Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Haste Makes Waste

Regarding my last post about Salma Hayek, I was a bit rushed when posting and truthfully, I think I was wrong. That is what I get for just typing, then hitting "publish".

While it was a cinch for me to lose my baby weight, I only gained 20 lbs to begin with and, most importantly, I was already overweight when I got pregnant. I most certainly was not at my ideal weight, like Salma Hayek was. So yes - I have lost all my baby weight, but I am still overweight overall. I do think it would be hard for me to lose any more weight while still breastfeeding and frankly, I am not even going to try too hard until I am done breastfeeding. I do not want to mess with my eating habits at the risk of my health or my baby's. And that is where I realized how very wrong I was to criticize Salma Hayek for her very rational statements.

Two gals had GREAT comments on that last post that made me realize I needed to reel back in a bit. First, Monkey pointed out:
One thing I do like about Salma Hayek and this comment is that she is being brutally honest about the fact that even her (hot hot hot) body changed post-pregnancy. God bless Gwyneth Paltrow and her second day size 2 pant size, but it just doesn't reflect reality for most people. This comment may also have been aimed at people like Naomi Watts & others who claimed they lost all the weight *simply* through breastfeeding. While some may be telling the truth...well, this is Hollywood and I think Salma is kind of telling it like it is over here, not necessarily the rest of the world. When 9/10 people claim they lost weight by "pilates" or "breastfeeding" in Hollywood what they really mean is "tummy tuck" and "lipo" and "extreme diets".


And Emily added this:
I also think that Salma Hayek was attempting to counter the mostly unrealistic images of post-baby weight loss coming out of Hollywood. I'm still bf'ing my 10-month-old, and believe me, the pounds did not melt off! And exclusive breastfeeding introduces different demands on a mother's time and energy - whether or not she is pumping. In some ways, those demands can make it tougher to lose weight. In any case, I found Hayek's comments to be refreshing.


In case you are wondering, I would like to have my crow served warm with a side of garlic mashed potatoes, please.

5 comments:

Monkey McWearingChaps said...

Hey, I just wanted to say that I didn't think you were mean or judgmental in that post AT ALL.

I really do think Salma Hayek's comments are side-swipes at this phenomenon out in California wherein

a) All new mothers MUST go back to a size 0-2 mere weeks post-baby

b) Despite the fact that many (and I mean, my sister confirmed this at the snooty hospital she worked at, PLUS, she knows doctors at Cedars-Sinai) schedule c-sections and tummy-tucks in tandem, actresses claim they lost it all through breastfeeding.

You don't even want to know how many of them smoke.

I don't think Salma Hayek was critiquing breastfeeding and its benefits as much as she was swatting at some of the Hollywood beauty myths and lies.

Keep in mind that Salma Hayek is also considered something of a Hollywood fattie (I know, right!!) and had gestational diabetes so I extra-appreciate the fact that she's being honest about this stuff.

I am not sure how much of this stuff has started leaking out of La-La Land to the real world, and considering J. Lo's recent comments I can see how it's possible to interpret her as knocking breastfeeding. However, I truly believe she's taking potshots at some Hollywood mommy beauty myths.

Andria said...

I agree with Monkey, you didn't sound judgmental at all.
I think, for some women, they think they can continue to eat the Oreos and Ice Cream that they ate during their pregnancy, and still look cute. It's a hard reality that the widening butt is no longer camoflaged by a rounded (pregnant) tummy.
I lost super fast with my daughter- of course, I was a lot younger. With Blake, I slowly lost the weight over about 3 month. I respected Salma's comments... and she seems to actually be involved in her child's life. Unlike some other actresses. I don't wanna start slinging names, so I'm just gonna stop right there. :)

Jenny said...

Hey! Just found your blog and what a cute name for it! I have to say that I didn't lose weight either JUST from breastfeeding; however, I ate like a horse for several months postpartum and I'm surprised I didn't gain any weight! When I looked at what I was doing and committed to, say, not eating half a pack of Oreos with 2% milk in one sitting, the pounds fell right off! My daughter is now a year old and I am at or nearly at my pre-pregnancy weight. (Although, unfortunately, my stretch marks and saddle bags are here to stay!)

-blessed holy socks, the non-perishable-zealot said...

Thinkest whot of my jolly blog?
Benevolent?
Bombastic?
Belligerent?
Bewildering?
Banquet?
Bawlsy?
Avant-garde??
tok2me

God blessa youse -Fr. Sarducci, SNL

Heather said...

mmmm, garlic mashed potatoes, yummy!

no worries, believe, it may melt off with the first, (mine did, and made me way confident for the 2nd) but with the second, it says, "ah, let's stay a little while and get comfy."

I knew someone like that, that had to be back to a size 2 by the end of the first week or she didn't feel like she could function. sorry, if someone can't wait one week postpartum to get back to the gym, they've got problems.