially referring to her as Marie, they wrote (via People), "On the outside, Marie had what everyone else wanted, but on the inside, she felt sad and empty. She began to envy the girl who tried to control her weight through what turned out to be a destructive eating disorder. Not realizing how dangerous it was, Marie thought it might work for her, and soon her obsession to stay thin started controlling her life."