Jeannie Mai Opens Up About Eating Disorder

Jeannie Mai Opens Up About Eating Disorder

Jeannie Mai is opening up about having an eating disorder in the first episode of her new web series Hello Hunnay. She tells viewers it was a photo of her pointy knees and shoulders that helped her come to grips with the fact that she had a problem.

“I was low-key abusing myself,” she said. “The idea of being skinny became something that was most appealing to me. Even if you watch The Real, from Season 1 to Season 4, I was always 100 pounds. I started to really work hard to stay petite and to not gain weight and to stay sample size.”

“I looked weak,” she added, referencing the photo in which she looked very skinny. “I like to look at myself as a strong, resilient, capable woman and that’s not who I saw in that picture.”

Jeannie goes on to say she finally realized she had an eating disorder, before describing some bad food habits she’d indulged in for years, like picking at food and sharing plates with friends when out at dinner.

Now, 20 pounds heavier, she says she’s got a new perspective on her body and loves to work out.

“I love how it feels to go into the gym, crank all my favorite music and literally sweat out all of the things that stress me out, that worry me, that make me sad, that make me feel like I have self-shame, that weigh down on me and I always walk out feeling lighter and stronger,” she said.

Watch the clip up top, plus more from Jeannie Mai in the comparison photo she posted below.