Dear Today Show: Yes, Jessica Simpson is struggling to lose her baby weight. Guess what? So are tens of thousands of women all across the country. So why is this news? Is it because she didn’t reveal her bikini body eight weeks postpartum like many Hollywood starlets? That is simply unrealistic for about 99.9% of the female population who are not genetically blessed or don’t have access to an array of nutritionists, trainers, personal cooks and full-time nannies. So while it is refreshing to see a celebrity who is “just like us,” remember she just had a baby only four months ago, so please cut the girl some slack and back off.
I can’t believe it has come to this, but I am defending Jessica Simpson. In case you missed it, here’s a link to a story that aired on the Today Show this morning about her battle to lose the post-baby bulge – a story she wasn’t even directly interviewed for, I might add.
Link : Jessica Simpson Today Show interview
Am I the only one who finds it disturbing that there’s this public fascination with her post-baby weight loss? I mean, I am an admitted celebrity gossip junkie and all, but it’s not like Jessica Simpson has really done much, entertainment-wise, in the last few years to warrant this attention. So why the obsession? Why is this news?
As anyone who has given birth knows, dropping the post-baby weight is hard, plain and simple. I gained a whopping 60+ pounds with Buddy. I had kept a watchful eye on the scale since my teen years, and I think I saw those nine months as a excuse to indulge because, for once, I didn’t “have” to diet. I had second helpings of cake and, like Jessica, I indulged in macaroni and cheese and all sorts of other goodies that had been on my “forbidden” list.
And I’m not going to lie, I cried during my last few weekly weigh-ins before Buddy was born when I saw a number on the scale I never thought I’d see. I cried when I came home from the hospital expecting to have lost about 50 of those pounds and saw I was only down about 10 (something Jessica also admits to).
It was a long road to get back to where I was when I first saw those two pink lines on the pregnancy test. Like Jessica, I turned to Weight Watchers for an initial boost, then worked on it on my own, just trying to eat healthy and resume the workouts I had enjoyed before I became a mom. But it wasn’t until Buddy turned 2 or 3 that I finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight. So it literally took years for me.
I tried to be a little more mindful during my pregnancy with Mimi and gained somewhere between 35-40 lbs – a healthy amount for someone of my height. I indulged here and there but I didn’t use pregnancy as an excuse to go crazy, and I tried to keep up with my workout routine, modifying it as my bump grew. Rather than turning to Weight Watchers again, I instead used my competitive nature to my advantage and gave myself a goal of finishing a 5K when Mimi was 4 months old, followed by a 10K about 6 months later. For me, having something to work toward – besides fitting into my skinny jeans – was key.
The reality is that your body is never quite the same after having kids, no matter how fast you drop the baby weight. I’ve accepted that my hips are a little wider and I have silvery ribbons of stretch marks and I’ll probably always have a weird droop in my lower tummy just above my c-section scar. And let’s not talk about the aftermath of breastfeeding. But that’s okay – it’s a small price to pay to bring these two safely into the world:
So many magazines (believe me, I should know!) and other talk shows praise and applaud those celebrity moms who lose the baby weight in six weeks or claim they lost all their weight simply by breastfeeding. But it is just not realistic for most women and all it does is add to the ridiculous pressure us “average moms” put on ourselves to regain that pre-baby body right away – just what a hormonal, sleep-deprived new mom needs. All I know is that I am incredibly thankful that my postpartum weight loss journey didn’t turn into morning talk show fodder like poor Jessica. I can’t imagine what it must be like to hear people analyze or say mean and nasty things about your body after you’ve just had a baby.
So Jessica, if you’re reading this, stay strong, girl! We know how you feel. It’s frustrating and demoralizing at times, but you’ll bounce back and get to where you need to be in your own time. Remember, your body has done something miraculous. Enjoy this precious time with your baby girl, embrace the fun and excitement of being a new mom and don’t let anyone shame or judge or criticize you for taking “too long” to regain your pre-baby figure.
What do you think? Should the media leave Jessica Simpson alone? Why is there an obsession with her battle to lose the post-baby weight?
Kim says
I know EXACTLY what Jessica is going through. The media needs to leave her be. As a new mother myself to my first child, I was following Weight Watchers along with my husband before becoming pregnant. I was doing great and lost 45 lbs prior to the blessing of our good news. So, just like you “sane mommy”, I allowed myself to indulge a bit more while pregnant, although I still stayed active through the first 6-7 mos. I gained approx 35 lbs, but being a “fluffy” woman to begin with, it probably shouldn’t have been as much. So now the road begins again. My daughter is two months old, and I am returning to work FT in about 10 days. It will be hard, but I am ready to get into what my “normal” routine will now be, and figure out how to throw exercise into the mix and get back on track. Phew…I am already tired!!
Jess says
Here Here Jess!!!! I agree. All those actresses that lose the weight in 6 weeks probably all have 3 nannies, 2 trainers and a nutritionist.
Jessica says
LOL! What I would do with 3 nannies …. 🙂