Since 2014-15, Beyonce has been working with vegan dietitian Marco Borges. He’s the author of 22-Day Revolution, for which Beyonce wrote the foreword. In 2015, she claimed to have lost 65 pounds on his diet, and back then, she did look notably tiny. Then she got pregnant with the twins and her body changed a lot. When she was preparing for Coachella, she used that date as a goal for getting in shape following the pregnancy. We saw in the HBO documentary Homecoming that Beyonce worked her ass off in rehearsals for the show, and we also heard her talking about how hungry she was on Borges’ 22-Day Revolution Diet. Well, she’s still spreading the gospel. She posted this to her YouTube page this week:
Beyonce shows herself stepping onto the scale and says: “Every woman’s nightmare…this is my weight, 175. Long way to go.” Then the clip shows her weight loss, and all the food being prepared for her and how hard she worked. I believe it – her body really changed and it’s still changing. You guys know me – I could NOT live without carbs, white chocolate, and chicken. But I imagine it would be easier to adhere to this kind of strict diet if I had someone around full-time, preparing all my meals. Also: I guess Beyonce gets a cut of Borges’ profits, because this was just a straight-up commercial for his program.
Meanwhile, did you know that Beyonce is also a great mom? It’s true.
She’s the Queen of Pride Rock, but at home Beyoncé is much more “mom” than anything else. “It might seem like her career would take up all her time, but it’s quite the opposite. Her career is always second and her kids are her first priority,” says a source of the superstar, who’s mom to 7-year-old Blue Ivy and 2-year-old twins Sir and Rumi. “She is a fantastic mom and very involved.”
Like most parents, the 37-year-old singer — who released The Lion King: The Gift, a compilation album accompanying the remake of Disney’s 1994 classic film, last week — is focused on making sure her kids with JAY-Z, 49, are happy and healthy.
“She’s busy making a schedule and taking care of her kids. She makes sure they have scheduled activities and tutoring,” says the source. “She loves being a mom and wants to be around as much as possible.”
After Beyoncé dropped her latest musical work, fans were thrilled to hear Blue make a cameo on the fifteenth track, titled “Brown Skin Girl.” The star’s firstborn even received a writing credit for the song, on which she is heard singing a few lines.
“Of course both Beyoncé and Blue love music,” says the source. “Blue loves singing, dancing and performing. She is a natural.” Entering second grade this fall at a private school in Los Angeles, Blue loves spending one-on-one time with her mom and accompanying her to work events, adds the source.
“She is very sassy, high energy and knows what she wants,” says the source. “Especially after the twins were born, Beyoncé made sure that Blue was able to embrace her new role as a big sister. She also lets her go to video shoots, award shows and music recording. They have a very special bond!”
What I love about the way in which Beyonce and Jay-Z are raising their kids is that they BOTH seem like such hands-on parents. Jay-Z always seems extremely engaged with Blue especially, and they just seem attuned to what’s going on with their kids at all times. But yes, Blue is another Beyonce. Blue loves to perform, to sing, to dance, to rule the world. Also: stop referring to girls as “sassy.” That descriptor is rarely, if ever, used with boys.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Weighing 175 pounds is every woman’s nightmare?
Yeah, I’m almost down to 175. Feeling pretty good about it. Thanks, Beyonce.
I hate when people name specific numbers. I’m all for being proud of your weight loss, but everybody’s “before” is different.
First off, good for you tealily!
Second, I know we’re meant to worship at the altar of everything this woman does but this is incredibly toxic language, to go along with her extreme “diet” that was basically disordered eating.
But she chose 175 because she was talking about herself, not the public in general. I’m not sure what the issue is when there’s a very specific personal context that’s being referenced.
Nevermind that it’s also within the bracket of celebrity weights relative to their peers, and that is a whole other context and rabbithole.
It just feels kind of sh*tty, that’s all.
Oh man. I’m sorry that what she said hurt you. I just have to say that she looked PHENOMENAL at 175. After she lost the weight, she just looked a little tighter/cut, that’s all.
I’m sure you look great, Tealily.
I watched the video, and she isn’t saying weighing 175 is every woman’s nightmare, just broadcasting her weight. She says “every woman’s nightmare” before her weight displays, so it’s pretty un-ambiguous to my mind. I really dislike the way that it’s being portrayed (on multiple sites) as if she was shaming that number, instead of commenting on women’s feelings around weight in general.
I am sorry it made you feel badly about your weight, that’s a rough place to be in. 175 looks different on a lot of different body types, and I bet you look and feel great!
I think stepping on a scale and broadcasting the number out to the world could be a nightmare for many women.
@Brandy Alexander yeah, I took it as stepping onto the scale and then showing it to the world.
Beyoncé has caught a lot of grief online for years for being thick (am I the only one who remembers people blasting her as “fat” after her Super Bowl halftime show?) and people still talk about her being big. This woman can do a two hour show while dancing up a storm and singing live, her conditioning is amazing. She’s very focused on being the best performer she can be.
Yeah, that’s how I read it too – not a particular number, but the act of being in the public eye, judged continually on your body, and then stepping on a scale and being open with it. She’s talked about her struggle to look a certain way and fit in to a white-dominant ideal of beauty for decades. I feel like she was at the vanguard of that shift from idealizing thin/heroin chic to embracing a more voluptuous body shape, but it also has to be harrrrrrrrrd leading that charge.
I thought she meant being up at 5 am, because that’s definitely my nightmare. lol
Shhhhh!! She’s a Kween and a goddess, she can’t do anything wrong. /s There’s a reason she stopped giving interviews, let’s say she always put a foot in her mouth.
Haha, I see you Diego. Don’t worry, I put my asbestos suit on before commenting.
I took her to mean stepping on the scale itself, not the weight it showed.
Yes. This is made pretty clear if you watch the clip.
Yes, I thought it was clear she was talking about stepping on the scale in front of everyone and starting a diet.
Stop. Its obvious she means stepping on a scale after something as momentus as having twins and needing to be a lot fitter and smaller because that’s your job. Translate that into every day girl language and she means having to step on a scale after you just popped out two babies and wanting to restore your former glory (whatever that is, numbers aside) for some big event.
I always roll my eyes at arbitrary numbers like this. Like, no one realizes 175 pounds looks very different if you are 5 foot 11, versus 5 foot 2?
How tall is she?
I actually looked it up – she’s 5’7″ and evidently her ideal weight (because its listed by her height, measurements, etc.) is 143 (65 kilo).
I’m working now to lose weight after eating my feelings for the period of time while helping my mom through the last part of her life (it was about six years). I just wasn’t going to put any extra pressure on myself beyond making sure I was doing what I needed to do to keep the lights on and Mom as comfortable and happy as it was possible for her to be. I’ve lost 7 pounds in six weeks and don’t know how much more I need to lose, only that it’s a number I won’t know until a) my clothes fit the way I want them to again and b) I’ve gotten back into physical shape. I’m pretty sure it’s not a lot. When I feel strong and look right, I plan to get on a scale and see what the number is – then I’ll have a baseline. Amen to all of you saying that it’s not about a number.
Also, I’ve gotten a fair amount of pushback from people who don’t think I’m fat and therefore don’t need to lose weight. I’m not fat. I don’t think I’m fat. I just think my clothes are tight and I feel icky. We come in different shapes and sizes and we all get to decide our comfort zones for ourselves. (Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.)
🙂
You’re a wonderful daughter @cannibell,and I applaud your efforts to take care of yourself after being a care giver for so long.I do exactly as you and get on the scale when I feel good,like I can kind of tell if I’ll be in my comfortable weight range,I just know,that’s when I step on the scale- never when I’m bloated or been extra lazy 😅
Sending love to you, @cannibell! It sounds like you and your Mom had a beautiful bond, and were lucky to have each other.
Caregiving is tough. It takes a lot out of you, mentally and physically. I hope you get to where you’re going in all respects!
Right? I am the same height and I am down to 175… I only want to drop another 10lbs now. BUT I also compete in athletics that require me to be a little more muscular 😛
It would be a nightmare for me, so it’s at least two women’s nightmare.
When I first saw the headline my brain added the words “Goal weight is 175.” At first, I thought “good for her” and “I’m just like Beyonce!” But then I read the post and realized that was her “before” weight. Lol! I do wish I had a dietician living with me who can make my food every day. Left to my own devices its sweets and fried food with a little exercise sprinkled throughout the week.
Thanks, @Spicecake38 & @LadyPrincessJr – It was hard and painful and I’d do it again in a minute. I loved her and it was an incredible gift.
She obviously meant getting on the scale is the “nightmare” not the number
She meant stepping on the scale was every woman’s nightmare, it wasn’t in reference to her weight.
Gaining weight during pregnancy (she said she was about 218 pounds) is NOT every woman’s nightmare. Not having a healthy pregnancy or baby should be.
She was pregnant with twins. Weights naturally going to be higher than with one. Beyonce that’s not the thing to worry about.
She made it sound like weighing that much was just the worst thing ever. In my opinion not having healthy babies would be the WORST thing ever. But I see what you mean.
Isn’t that kind of a rabbit hole statement? Of course there are worse things in the world.
Of course (eto) I meant and should have clarified in terms of pregnancy only.
Beyonce endorsing weight loss diets is just disappointing. I’m gonna just say it.
Because when forever 21 does it as noted in the other article, it’s socially irresponsible but when Beyoncé does it (similar demographic of fans/customers) it’s just you know business.
Beyoncé isn’t forcing anyone to watch her video though. You can choose not to watch it. Forever 21 was sending diet bars without asking whether they actually wanted them or not. I think there is a difference.
I have to agree. I don’t think this is a good look. I am not a fan of extreme dieting. I don’t know why some of these singers don’t try maintaining a healthy lifestyle instead of starving themselves for photoshoots and concerts. I mean you have money and access to the best trainers, nutritionists, and chefs. Why not use your resources consistently?
The book and everything is about going vegan. The weight loss is just another angle, but the primary goal of this is to switch to plant based eating.
If it was about going vegan and the benefits of eating plant based, that’d be great. I think that by stepping on the scale as the first image in the video, it definitely makes it weight-focused.
My best friend is a nutritionist and gave me this book trying to help with my migraines. It’s basically a guide to eat a plant-based diet for 22 days minimum- based on the thought that it takes 21 days and longer for anything to stick. It is a simple vegan plan that’s not necessarily very calorie-restrictive. I wish I could say I have mastered it but I have added it to my bucket to-do list as it seemed quite sensible. Bey was likely hungry due to eating as little as possible to get in shape asap. Thank god I am not a pop star.
I wouldnt take the *number* literally. I think shes talking about the dread of facing the scale, and knowing the work needed to get the scale decreasing. I’ve been there. After having kids, and knowing it hasnt all come off yet, and not wanting to face the scale to get slapped with reality. Because it was a goal of mine to return to my original size. Not everyone has the same goal.
I’m in my 8th month and am a little over 180 so far. This is the heaviest I’ve ever been, but as long as baby and I are doing good I’m ok with it. I realize it may take me a little bit to get the weight off. I’m ok with that too. Definitely not a “nightmare,” lol.
I gained 40 pounds a kid and it came off, but not fast. Don’t freak out if you get on a scale right after you give birth and only weigh about 11 pounds less than you did before labor & delivery. And I don’t know if you’re nursing but I did, and it would come off in these weird waves at different postpartum points. And that last few pounds hangs on until you’re done nursing, so just embrace it – if you have time! And congratulations on the impending arrival.
Is that even a lot considering she’s a very tall built (boobs, butt) woman? I’m only 5’2 so I’m familiar with the normal/healthy weight for my height but 175 doesn’t sound too bad for someone who is 5’7, 5’9?? I’m sure she had a few xtra lbs of baby weight but this doesn’t sound like massive?? Am I wrong??
Beyonce is 5’7” and so am I. I weigh169lbs. And according to my height I am on the high end of the weight range. And I wouldn’t mind losing 10-12lbs.
Also it’s really about how a woman feels in her body. One woman may feel fine at that weight while another may not. I carry a lot of my weight in my hips and butt. I’m curvy to begin with so carrying weight in those areas makes shopping difficult. Everyone is different.
I’m 5’7″ and once weighed 170. I was fat and felt fat. Using BMI scale that is 26.6 or Overweight. I am now 112 which is a little underweight and prefer to be at 120. Every body is different and carries weight differently; BMI is only a rough guideline which does not take into account muscle mass.
I’m 5 ft, and just gone down 45lbs since x-mas, to reach 180. 175 is my next goal.
Wow, great job! It’s not easy.
Lol please don’t try and trick me into thinking your weight loss infomercial is an artistic statement, Bey.
I’m trying to go more plant-based because of environmental issues. I don’t know that I can go full vegan, but I am a vegetarian and am trying to limit the use of animal products. It’s tough though.
Jenns, happy to give vegan advice if you like. We do vegan five days a week, non-vegan the other two, so I’ve got plenty of substitution advice. I always try to avoid the “fake meat/cheese” stuff though (other than, you know, oat milk etc) personally but if you have any q’s let me see if I can help!
Haha 175 is my current weight after losing 30 pounds. I was a size 14 and I’m now a size 10, I’m 5’4”, and I’m fit as hell from kickboxing and Pilates. People never think I’m as heavy as I am. Body types vary.
You make such an important point here.
“People never think I’m as heavy as I am”
Same. I’m 5’5″ and about 122 right now which is really high for me (relationship weight 🙁 ). People usually guess I’m around 100 lbs which I always get a chuckle over. I’m small but I am VERY sturdy in build and have a lot of muscle. I am NOT nor will I ever be a tiny-framed, wispy gal. Even when I was struggling with an ED and at my lowest 107 lbs I still had muscles.
Everybody is different which is why it’s important to focus on how you FEEL and not on the arbitrary number on a scale.
Yeah I hate the BMI charts and all of those weight ranges/height/build that basically tell us all to weigh 120 or less! I have always looked much lighter in weight than I really am.I am 5’7 and am at my healthiest looking and feeling around 145-150.That for me is equal to off the rack US size 6.I can shoot up to 155-165 for many reasons (prednisone)and it’s not my favorite weight,but it’s fine .My thinnest weight since age 15 was 130-135,and people,nurses,doctors were always saying I looked about 100 pounds,I easily wore size 2.What I can’t ever figure is the celebs who say they weigh 105 and are 5’5 for example-I know the camera adds 10 pounds blah,blah,but seriously.It can be very confusing even for otherwise confident women.
I wish being the GOAT performer, singer, dancer, artist, project organizer, MOTHER OF 3, etc. etc. was enough. I hated that part of the Beychella doc that focused on her fitting into some old outfit as meaning “success”. She is enough and I bow down to her at any weight.
Good point Kate. Beyonce is the GOAT at any weight.
I haven’t been pregnant so I know little to nothing about baby weight. I do understand her saying her body didn’t feel like hers. I’m tiny and as soon as I get to 52 kg (like winter) I feel like I got stones in my stomach and my body just looks bloated, I know I’m on 49 when I feel good. Just three kilos and it’s a huge difference for me. If I go less than that I feel my face just sinks in and I look sickly. So I try to maintain it somehow. I’m not sure how much I weight now but I feel good. That’s all – you need to feel good and eat.
Why are ppl being so obtuse? She clearly meant stepping on the scale is every woman’s nightmare…not weighing 175 pounds.
Isn’t she really tall? 175 for her isn’t that much really. Also women need to realize the number isn’t indicative of body composition. A skinny person can have more of body fat composition than someone around 175. If you weight train you can easily get to high numbers on the scale but have little fat or be thin and have a high body fat percentage. Women have been brain washed the number matters but body composition and measurements are the facts of “weight”.
She’s 5’7”, I’m almost 5’8” and 150 and already pretty curvy, adding 25 lbs to that I’d look pretty big.
Super cool comment Rachelle.
I think that’s the point,every woman carries their weight differently.Maybe 150 is your curvy weight,someone else it’s higher or lower.
@gingerbread and your problem is…?
I Love Beyonce
But I am so sick of diet culture.
I am all for a plant-based diet, but it should not leave you hungry. If it does, it’s not sustainable over the long run and not necesserally something I would want to see promoted. I would be more comfortable if she encouraged a healthy lifestyle- “quick fix” diets can have very négative effects.
Exactly – judging from the photos at the Lion King, the crash diet didn’t work for her – again. Eating vegan properly is wildly different than the disordered eating this guy put her on.
i just appreciate the acknowledgment that it’s hard work and that she was hungry while losing weight. and it doesn’t look like she went the plastic surgery route. she seems a bit more comfortable with her bod than many celebs even though she is not the stereotypical clothes hanger.
I would assume that Beyonce was an investor in this business.
Also, 175? After having twins? That’s not exactly gargantuan.
Meh!!! I weigh 175 pounds now. In 25 minutes when I eat dinner I will weigh 182 pounds. It is a recurring nightmare. I am pretty tall and everything goes to the middle, face and big toe. Two pigs fighting under a blanket, big bird walking around etc, etc. Lol. I can relate to Ms. Beyoncé. I love when the celebrities keep it real.
She shouldn’t worry, she’ll always have Photoshop to fall back on.
I went to a small private school when I was little and a famous singer’s daughter attended at the same time as me. Said singer was well known but nowhere near as famous as Bey and Jay, but that little girl was CONSTANTLY talking about “My mommy this.” And “My mommy that.” She was a terrible snob and talked down to everyone else, including the teachers. I can only imagine what Blue is like, given who her parents are and the fact that she’s constantly attending award shows and buying tens of thousands of dollars of art and the like. I hope she’s in a school with other celebrity children because there’s no way she’s fitting in at a school with regular kids.
So you legit created a scenario in your head based on your personal experience and then added a crevice for Blue’s pretend behavior. Like you are worried on her behalf based on your made up story.
Imara219 ahahhaha indeed 😅
Honestly, 175 lbs on a 5’7″ frame, especially if you’ve got breasts and hips and a decent amount of muscle, is not as big as some people think it is. I’m roughly the same height and build as her, and I was a size 10 at that weight. I had to lose nearly 30 pounds (down to 145) to be a size 8. And even with excessive exercise and tight dieting, my body has never been able to get smaller than that. My hips can’t get into size 6 clothing. It’s one of the reasons I roll my eyes anytime celebrities drop a weight number because a.) they’re probably lying, b.) people really don’t realize just how ridiculously thin some of these women really are in person. The average celebrity body really skews our idea of sizing. There are women whose body types naturally tend toward that hyperthin look, but it’s really not as common as Hollywood pretends, even for women who are physically active and watch their diet. Frankly, there’s a reason ED and drug use runs rampant in the model industry.
I have a dear friend who IMO is really thin,she said not long ago that she’s 5’10 and 155 and can’t go smaller than size 10.She says her hips are just too wide.Looking at her I would have guessed she was about a size 4-6.She is very accomplished in her field of work,and is an immigrant from Armenia-she said she could not care less about clothing size and I believe her,but she hates going above a size 8 shoe!😉We truly are all different and beautiful as we are💕
Yes, this is me. I’m 5’11. When I’ve been 155lbs, I’ve looked deathly ill, ribs sticking out, etc. (not a healthy time for me). I probably looked my best at about 165lbs and then am very slim but muscular and wear a size 10. People though I wore a size 4.
Beyoncé’s nightmare weight is my goal weight right now…*awkward*
I’m actually surprised by this because I thought that she gave us permission to be thick and throw away our gym memberships at the UK Lion King premier… Beyonce and Rihanna told us this is thick girl summer… guess I better take my @$$ back to the gym and stop eating this candy bar so I can get back to Bey’s nightmare weight…
I weighed 200 lbs the day I gave birth to my twins! I love that I can relate to Beyoncé, haha. I didn’t work hard to get the weight off, I was too busy with 2 babies. That first year or two was the only time I had ever been “overweight” in my LIFE and it gave me so much empathy. (Thigh chafing suuuucks)
Ugh, this is annoying AF. Diet culture is bs and discussing weight and weight loss like this is so harmful and problematic. I know she’s just getting paid, but GROSS.
The whole baby weight thing has always been problematic to me – how much can water retention/baby mass/uterus/amniotic fluid weigh? How long can you keep that weight? Whenever I hear ‘I gained 60 pounds during pregnancy and it never went down’ it raises an eyebrow. No-one in my family has ever gained more than 30 pounds, but then again we’ve all been eating healthily, not binging and not increasing food intake for pregnancy’s sake alone. It all goes down pretty easily once the hormones go down, post-partum, as long as you care for your health. Additional pounds of fat do nothing for your baby. I met loads of women carrying elephantine “baby weight” for years. I saw how they ate, it was pretty clear how that happened. When we discussed the issue, all they could say was basically that they deserve all these Oreos and triple dinner and only G*d can judge… I stopped feeling sorry for women whose bodies were ‘ruined’ by motherhood – they just ‘ruined’ their bodies themselves and put the blame on the kids and hormones. Using your children as both an excuse to give up on your health AND as the evildoer isn’t ok. I’ll never forget an acquaintance slapping her giant non-preg belly after eating a mountain of a meal and saying ‘well, there was a baby in there’. You can weigh as much as you like, just don’t complain and don’t blame.
God I wished I live in a world where we didn’t give a flying s*hit about other peoples weight.
Who the f*** cares what size she is.
Is she a good human being to others?
Does she still enjoy making music?
How is she feeling? Is she happy in her life?
What is the latest thing that really made a difference to her on a personal level?
That’s way more interesting.
175 is my goal! I wish I could have someone prepare my meals. And a personal trainer to work out with all day. I might succeed in getting down from 193. Not criticizing Beyonce, she is awesome and entertainment is her job. But if that is what it takes there is no hope for me!
She gained weight for the twins?
You mean she used a bigger cushion this time around?
Is that what you’ve been stuffing your trousers with since the 60’s, Ferdi -ferd?
The comments here are perplexing to me.
“Every woman’s nightmare” comes across to me as “I am not happy when I look at this number”
and a lot of people can relate to that.
175 looks horrible on my good friend, it looks great on me.
I’m not offended by what Beyonce said.
So her shilling weight loss…everyone get so distressed by weight loss suggestions but people really need to toughen up.
How do you feel when you look at an overweight, immobile pet?
You side eye the owner. Be real! You think “how sad!”
Yet most of us are overweight and far from living our best lives because of the food we eat and our lifestyles!
Stop taking it personally. There is nothing wrong here with what she’s done and I’m not a Beyonce can do no wrong stan- but seriously, how can anyone say that her showing how she worked and ate prepared meals is a bad thing?
A team comprising of fitness trainer, dietician, nutritionist, and a chef would make it easier for her to achieve her goal weight safely and quick. I hate that she is profiting from it (the Coachella diet) promoting crash dieting for 22 days. You know that her fans don’t have health experts following them around. It’s a bit weird reading about her diet plan the same time reading about the Dallas born Latin guy who got detained by ICE for 3 weeks and lost 26 lbs.
She looks great at every weight we’ve seen her at. It’s not that surprising that being publicly weighed would be nightmarish for someone with her kind of career after she knows her weight has been up and down though.
Why do people always take it so personally if other people want to lose weight? I’ve always been on the slim side but like many people I started being less so when I hit my 40s and then I quit a 25 year smoking habit and put on what was for me a significant amount of weight quite quickly. I was still smaller than many of my peers who seemed to really resent me when o started losing it. I had spent a life time not feeling uncomfortable in my clothes and not being uncomfortable when I moved and for ME the extra weight was unpleasant. I never said or intimated that any of them should lose weight or that weight itself was a big issue.
God, this is one of the most disappointing threads I’ve ever read on this website. Nearly 100 comments from woman about their weights and heights etc.
Ladies, lets be more than this. Lets be more than a number on a scale. Lets have an intelligent conversations about ANYTHING besides this same old topic. It’s so beneath us.