Jim Bob Duggar Reveals Dramatic Weight Loss

By Allison Schonter

Jim Bob Duggar is looking a little slimmer these days. The Duggar family patriarch and former Counting On star revealed a trimmed-down look in a new photo with wife Michelle Duggar shared just before they sat down for their Thanksgiving feast, crediting his 35-pound weight loss to a bone broth diet.

Duggar revealed his weight loss in a new post to the Duggar Family Blog on Nov. 22. Simply titled "Jim Bob's Bone Broth Fast," included at the end of the post was the photo that got Counting On fans talking. The image showed Duggar standing with his wife in front of a Christmas tree in blue jeans and a black polo, looking noticeably slimmer. In the blog post, Duggar went on to explain that he embarked on his weight loss journey after reaching his highest weight ever, sharing that after stepping on the scale following a family trip and weighing 232 pounds, he realized he "wasn't in shape and I knew this wasn't a healthy weight for me. Most of the pounds were right in front of me hanging over my belt."

"Over the past decade and a half, I have made some unhealthy food choices. We've traveled quite a bit as a family, and it was easy to eat a lot of fast food. While it was convenient, it wasn't good for me," he continued, sharing that "growing up I had always been super skinny. I could eat about anything and everything and not gain any weight. It was about the time I got elected to be an Arkansas State Representative, in my early 30s, that I went from being very active to sitting around a lot in various meetings and no longer burning the [same] amount of calories I was consuming. I went from wearing 29" W x 36" L jeans when I got married, to a tight-fitting 36" W x 29" L."

While Duggar admitted that he "liked food more than working to be fit," he also realized he needed to make a few changes. He decided to do a bone broth fast after he'd participated in one for church, writing he has "seen physical benefits from fasting." On Oct. 17, Duggar committed to the fast, with a little help from his wife, who "asked if I would also like to have some beef bone broth." Although he was initially planning to only do the fast for one to three days, Duggar said "it was so easy that I decided to do it for 5 days! Then 7 days, then 10 days, then 2 weeks, then 3 weeks, then 4 weeks, then 5 weeks."

Duggar's current goal is to complete a 40-day fast. He has certainly been seeing the results, too. While Duggar began at 232 pounds, by day 35, he revealed he lost 35 pounds, sharing, "I have felt great, and went from 232lbs. to 197lbs." He believed that by day 40, he will have lost close to 40 pounds. After that 40-day mark, Duggar said he plans to continue implementing healthier habits, such as transitioning to vegetables and exercising daily while also steering away from things like "flour, sugar, and unhealthy fats as much as I can in the future."

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