Lettuce Diets and Weight Watchers? These New Moms Need to Stop

June 12th, 2012 - By Alissa Henry

"Celebrity New Moms"
Move over Jennifer Hudson! Jessica Simpson is the new celebrity spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

Why Jessica Simpson? Because God forbid a new mother’s first order of business be to bond with her baby. She has weight to lose and fast!

It’s terrible the amount of pressure placed on celebrity mothers and, by extension, non-celebrity mothers to lose baby weight as quickly as possible as soon as they leave the hospital.

Worse, are the celebrities that face the pressure themselves and then turn around and cover magazines promoting their weight loss as an even prouder moment than birthing a healthy baby.

Even “Queen Bey” has completely fed into this nonsense. She made headlines after telling her fans at a concert that she lost 60 pounds in five months by running on a treadmill and eating lettuce. I hope she was only kidding because that is ridiculous, especially since she is (or was?) breastfeeding.

New mom, actress and author Tia Mowry says that she was encouraged to seek surgery to help her lose her baby weight. At a book signing in DC, she told BellyItchBlog.

“Money was being thrown at me to do surgeries and I said no, ‘I want to do it the right way’ because I know there are moms out there who can relate.

“I lost 5 lbs a month which is what your OB/GYN suggest you to do, I would work out 3 times out of the week because moms, who are working moms, who want to spend time with their baby, don’t have time to be in the gym 2 hours a day.”

And why should they? It’s one thing if a person had a baby a decade ago and is still calling the extra poundage “post-baby weight”, but we really need to give these brand new moms a break.

Studies have shown that most mothers return to their pre-pregnancy weight just a year after giving birth. So why glorify someone who has dropped the weight in five weeks as though that is something to be proud of and aspire toward? It’s unrealistic at best and dangerous at worst.

Granted, there are some things that newly pregnant women try to do while expecting to prevent a colossal amount of weight gain and that definitely helps them bounce back quickly. This is how Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr was able to walk in that famous fashion show last year just months after giving birth. However, if a pregnant woman piled on 75 pounds in ten months then it will (and should) take longer than ten weeks to strip it off.

Women have enough body image issues and pressures as it is. It’s not fair that a new mom should be subject to intense scrutiny and cruel insults (like the comments directed toward The Help‘s Bryce Dallas Howard and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) simply because they aren’t working overtime at the gym immediately after pushing a human being out of their uterus.

The expectation to make the weight evaporate seems standard because there aren’t enough celebrities, like Tia Mowry, who say publicly that taking care of their baby and their body is much more important than wriggling into a bikini in record time.

Instead, Jessica Simpson accepting the Weight Watcher’s advertising gig and Beyonce announcing her lettuce diet are prime examples of celebrity moms that insist on being part of the ever-growing problem that is expecting women to be walking around in ever-shrinking bodies and, quite frankly, it’s sad.

Do you think new Hollywood mothers are taking their post-baby weight loss too far?

Alissa Henry is a freelance writer living in Columbus, OH. Follow her on Twitter @AlissaInPink or check out her blog: This Cannot Be My Life

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  • 4realz

    Do we seriously have to do everything the celebs do? Can’t we use our brain to realise that these celebrities have personal trainers & diet chefs to help them with their weightloss. I wish people would stop ensuing that just because a celebrity does something, we all have to do the same.

  • Military Mom

    I’m in the military and my job requires PHYSICAL FITNESS, new mothers are given 8 weeks to get back in shape. IT can be done, it is HARD but you have to do what you have to do. I did it and thousands of other military mothers, did it.
    I ate 5 small healthy meals a day, only protein between meals and worked out 30 mins in the am and 30-45 mins in the evenings every day…using cardio (jump rope/jogging) and lifting light weights.
    If your job is tied to your appearance and fitness level, then you DO IT or lose your pay. if your self esteem is tied to your appearance then GET OFF UR BOOTY and DO IT

  • dreamnoa

    Now you people are talking about those new mothers because the loosed weight, what about the others one that didn’t lose weight, like fantasia and others, and folk out there are looking with the side eye? Just leave those women alone!!

  • 33weeks

    It’s the nature of the field they’re in. I’m due myself in a few weeks myself and I have a post preggo workout plan ready to go. I’ve never been skinny, I just feel so uncomfortable literally. Being a good mom is my number one priority, but taking care of my health is part of being a good mother.

  • Priceless

    I believe even if I haven’t had any child yet that they shouldn’t be doing that, after all they are models for a lot of women, and they kind of encourage them to use drastic measures just to lose belly fat. I don’t think that this is a good idea. And when it comes to weight watchers, this is just some money making website, don’t waste your time there, what every one should learn how to do is eat right ( veggies and so on ) and all what you want but in small amounts, Eat chocolate and vanilla ice cream but don’t bathe in it like it’s the last time you will ever be seeing this in your life ! and do sports ! that’s the most important thing !
    And one last thing,a woman without forms is like a jeans without pockets, you don’t know where to put your hands ^^ ( not my quote but it was the good occation to use it ) all of this to tell girls to love their forms and don’t try to look like those skinny women who puts their life in danger just to please some random people in the world . Be yourself and love yourself just the way you are ( through I don’t say that being overweight is a good thing eihter when you know all the health issues that comes with it ) ^^

  • Shay

    Since, Beyonce just performed in Atlantic City, I’m sure that most of her exercise came from practicing her dance routines. I think she exaggerated treadmill and the lettuce bit. But let’s face it, there would be people complaining about her if she came on stage with baby weight.

  • Tiamarie

    Isnt it apparent that Beyonce was probably over exageratting the fact that she spent a lot of time on the treadmill and ate a lot of salads to prepare for her May shows. She had no choice anyway, that’s how she makes her money. If she would have been chubby still y’all would have been tripping!

  • jhoey

    What celebrity weight just fell off after giving birth outside of models who went through extremes in the likes of giving birth at 7 months etc etc ??

    Jessica is having trouble. It took Tia a while a work still in progress, MC, AK, Nia Long, Fantashia, Hillary.. the only one who jumped back out like Bam was Beyonce and it’s alleged she didn’t give birth ! The rest are still coping !

  • Lacorsha

    Anybody can birth an ole big headed baby but how many people can snap back after that?

  • Ay

    I wish people would stop using the word “hater”…………………

    • SickOfRidiculous

      I agree. God forbid one has a dissenting opinion. A difference of opinion equals hate these days.

    • psylocke_2001

      me too i detest the following words and phrases: “hater”, “it’s whatever”, “it is what it is”, and “swag” and/or “swagger”.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ashley-Sykes/1065177536 Ashley Sykes

        for me “to each his own”, “don’t knock their hustle” and of course “yolo”.lol most are used to excuse sad behavior

    • psylocke_2001

      me too i detest the following words and phrases: “hater”, “it’s whatever”, “it is what it is”, and “swag” and/or “swagger”.

    • psylocke_2001

      me too i detest the following words and phrases: “hater”, “it’s whatever”, “it is what it is”, and “swag” and/or “swagger”.

  • Just saying!!

    This is a great article. I think these extreme diets show desperation and as much as these celebrities say “everyone is beautiful” they clearly dont believe that because then they rush to get skinny again. You’d think they would embrace who they are and love their imperfections as much as they claim to! I mean I understand the public’s criticism might come, but a change has got to start somewhere!!

  • IllyPhilly

    They get paid to look good so they better get it together. I just don’t like how they make it seem like it’s so easy for a Kmart cashier to lose her baby weight in 2 weeks. (no offense)

  • Pingback: Celebrities Promote Pressure For New Moms to Lose Weight … | Having A Healthy Baby

  • angel

    Certain celebriities (like Beyonce) have no choice but to lose the weight fast bcuz their bodies are a major part of their careers. Non-celebrity moms on the other hand have absolutely no reason to lose all of thier baby weight quickly, and if they have a desire to lose the weight fast then thats on them. Personally whenever I have a child I will try to lose the weight within a matter of months.

  • RedButterfly81

    I gained 30lbs during my pregnancy and gave birth to my 9lbs 3oz. daughter 4 years ago. Then at my 6 week visit I took depo shots and it made me gain 25 more pounds and then I stopped the shots and switched to Mirena. Then I joined the gym, got rid of fried foods, soda, and cake, got advice from my nutritionist and lost a total of 40 pounds in 2 years and I feel more energetic and confident. But as far as these celeb mom go, they have to look good if they want that $$$.

  • bluekissess

    How is this nonsense? Time is money. It only takes a day for some of these celebrities to become irrelevant. Here today gone tomorrow. The writer of this article seems like a hater. All these women are beautiful and if I had access to the same things.they had I would want to flaunt my post baby body too. MN needs to knock it off

  • gmarie

    But for these women (celebrity) staying in shape is their bread and butter. Their image and brand signs the checks. Can you fault them?
    I also don’t think it’s farfetched that a woman would want to get back into physical shape just because she actually WANTS to herself. It isn’t a crime. Of course bonding with baby is important but so is a woman’s well being and the way she feels about herself. If working hard to get back in shape makes a woman feel good about herself I’m all for it. Happy mommy=Happy baby in most instances.

    • bluekissess

      Thank you MN is sipping on that haterade

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ashley-Sykes/1065177536 Ashley Sykes

      what they are trying to say it that people are more focused on EXPECTED and inevitable weight gain that women WILL have after having a human being in their body for 9 months, than congratulating them on their journey through pregnancy and having a healthy child. it’s very sad because women already have enough pressure to be perfect. now we have to be skinny as hell as soon as the baby is born? it’s not right!