Tyra Banks Weight Loss And Weight Gain: Model Knows What It's Like To Be Too Thin And Too Fat

Tyra Banks is speaking out her emotional weight fluctuation.

Since a child, Banks has been everything from "too thin" to "too big," and in a new interview, the America's Next Top Model host is opening up about the journey.

"The summer I turned 11 years old, I lost 30 lbs. and I had a growth spurt," Banks, 40, recalled in the latest issue of PEOPLE Magazine. "And it wasn't even supermodel thin. It was more than that. Some people thought I had an eating disorder."

As a child, Banks struggled to put on weight and because of her thin frame, received a lot of negative comments accusing her of being too thin. Throughout her younger years, Banks visited doctors regularly, and, at one point, was misdiagnosed with gigantism. Then, as she got older, she began to gain weight and soon felt what it was like to be on the opposite side of the weight spectrum.

"Who would have thought that the girl who was forced to go to the hospital because she's so skinny would one day be called too fat?" Banks asked. "I know the pain of somebody who's too thin and the pain of somebody that people say is too big."

Nowadays, Banks does what she can to stay active in promoting healthy self-esteem in the young women on her show. Since Banks knows the struggles involved in being an up-and-coming model, she is always sure to show the ladies un-retouched photos of herself and tell the truth about her beauty.

During her book tour for Tyra's Beauty Inside and Out, Banks had an epiphany and immediately dedicated herself to ensure that others find their inner beauty.

"There was a girl with a black eye," Banks remembered. "And she said, 'How do I cover my black eye? My boyfriend hit me and I need to know how to cover it.' I will never forget it. I knew I had to go further and do more."