I am sitting here drinking my coffee about to post about how I have lost 14 pounds in two months on the CINCH Plan (more coming SOON along with a giveaway) and up pops a news a story about “Momshell”.  The phenomenon of Hollywood moms who lose their baby weight seemingly instantly!

As I watched my motivation to do my 50 sit ups dissipated, not because I love my flabby 3 c-section belly but because they are flashing photo after photo of Hollywood moms who are back in shape within weeks of giving birth, I wondered if I would ever look like I used to before kids, as these ladies do.

And then they showed the Hollywood moms who has not lost the weight overnight.  The ones that the paparazzi follow and ridicule.  The ones that become the fodder for headlines everywhere and further feed the stress and pressure for moms to get that “prebaby” body back as soon as they can.

I feel sorry for the moms in the public eye that want to enjoy their newborn babies instead of heading to the gym 5 hours a day.  The moms who are home loving and memorizing and adoring and then – gasp – leaving the house for shutterbugs to use and abuse for the almighty dollar.

About a year ago, I interviewed Jessica Alba and that was one of my questions to the then pregnant mother.  I asked her about getting in shape so quickly after a baby in Hollywood and she candidly said, “It sucks!” And then she said that most new moms hide from the public eye until they are in shape.

As the experts weighed in – pun intended – and talked about how it took 9 months to gain it, give yourself 9 months to lose it, I started to get depressed again.  My youngest is 3 years old and I am still 26 pounds overweight.  Better than the 40 I started with on the CINCH plan, but still.

Now, I did have my three girls all in a row.  Katie and Sarah are 14 months apart and Sarah and Megan are 20 months apart.  And in the hectic world of taking care of three little one, I neglected me BIG TIME!  Often binge eating at 3am after a nursing because I had not eaten all day.  But it has been 3 years.  Shouldn’t I have it off  by now?  Or do I need to glare of the paparazzi following me around and guilting  me into going on a run with three kids in tow on a 105° Texas day?

Plus, I am almost 40 – thus the push to get 40 off by 40 – doesn’t it take longer when you are older, Heidi Klum?

How long can I call it ‘baby weight’ and what is the timeline when you stop hearing, “But you’ve had three kids!” transforms to. “Are you going to eat that?”

Now, obviously, I have had a health scare lately and am working diligently – even if quietly – to make myself stay on this Earth as long as possible.  I do want to see my girls grow up, after all!

But am I lazy and fat and uncontrolled because I have not gotten it off already?  And at what point do I stop looking at the magazine covers and turn away with shame and start looking at myself and feeling the pride of real curves?

What do you think?  How does the Super Mom in Hollywood affect your self image?  Are you still carrying weight from kids? And do you think there is a time limit and that people who have extra weight years after babies are simply excusing themselves from doing what they are perfectly capable of doing?

Weight in.. so to speak… but respectfully please!

Find more Motherhood Posts at My Recent Writings

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