I remember Nicole Sullivan from MAD TV and one episode of Sh*t My Dad Says that I watched when Camille Grammer made a guest appearance. She’s now on Cougar Town I guess, which I don’t watch. Anyway she’s a well known TV character actress, and she was one of the spokespeople for Jenny Craig in 2010. She was a much better choice tha Mariah Carey. (Although I have to say that I saw one episode of Idol and Carey was great on it, especially compared to how awful Nicki Minaj is.) For some reason Sullivan is talking about what she went through to lose her baby weight back then, and how she felt out of place in Hollywood when the pounds weren’t dropping off. She also called out other celebrity moms for not admitting how hard it can be to lose baby weight:
“I would flip through celeb magazines…and I just couldn’t get how these moms like Jessica Alba lost so much weight so quickly—and yet I couldn’t,” the actress tells Us Weekly in an exclusive interview at “The Real Women of Jenny Craig” event in NYC on Jan. 23. “They all lie and say, ‘Oh, I lost the weight running after the kids or breastfeeding.’ It’s not true!”
“I felt broken. I felt like an outsider in my own community,” she continues of her postpartum experience after giving birth to her son, Dashel, now 5. “There just are not a lot of overweight people in Hollywood. I felt like the jerk who couldn’t figure it out.”
The actress finally figured it out, she claims, when she signed on with Jenny Craig as its brand ambassador. “I had tried every other diet in the world and decided to give Jenny Craig a try. The first week, I lost five pounds and then lost an average of two pounds a week for 16 weeks. I lost 35 pounds total. It changed my life.”
Sullivan has since given birth to another son, Beckett, now 3. “When I look back to when I had my first son, I was unhappy. I couldn’t understand why the weight wasn’t just falling off. I wish I could have that time back. With my second son, I enjoyed the whole process of him being an infant more because I wasn’t mad at myself. When you are mad at yourself, you are mad at everybody. That’s the problem…. I may not look like [Alba], but at least I can keep up with other actresses now. I feel really good about myself.”
Jessica Alba is just 31 while Sullivan is over 10 years older at 42. There’s a big difference in our metabolisms as we age, and yet we compare ourselves to women in their late 20s and early 30s and think we should be in the same place with our fitness. I know I do it and I need to be gentler with myself about it.
The thing is, Sullivan is not up on her celebrity gossip at all. Jessica Alba is a bad example of the “breastfeeding and running around” white lie. Alba was honest after both her first and second baby about what she went through to drop the weight. She admitted that she hates to exercise, that she’s hungry all the time, and that she gets meals delivered that total 1,200 calories a day. Kate Hudson is another celebrity who has been upfront about how hard she worked out post-baby. She copped to three two-hour workout sessions a day.
You know who stands out for me as a big perpetrator of this myth – Heidi Klum. I remember Heidi using that bullsh*t line, even after she had busted her butt to get back on the Victoria’s Secret runway immediately after having her son. That one really made me roll my eyes. So it does happen, all the time, but maybe Sullivan should be more careful about who she’s calling out for doing it.
Also, good for Sullivan for admitting what went through to lose weight post-baby. She’s got paid for it, but I like how honest she’s being, and even that she’s being a little snarky. Those of us who do it professionally appreciate that trait in others.
Nicole Sullivan is shown in the header at the zappos 1/2 marathon event on 12-2-12. She’s shown below on 10-29-12 (grey outfit) and 5-14-12 (black outfit). Credit: WENN.com
It’s good that someone is being more realistic about the weight loss. The more people downplay how hard it is to lose the weight the more likely it is that people will resort to unhealthy measures if they think they can’t measure up.
# 1 🙂
Sure but still….
Some bounce back immediately, damn genetics.
Some work their asses off.
Some take their time.
And some don’t care.
Every post-pregnancy weight loss is different.
Thank you!
I hate the belief that every woman who bounces back is lying about their weight loss secrets.
I’m 30 weeks pregnant and I’ve only gained 10 pounds. So yeah, I might bounce back easily with just breastfeeding and staying busy with baby. I sure plan on not hitting the gym for a while.
And I don’t wanna be judged for my lower weight gain etc. I’m just a petite person . I’m not judging women who gain lots
Exactly. I fitted into my pre-preg jeans within 8 days. I did nothing but push out a baby, attempt to breast feed and cry a lot during that time. Everyone is different. I do think is has to do with how much weight you put on during pregnancy, and again, that differs for everyone.
Saying that women (particularly younger fit women) are lying about dropping such weight easily just makes someone look ridiculously bitter.
the only one that seems to be doing the weight loss slowly and normally is Hilary Duff. She’s lost some but definitely not all but still looks great.
Jennifer Garner also
Amy Adams!
Hell, even Reese Witherspoon has been taking her time to lose the baby weight.
I’m envious of the women who walk out of the hospital postpartum wearing their pre-pregnancy jeans, and yes, they do exist.
I just wasn’t one of them. It took me four months – which included breastfeeding and not as much exercise as I’d have liked, since I basically had to go right back to work – just to fit back into my old clothes. I remember feeling so awful about myself, and now that I’m pregnant again, I’m hoping to take those lessons I learned and be more comfortable in my own skin this time around.
Jenna Elfman!
thank you, for setting the record straight regarding my lovely jessica alba lol she was basically starving herself (which isnt that great i suppose).
as for nicole, i hope she finds happiness, with or without weight loss. im sure her children dont care how fast she loses her weight, just enjoy being a mum! i think hilary duff is a great example that you can do it slowly too!
Who is she?
GOOGLE HER if you don’t know her, instead of wasting time with this comment.
Seriously.
Nevermind the fact that the article stated who she was (a well-known character actress on television) and what she had appeared in (Cougar Town and MadTV)…
Good for her for speaking out…she was really funny on “King of Queens” too!
There’s so much that goes into the postpartum weight loss issue: genes and, however badly Gisele said it, it’s true that if you are disciplined about eating and exercise while pregnant, the weight does often come off pretty quickly. And Gisele, too, was spotted busting her butt at the gym not that long after giving birth. The only moms I feel are really penalized in this situation are ones dealt a not-so-great genetic hand and those with tough work schedules and insufficient help to spend hours working out so soon (or ever!) after baby. But it is a mix of circumstances and self-discipline for sure. So demonizing other women is not all that helpful, especially someone like Alba who was honest about the work involved.
Hard for some and easy for others. You can’t go and call people out unless you have first hand knowledge of their struggles. Some people barely gain or are so fit throughout the pregnancy it’s easier to get back to the pre weight.
I can’t get behind her comments and think her information is gathered from girlfriends gossiping.
This. Some women do lose quickly. I did fortunately and I’m no celebrity. Like someone else said depends on so much but age, level of fitness and how much you gain are huge factors.
Agree Alexandra… I like her honesty, but am rather bugged at her tone. First, she seems to just be naming random people who seemed to lose their pregnancy weight more quickly than she did. She should get her facts straight before calling ANYONE out.
She is also clearly misinformed about pregnancy weight gain and loss, in general. Sounds like she went from being upset, thinking something was wrong with HER when she wasn’t losing weight as quickly as some other celebs…. to then deciding *those* celebs are simply lying about how they lost weight? WTF?
I wasn’t one who lost pregnancy weight really quickly, but I also realize that there ARE women who have very little weight to lose after giving birth, and DO manage to drop it quickly without really trying.
Agree. I know some women who barely gain any weight, one with 6 packs abs after 3 kids. Not celebrities, not some freaks 🙂
I’ve left the hospital 3 days after c-section in my pre-preg weight, although I suppose it’s still too much, cause I wasn’t in my best shape when got pregnant.
I’ve always liked her. Thank you, Nicole. That is a welcome voice of reason.
I had twins six months ago and although I am young — 27 — I gained 70 pounds during the pregnancy (I was on bed rest) and am having a terrible time losing the last 20 of it. I’m sure I will eventually, but it sure as hell won’t happen within the next couple of months.
If you are a normal, non-wealthy person who has to work full time and has other children and still has to clean the house and make dinner and go grocery shopping and get up at night with two babies and do everything else without an army of nannies and trainers it is effing hard to work out. Having 2-3 hours a day to bust your ass in the gym is a luxury most normal people who work don’t have. I can’t hand the babies off to a nanny and head off for a mammoth gym session every day.
So props to Nicole for voicing what a lot of us feel about the sanctimonious celeb postpartum weight loss bullsh-t. I don’t have a problem with what she’s saying at. all. I don’t think it’s bitchy or judgy. She is being honest. There ARE women, unfortunately, who do make others feel sh-tty about their bodies. Some intentionally, some unintentionally. Even among people I know in real life I’ve gotten some concern-trolling about “letting myself go.” This is a fair point and I’m glad she’s making it.
I bet some of the “concern trolling” is people who want you to take care of yourself too. You have a lot on your plate and it’s easy for Moms to forget they need a little self-time too. It’s okay to put yourself on your “to-do” list and carve out a little space for exercise, if you want, or maybe just a nap!
I certainly hope so, but I am not necessarily holding my breath about the intentions — both women who have said something along those lines to me had singletons, lost the weight right away and don’t work outside the home (and one also has one child) so I think they don’t really understand my situation.
Naps are impossible right now. Maybe when they get a bit older? I’ll never take sleep for granted again, that’s for sure!
I like that term concern trolling – I’ve never heard it before and it is a good description of those ladies who make niceley said mean comments (I used to call them paper cut comments but the term concern trolling is a better description)
Concern trolling is hardly limited to women. (Frankly I had a fairly easy time losing my pregnancy weight with moderate exercise and limiting carbs)
Can’t stand men who complain about their wives’ extra five or ten pounds out of a pseudo-concern for their “health”. Maybe if they weren’t such superficial d**che bags, their wives would feel less stressed out and have an easier time losing the weight.
Hang in there! I had twins 4 years ago and work full time. It was tough (but wonderful), but it wasn’t for sometime that I was able to get back to a workout routine. We took a lot of walks while they were young enough to stay in the stroller and that helped. Also, if you are breastfeeding two, the pounds melt off – but don’t make the mistake that I did, which was to continue eating like I was pregnant with and breastfeeding twins when the breastfeeding started to taper off:)
Thank you! It’s always nice to hear from people who had twins and somehow survived 🙂 Gives me hope.
Truthfully, there are some women in the world who are genetic freaks. My mother was one. She would always go back to looking exactly like she did pre-baby in about 1-2 weeks. Just did. A select few women really are that way.
I understand her sentiment, but she should have been more careful in how she phrased it. I get why Heidi Klum busted her ass – because she was a model and her body was her business and money-maker. She couldn’t really afford a slow recovery. I do feel like unless she really has personal, firsthand knowledge of who these liars are, she would maybe have done better to not name names.
And she is correct that the expectations now are wholly unrealistic. Reagardless of age or anything else. My doctor told me “It took you 9 months to gain it. What makes you think you can take it off so much faster?”
There are women who are incredibly driven about their physical appearance. Victoria Beckham is another one. Her body was back in shape a very short time after she gave birth.
You are also right about some having an incredible metabolism. I have a friend who only gained about 12 pounds or so in her pregnancy and was back in shape about a week after she delivered her healthy baby.
I think women are very different in how they gain or lose weight and it is easier for some women to recover their bodies post-baby. Eating a proper diet and moderate activity are all it takes to lose weight but fussing about how fast other women lose is just silly.
I really liked her on MadTV (the only thing I saw her on), so this isn’t personal, but her comments seem more than a little bitchy, and kind of jealous. I’m sure for most women it is difficult to lose weight post-baby, but calling people out for not whining about how hard it is to lose weight is just as bad as criticizing women for not losing weight post-baby.
And Jessica Alba was very, very slender and toned before her pregnancies (which Nicole Sullivan wasn’t), and was probably very careful during her pregnancy, so losing weight post-baby may not have been as much of a struggle. Although I do seem to recall her being interviewed about how hard it was to work out some days.
In general, I would say celebrity (and non-celebrity) pregnant women and moms just need to ease up on each other with the one-upsmanship. I see it even among my own friends. We could get so much farther if we pooled resources/tips and shared with each other instead of this constant “I’m better than you” arms race that nobody really wins.
I LOVED her when she and Debra Williams were “CeCe and Melina” on MADTV
She was also great as the super obnoxious Lancome Lady.
Comparing oneself to a genetic anomaly like a supermodel (Heidi definitely, Gisele too) is just so utterly ludicrous I can’t understand why women do it.
My guideline for my first pregnancy is my sister: I’ve checked with her on everything from breast size to stretch marks to weight gain, and when the time comes I’ll be checking with her on weight loss too. Heidi is not my sister.
I don’t know who started the rumor that the metabolism generally slows down as we get older. I asked my nurtritionist and she said it’s not a general rule at all. For some, maybe. It’s genetic and very different for everyone. Plus, we tend to move less the older we get if we don’t actively pay attention to that (jobs etc.). But again, that doesn’t apply to everyone. The body changes, sure. But there’s no rule to how it changes. Just saying.
I think it’s sad that she couldn’t enjoy her first post-pregnancy experience the way she wanted.
It’s thyroid and hormone related, which affects metabolism.
But people have narrowed that understanding down to just ‘our metabolism slows down’-in reality, women do have obviously, hormonal changes as they age, which often affects the throid and endocrine system as a whole. In turn, this CAN impact metabolism….hence, the 50 year old belly fat that is considered ‘part of aging’, by some.
Obviously, it is not necessarily so….belief and biology make a powerful team, though…..
Good grief. Its not that Alba or anyone is “lying” I wish lying could just erase extra pounds!
First off, Alba and Sullivan were at two different weights or standards of fitness when getting pregnant. Sullivan is a cute girl and was by no means fat. But if you’re lithe and lean before getting pregnant you will return to that after having the baby. And how did Alba pull that off? She probably ate super clean (which she is known for) while pregnant and didnt have 35 extra pounds to lose like Sullivan.
Secondly, pregnancies can differ big time. With my first I gained 15 lbs (I am very much into nutrition and exercise) and the weight came off as soon as I had the baby. I then breastfed and lost another 15 lbs. With my second I gained about 15 lbs again and lost the weight immediately but despite breastfeeding again I didnt lose anything else. I had a very warped body for about a year with wide hips and an extended stomach that just wouldnt shrink.
Hormones are a crap shoot. Sorry Nicole. Jenny Craig is cashing in on this fact big time.
Call me crazy, but what is wrong with having slightly wider hips and a bit of a tummy after a pregnancy? A women’s body changes with every pregnancy, and I don’t see why women need to feel that their bodies should be exactly the same as before.
Not that I wouldn’t like to lose the extra 10-15lbs, but I don’t feel the need to impress anyone either. Granted, I see why a celebrity feels the pressure, b/c their job is mostly in their looks. But they have the resources most of us don’t have.
I think it has to do with where this woman lives. She’s surrounded by people with essentially perfect bodies in an environment where everyone is very appearance conscious.
Jessica is a decade younger and didn’t gain much weight. She also said she worked out 3 hours a day at the gym.
She is lashing out at celebrities who starved themselves and worked out endlessly pre-pregnancy. She was not one of those people. She should compare herself to those women who were not overexercizers and undereaters before they got pregnant. Different lifestyles and DNA yield different results.
Am I the only one who noticed her talking about Jenny Craig as the key to losing that weight? Did anyone else see that. It doesn’t seem like she’s so much criticizing as saying I didn’t know her secret but then I found Jenny Craig and I figured it out….it just seemed like a Jenny Craig plug. Then again the magazine probably just wrote it that way.
Exactly. Shameless endorsement plug. I like NS, but this was a little petty.
Oh bullshit, who the hell is she to deny another’s experience? Those women were naturally thin before their pregnancies. I too have always been on the “underweight” side, a genetic legacy passed on to me by my mother who was always a skinny minnie until she hit 40 and gained 40lbs.
*IF* your metabolism tends to run high, eating normal portions of food and breastfeeding for at least a year will be enough to drop most of the baby weight. Your hips will likely never go back to what they were, the body changes but I think it’s more womanly anyhow. This is my HONEST experience, and that of many others. Does it mean that is the experience for everyone? Nope. If you have heavier women (after their babies) in your family, you will tend towards their type and “bouncing back” will require some dedicated exercise along with the normal healthy diet/breastfeeding.
I get the sense that anyone heavier may feel jealousy towards the thinner “easy losers”. I get that, but it’s misplaced. “skinny hating” is just as bad as “fat shaming”. Assuming that someone is lying about how they lost their baby weight is just as bad as assuming that someone that is having trouble losing weight isn’t trying at all. Find what works for you without being a raging bitch to anyone who doesn’t have your exact experience. That goes for the entire baby-making experience/birth. Us women need to support each other and validate our experiences and struggles.
I think the media perpetuates the myth that Jessica Alba is naturally thin, but I don’t think she does. She has admitted to a strict diet and exercise routine and she is a smoker. People know that don’t they?
great point to compare yourself to someone in your position instead of someoen much younger, etc. we’re too hard on ourselves
im glad jessica alba said ‘i’m pretty much starving myself’ glad she’s honest, but not far enough along to respect herself enough to treat her body with respect.
then kate hudson….who’s bonding with and watching your son as you work out? what tough life, don’t have to work because you keep having kids with rock stars-if only we all could afford personal trainers and chefs we’d all look like her!
I love Nicole! She was one of my favorite parts of The King of Queens and she’s also one of the most successful voice actors around (she does over a dozen or so rotating characters on Family Guy 😀 )
While it’s true that every woman’s body post-baby is different, I totally understand what she is saying here. It’s like most new mom celebs have the same running script in their heads: “It’s all just from breastfeeding!”; “My arms and upper body are so toned just from lifting my kids!”; “I just have a really good metabolism!” and so on and so forth. That’s why it’s nice to hear someone like Nicole calling BS on the general myth. I feel like most female celebs are fundamentally incapable of admitting that they actually log a crazy amount of time in the gym and live by nutritionists. I like to hear stories about how tough it can be for them too 🙂
At 34, I ALWAYS compare myself to twenty-somethings.
It is true that breastfeeding will cause you to lose the weight quickly and most if not all of it. I breastfed my first child and I lost it all in a week. The second Time around took about a Month but I doing booth bottle and breast so that could explain it. Jessica Alba is younger, I’m sure that plays a role in the results.
imagine how someone like the Duchess of Cambridge is going to deal with this situation………..
Nice fake story / AD for Jenny Craig.
lame-o.
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Nicole Sullivan gotta get over it already. She can’t touch Jessica alba even if she were the same age! We’re talking apples and oranges here. Sorry. Either you have it or don’t!!!