'American Idol' Lauren Alaina: 'I made myself sick over weight issues'

Lauren Alaina has confessed that she has struggled with her weight since coming to Hollywood.

The American Idol runner-up revealed that she was initially obsessed with her weight after making the move.

"As a girl, a teenage girl, without even wanting to, you constantly compare yourself to other girls. It's like I was in this competition with all these beautiful girls," Alaina told the Associated Press.

She continued: "Sometimes it would swallow me up. I would compare myself to those other girls to the point where it would make me sick, because I'm not like heavy, heavy, but I'm not the skinniest girl in the world."

The singer went on to say that she has since adopted a healthier attitude concerning her weight.

"I'm actually working out right now - for me," Alaina said. "That's the biggest thing, you have to do it for yourself."

She explained: "During the show I thought, 'These people aren't going to like me if I look this way'. But that's not true, because then I started realising that my fan base was growing and I was getting further along in the competition, and I was thinking, 'I haven't changed anything'."

Alaina's debut album, which features a song penned by fellow American Idol alum Carrie Underwood, was released last week. She has said that the track written for her by Underwood "means a lot" to her.

In July, the 16-year-old thanked Justin Bieber for following her on Twitter, crediting him with making her "feel cool".

Watch the video for Lauren Alaina's 'Like My Mother Does' below: