How much weight did you gain with your three kids, and how long did it take to get back to your pre-baby body (or something resembling it)?
I gained exactly the same amount of weight on all three kids — 30 pounds. After my first son was born, I felt really smug because I lost all the weight in about three weeks. I didn’t even have to try! I was back in my regular clothes right away. After my second son, though, wow, that was a totally different story. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces at birth, and I remember getting on the scale afterward and I was only 7 pounds lighter than I had been while pregnant! It seemed impossible, what with all that goo and water that comes out of you in the hospital! But still, for months, the scale never moved. Even seven months after I gave birth, people were still asking me when I was due. I hated it! And now, my third child is five months old and I have maybe a pound or two left, even though body parts still seem out of place and might remain so forever.
How did you get back into shape — any diet and exercise tips?
On my third child, I was determined not to let the same thing happen to me that happened on my second. For starters, I exercised all through the pregnancy — something any celebrity trainer would tell you is the best place to start for your post-natal health. I played tennis until I was 26 weeks and walked on the treadmill almost every day after that. That definitely helped me feel great after giving birth, so I began taking long walks and even running almost immediately after I came home. After checking with my doctor, I started playing tennis again. I also got into cardio fit-style group classes out here in L.A., which I found to be really fun. Once weights were incorporated into my routine, I really began to see pounds come off and some shape return to different body parts. I also am really disciplined about what I eat. Those 500 extra calories a day I’m burning while breastfeeding aren’t being made up for with mayonnaise on a sandwich or ice cream anymore, like I did after my second pregnancy. I eat more vegetables now than I ever have before. Additionally, I’ve cut out empty calories. Also, the best advice nutritionist Keri Glassman (who’s worked with Jennifer Lopez) gave in my book is so simple: If you don’t want to be tempted to eat something bad, don’t have it in the house. It sounds so easy, but it’s hard to execute. The second best tip that also sounds easy? Get out of the house. Sitting in your kitchen surrounded by food all day can be dangerous!
How do celebs seem to get back into shape so quickly after giving birth? Do they have any tricks that the rest of us don’t?
One of the OB-GYNs interviewed in my book, Dr. Shari Brasner, has celebrity patients in New York. She was very clear: genetics play a huge part in recovery. She said you can learn about how you will bounce back to some degree by looking at how your own mother did after she gave birth. But what’s more important is that women who are super fit and in good shape before they give birth likely will recover quickly afterward as well. Celebrities also have trainers at their disposal and eat really well before they get pregnant, not just after.
Why is the public so fascinated by celebs gaining and losing baby weight (e.g. Jessica Simpson)?
I have a chapter called “What I Didn’t Expect After Expecting” that talks about all the unexpected changes that happen after giving birth, from bladder problems to that impossible-to-lose mom pooch to a bigger rib cage to shrunken breasts after breastfeeding. There’s even a part that is probably TMI about changes to your vagina. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that people are interested in the one thing that we actually can reverse: weight.
Did you look to any celebs as inspiration when you were trying to drop your own baby weight?
I loved how Jennifer Lopez used the goal of competing in a triathlon, which she did, as a way to shed her baby weight. I didn’t look like Heidi Klum before I gave birth. I don’t expect to look like her now. Nor should any mom! Granted, she is a supermodel, but she has been very candid about how incredibly hard she had to work with her trainer to lose the weight.
What can women do BEFORE they get pregnant to help them slim down later?
Be healthy and at your goal weight if possible before you get pregnant. And during pregnancy, maintain the recommended weight gain (25-35 pounds for the average woman).
Do you have any “cheat” foods that you’ll never give up no matter what?
Chocolate chip cookie dough. I can’t even have it in the house or there would be real problems!
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