Is Kim Kardashian Dropping Her Baby Weight Too Fast?
Photo Credit: Us Weekly
With all the celebrity baby buzz recently — Kim Kardashian, Penelope Cruz, and of course Britain’s new pride and joy — the race to drop pregnancy weight has been a hot topic lately.
Last week, reports surfaces that Kim Kardashian was planning on debuting her new post-baby bod on her mom Kris Jenner’s new daytime talk show sometime this summer, and that she’s already dropped 20 of the 50 pounds she gained while pregnant with baby North West. Don’t even get me started on the ridiculous name subject.
I reported on the news on The Buzz:
It wasn’t until after I watched the video back that I thought:
“Twenty pounds in one month? Isn’t that a little extreme?”
According to this article from Dr. Elizabeth Ward on WebMD, women shouldn’t even think about dieting or losing weight until at least six weeks after giving birth, especially if you are breast feeding. Once you are trying to drop those extra lbs, 1-2 pounds a week is the safe amount to aim for.
If Kim isn’t embellishing her recent loss, that would mean she’s dropping about 5 pounds a week and that she started immediately after giving birth. Hmmm, that doesn’t sound right to me.
Ward says that restricting calories immediately after pregnancy can affect the quality of breast milk, lead to a loss of muscle tissue and zap energy that moms so desperately need when taking care of a newborn.
I understand though that Kim is under major pressure to lose the weight. The poor girl (ok, poor might not be the right adjective) is constantly in the public eye (though self-imposed) and has received a ton of criticism over her weight gain.
The average woman is only supposed to gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, and 45 with twins. And of course, there are the supermodels and actresses out there who are making everyone feel inadequate, pregnant or not.
Photo Credit: Splash News
Just look as Gisele three months after giving birth to her daughter Vivan: Hollywood Mom’s Before & After Giving Birth >>
Ugh, makes you want to eat lettuce for the rest of the day doesn’t it?
So, I guess we can sympathize with Kim’s overzealous efforts to lose weight. I mean, clearly she’s not the only one in Hollywood obsessed with it.
So what is the healthy way to approach losing baby weight? Doctors say you should start before giving birth by eating a healthy diet (not eating “for two”) and sticking to your regular exercise regimen.
Gisele said her weight came off pretty easily because she did yoga three times a week and kung-fu, right up until she gave birth to her son.
Ward says you can begin to exercise again a couple of weeks after giving birth and start to diet at the six week mark, if you’re not breast-feeding. If you’re breast-feeding though, Ward says you should not diet until you’re done. She also adds that it’s a myth that breast feeding will help you drop weight.
It seems like a lot of info to process.
The most important take away though is this: losing all of the baby weight immediately after giving birth is not only not normal, it’s not healthy for you or your baby. The average woman takes three to six months to drop all of her baby weight, and that’s assuming she didn’t gain an unusual amount of weight.
So while Kim Kardashian’s attempt to drop 50 pounds in a mere two months may be well-intentioned, it’s clearly misguided. Kim needs to focus on keeping herself and her baby girl healthy.
I mean, this kid’s going to have enough trouble growing up with a name like North and a dad who called himself Yeezus.
GiGi Eats Celebrities says:
I’m not DYING to see her but… I am super curious! ;) You know she is our height too right?! How crazy is that?! I could NOT IMAGINE her booty on my body! LMFAO!!!!!!
PS: I love you on THE BUZZ ;)
Whitney English says:
Hey, speak for yourself shorty! I’m 5’5″ and a half :) xoxo
Bethann Wagner says:
I lost 18 of my 26 pounds gained during pregnancy just while I was in the hospital during delivery! Breastfeeding alone burns 500 calories/day so, a lot of the time new moms don’t need to try that hard to get your body back.
Admittedly, some will have a more trouble, but I don’t think it is totally unreasonable for Miss Kanye shed some pounds this summer. Good for her!
Whitney English says:
I realized after I wrote this that obviously you would lose quite a bit immediately after giving birth, just from the baby’s own weight. My point though was that it might be unsafe for her to try to drop 50 pounds in just a couple of months.
But I am with you in hoping she can healthfully drop her baby weight get back to the hot Kim K body we all admire.
And kudos to you for bouncing back so quickly! I hope when I have kids one day it’s that easy for me :)
Bethann Wagner says:
You will totally bounce back quickly! Hello, look at your body now!
I failed to mention this was a GREAT post and I agree 50 lbs in a few months might be unsafe (especially given that you mentioned it decreases the quality of milk produced).
I hope she does it safely and sets reasonable examples for all the moms and moms-to-be out there.
Whitney English says:
Thank Bethann :)
Ttrockwood says:
I suspect that there is a financial incentive for her to lose the weight- either a diet program or plan or who knows what.
Whitney English says:
You’re probably right! I didn’t even think of that. So many of the celeb moms do that now!
advocare 24 says:
As soon as you’re in the spot when feasting on poor , calorie-dense meals has actually developed into such a way of life , it’s hard to see your own self to be anyone else.
Alia Kapoor says:
interesting news…
Mariam says:
This really was a great post and my thoughts exactly on the weight loss. I agree that healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds weekly. Hmmmm…
Whitney English says:
Thanks Mariam!