I’ve seen every episode of The Hills and the Whitney Port spin off The City. Back then when those shows aired I was in high school but even I thought that Whitney was too normal (read: boring) for reality TV. That’s not a bad thing. People who make for good reality TV are either willing and able to play along with the staged format, or are demented narcissists who love attention. Lauren Conrad was clearly the former, Spencer Pratt was the latter. But Whitney just didn’t fit into that world. Now she’s an Instagram influencer, has a podcast, and has a fashion line in collaboration with Rent the Runway called Love, Whit. Recently people have commented on her Instagrams that they’re “concerned” because she’s lost a lot of weight. She addressed those comments in an Instagram story and says that it wasn’t intentional. Whitney struggles with what to eat.
Whitney Port says she is committing to a healthy lifestyle following comments made about her being “too thin.”
On her Instagram Story Monday, the former Hills star promised to focus on her health as she addressed fan concerns over her appearance, and revealed that her husband Tim Rosenman had shared similar thoughts with her.
“I’ve gotten a lot of comments about looking too thin,” Port, 38, wrote as she posted a photo of herself with her son Sonny, who turns 6 this week. “At first, it didn’t bother me. I chalked it up to people not knowing what my diet looks like. But Timmy brought it to my attention, as a good husband should, and said it’s not just something strangers are spewing.”
In her candid post, she also admitted that husband Rosenman, 42, “has been worried about me.”
“I had to think about it and try to figure out what has been happening because it’s not something I’m consciously thinking about! I eat to live, not the other way around. But after stepping on the scale, it hit me,” Port continued.
The ex-reality star said her appearance is “not something I strive for. I always feel hungry but I just don’t know what to eat. It’s not how I want to look or feel though,” Port wrote. “My excuses are that I’m too lazy to make feeding myself a priority or I’m too picky when it comes to taste and quality.”She promised to focus on her health at the end of the post: “Both are unacceptable and I don’t want to set an unhealthy example so I promised Timmy and I’ll promise you that my health will be a priority.”
I remember Whitney on The Hills and I think she is just naturally willowy and slender. I know it’s easy for people to speculate but I do think that only someone close to Whitney, like her husband, really has the right to say anything and the way that some people are commenting on her posts comes off like concern-trolling. Her husband knows better than the rest of us about Whitney’s health and eating habits, but only Whitney knows the full story. The way she describes her indecisiveness about what to eat, and calling herself “lazy” for not making feeding herself a priority….it makes me wonder if there is something deeper going on psychologically. In my own experience with eating (which has been disordered at many times), it wasn’t ultimately about food.
When I first had problems with eating it was because I was dating someone who I knew subconsciously was all wrong for me, but I so badly wanted to be chosen and loved I overlooked the red flags. (I was seventeen.) The level of cognitive dissonance this created was so overwhelming, the only way I could think to drown it out was with the distraction of disordered eating. I’m not saying there’s anything disordered going on with Whitney–people can have dramatic weight loss for a variety of reasons. I just think that sometimes difficulty with food–even chronic indecision or ambivalence towards it–can be about something else. Maybe a therapist can help her unpack some of these things. And I wonder if a dietitian could help her with some strategies. I also know that she and her husband are trying for a second baby and having a hard time conceiving and looking into surrogacy. The stress of that situation probably isn’t helping. I really hope Whitney is able to find food that she’s excited about eating.
I’m not familiar with Whitney Port, so when I read this excuse I thought “eh, sounds like Ozempic”. Then I looked at her Instagram and holy moly. Whatever it is, I hope she gets some professional support and gets better soon. Yikes.
Yeah, those pictures are… she’s gone a little too much to an extreme. Good for her for listening to her loved ones when they expressed concern, I hope she gets whatever help she needs to find her balance again.
Doesn’t seem like ozempic. I’m not a psychologist but my initial thoughts were depression and/or ED. Hopefully she has some good support.
My son suffers from anxiety and when it’s really bad (like last week) he will refuse to eat. He’ll be crying and say he’s hungry, but won’t put any food in his mouth. It’s so hard.
@Birdie: I am sorry you & your son have to go through that. It’s maddening!
As someone who suffers from this, focusing on having my nervous system calm increases my appetite. Now that I am an adult, I can eat in bed & it does me wonders! Just a tip, but I focus on getting my body/mind calm, then I have an appetite. If someone also might have ADHD, distractions can be difficult too. I’ll be eating, get distracted & boom, the food is suddenly gross. Lastly, maybe this is just me, but if my body is really in.it, my mouth will hurt if I eat. I start with soft foods (berries, ice cream, yogurt) & then my mouth seems to chill out, just don’t start with nachos, lol!
Best of luck to you. I wish I had a parent who cared & it didn’t take me over 35 years to start looking at solutions, so all the good vibes to you & your son <3
Yeah, I audibly gasped when I saw some of her photos. I hadn’t seen her in probably a decade. Hope she’s doing okay.
PSA too. Check for endocrine disorders – thyroid, adrenal, early onset blood sugar issues or diabetes. You can get depression, fatigue, lose weight. Can hit in middle age.
May have nothing to do w it but could contribute. Take care ladies and be vigilant ab your health. Don’t be gaslit by doctors or anyone!
Did she go hiking in ballet flats and her son in crocs? That’s injury and pain waiting to happen.
From the photos I have the impression that she likes what she sees in the mirror. I don’t know what that means, I don’t have enough information about EDs.
@ Smart&Messy, in one of her IG photos, she is out with her boys eating donuts/breakfast sandwich but she chose not to eat. I don’t think that it’s that she doesn’t know what to eat, but she at some level, does like being that thin as you mentioned.
As for prepared food, it’s an ideal way to have snacks ready at hand. I suffer from chronic pain and even I can fix myself health snacks when I am hungry. From fresh berries and yogurt to a raw nut blend when I don’t have the energy nor the cooperation of my body to prepare meals for myself. But yes, she is too
thin!!
I miss the old days on this website where I didn’t need to download another app in order to see pictures. Not everyone in the world has Instagram, fyi.
@SmartRN–I have the instagram app and when I look at celebitchy on my phone, it doesn’t show me the pics either, so Idk what that is about. I thought it was just me or my old phone!
If someone is so different from us, it’s wise to put our assumptions aside, cuz how she reacts is not based on what you would do.
I saw this topic come up on Reddit and some people said that their ADHD would sometimes cause eating or deciding what to eat to fall down their priority list. Sometimes I don’t know what to eat either and would forgo meals if my husband didn’t cook for me. Unlike Whitney if I can’t think of what to eat I end up snacking on junk food. A dietician would help her come up with some quick snacks she likes to eat or meals she can prepare so she has a plan.
ADHD was my first thought at that too, I have that and before I was married with kids, I would eat completely at random. I did have disordered eating for a while, and that was me having an exaggerated stress response. I used to forget to eat when I was stressed or excited. It could also be a bit of ortho rexia, where she fears eating “incorrect” or “impure” foods. I hope she sorts it out.
Good point about orthrexia. Trying to follow strict rules and eat the “right” things is very overwhelming.
Came here to say this! It was really hard for me to untangle my eating disorder history with the very real ADHD struggle of not eating if I wasn’t interested in whatever was on offer. I can love what I had for lunch one day & then be so uninterested in it the next day that I *couldn’t” eat even if I was really hungry.
I’ve learned to keep some easy snacks on hand (string cheese, spiced nuts–I’m currently on a prosciutto kick), plus giving myself permission to just get takeout if I’m craving something specific if it means I’ll get a good meal in.
I can relate to not feeling hungry, being unsure what to cook (executive functions impaired), feeling nauseated etc related to ADHD/fibromyalgia. It’s a thing, and I’m the opposite to Whitney – live to eat.
+1 for the ADHD theory. I have it, I’m tall and fall to the thin side naturally, and my eating habits are and always have been a disaster. There have been many times in my life when I’ve heard that I look too skinny.
It doesn’t help that ADHD medication squashes my appetite into oblivion either
If you can afford healthy packaged food that is “predictable” and relatively easy for you in terms of preferences, tolerability or actual likes, I say go for it. No shame at all in finding work-arounds for your challenges in life.
If anyone has ever watched The Hills you would know Whitney was always very thin. She isn’t on ozempic. She was always very thin, although I will say she is much thinner now. Maybe she is stressed and/or depressed. Not everyone over eats when they are stressed. Some people do the opposite. I know when I get stressed and to feeling down, I completely lose my appetite and have to literally force myself to eat. I don’t know what’s going on with her obviously, but seems a good place to start would be to talk with her primary doctor and/or a nutritionist.
I never know who all these people from oughts reality tv shows are and I don’t understand how they still have careers! From her Insta, she clearly likes how she looks, lots of mirror selfies and showing off her beach body. Otoh, her arms in that most recent bikini pic! Not sure what the situation is, but those are not the upper arms and elbows of a health person. The comments must be confusing for her, because half of them are “you are so thin I’m scared for you” and the other half are “your abs look amazing, please share your workout”
I was kind of thinking the same thing. She’s posting photos of her incredibly skinny legs, so she obviously likes what she sees? Anyway, I hope she’s well or gets some help to get there if she’s not.
I watched the Hills religiously and yeah, she is so much thinner now than she was then even though she’s always been thin. I specifically remember her referencing her legs in the show though, she said that her legs are super thin and hadn’t gotten any bigger since eighth grade which was wild to me. I haven’t seen her in years though so seeing her in that insta I’m actually shocked. The pics of her in the black dress, the last one in particular is really worrying to me. I’m glad that she isn’t just brushing it off and her loved ones have gone to her and she is listening though.
She also has a Youtube channel and she (and her husband) re-watched every episode of The City and The Hills on it. Now they are watching Siesta Key. I think she got a bit of popularity off of that as well recently.
Not sure I believe her… Too lazy to make feeding herself not a priority? Getting so hungry that you don’t know what to eat? I do believe that can happen once in a while, but when you are losing weight it is a habbit. If you are a picky eater, wouldn’t you have your favorite snacks always at home?
I can understand your perspective here, but I’m chiming in to say that food can be a real issue for people with a range of mental health challenges. People with some neurodiverse challenges (ADHD/autism) can have very real struggles with proprioception, which is basically body awareness. I have two kids with both disorders who struggle to eat regularly. The hunger signals just don’t make enough of an impression on them to eat. And then the process of figuring out what to eat requires more executive function skill than it appears on first glance. Both of my two older kids have become overly thin without trying because they just…..don’t realize they are hungry or can’t decide what to eat. It’s a constant issue to keep them fed, and they really, genuinely are not trying to lose weight or be thin–and they are cognitively very bright, so you’d never know they deal with these issues just from superficial encounters. They present as ‘normal’ in other words. Besides ADHD and autism, depression can also really screw up your appetite and motivation. Of course I have no idea if this person has any of these conditions. The point is just that I believe her that she hasn’t done this on purpose. It is very hard for people who haven’t experienced it to grasp, but it’s very plausible to me that she doesn’t intend to be this thin.
Thank you for your input and the explanation. Your words give me a better perspective. I was going straight for an ED mind set because that made the most sense to me but it might be a different underlying issue here. I hope your kids are doing well (hope the same for Whitney).
I think she has orthorexia with how she’s describing she doesn’t know what to eat. Regardless I hope she gets help. She has money so hire a dietician to help you stay healthy with nutritious foods. One look at her instagram and she is so focused on her image with the amount of skin stuff she’s obsessed with. I think at a subconscious level she is somewhat aware of how skinny she is.
Eh. I’m not going to armchair diagnose anyone. But I will say that she does look too thin. I used to have a friend who suffered from anorexia and Whitney is starting to look very much like that friend. Tired, too slim and like she’s not getting enough nutrients.
Whatever the reason for her weight loss, I hope she finds a way to rebalance her diet to become healthier.
Carina, these are some interesting observations. I’ve never had disordered eating as far as I know but I often don’t know what to eat or can’t decide, particularly in the first part of the day. I’ve also suspected I have undiagnosed ADHD for a while now. I wonder if there’s anything else going on? It affects my energy if I forget to eat breakfast because I get distracted.
She’s also been open about her fertility struggles, miscarriages, and desire to have more kids. (But yes, healthy women in their 30s aren’t naturally that thin. I follow her on insta, and the posted pics aren’t even the most shocking.)
I wish her nothing but the best in her journey for mental/physical health, happiness, and the future family she wants.
I’ve looked at her since The Hills and felt concern. “Naturally thin and willowy” is a problem. Whitney has always talked about limiting calories. Always. That’s not natural. I remember people would point out pictures of her legs and thighs like Teri Hatcher. They were so thin. Is it right to diagnose people? No, but who saw Whitney as healthy? People didn’t see Whitney Port as some picture of health during The Hills. She was constantly diagnosed by others years ago. Her weight was the main topic I remember people pointing out during those days, because she wasn’t involved in all the drama. She used to talk about her diet. Yep, I looked it up she spoke about limiting her calories. Limiting calories isn’t natural.
A friend of a friend I follow on Insta has become worryingly thin since the pandemic started. I met her a few times in 2019 and she looks easily 20 to 30 lbs less and she was thin to begin with. She also looks older due to it too. She is 34, but easily looks late 40s. Whitney may have devloped an ED during the pandemic. Her knee and leg pics look very similar to this girl I describe. Another friend stated if this friend of a friend doesnt stop, she wont be around in 10 years.
I have several friends in this same boat, but in their cases they were trying to lose “pandemic weight” and got involved in something called Optavia that really restricts calories for rapid weight loss. One keeps bragging about being back to her high school weight and I keep wanting to say that it’s not so great to be your high school weight at 45 because it has easily aged her 15 years in less than a year to lose those thirty some pounds.
As someone who suffered from anorexia for almost two decades, Whitney does have the same type of look. I never heard of this woman (never saw her reality show), but a glance at her Instagram gives me that sense. Of course, you never know what is going on with someone behind closed doors, but reading the juxtaposition of the comments on her social media – wow you look so thin, are you ok? vs. can I get your workout routine to get abs like yours – just gives me a migraine.
If she is actually suffering from disordered eating, I hope she is able to find the appropriate help for recovery.
Wow, so much to unpack here, but being hungry and not knowing what to eat sounds like orthorexia or some sort of eating disorder. Like many other influencers, including Arielle Charnas and Rachel Zoe, they seem to show photos that really emphasize their thinness like a badge of honor