On December 10, Katherine Heigl and her musician husband Josh Kelley welcomed their third child, Joshua Bishop Kelley Jr, joining big sisters Adalaide and Naleigh.
Nearly eight months later, the 38-year-old actress gets candid about her weight-loss journey post-pregnancy and the fears she had throughout.
Taking to her blog, Those Heavenly Days, she penned, “I gained almost 50 pounds (22.5kg) during my pregnancy and I’m not gonna lie, I had moments of sheer panic that I’d never be able to lose it all.”
But the Greys Anatomy alum needn’t have worried – she dropped 30 pounds (13.6kg) just 10 days after her bub was born. “I remember being absolutely dumbfounded and weighing myself two more times to be sure the scale was correct,” she wrote.
She went to see her doctor the following week, who confirmed the news.
“I kept asking how that could be possible and my doctor just shrugged and said after the 10-15 pounds of baby, placenta, blood and amniotic fluid weight you typically drop post birth, the rest must have been excessive water retention,” she continued.
Losing the rest of the weight hasn’t been as easy for The Ugly Truth star, but she’s realised that it’s not a race and that she needs to treat her body with kindness after creating her beautiful bub. “I decided from the start that I was going to lovingly but patiently reclaim my pre-baby body, and forgive the glorious imperfections that would forever grace my new post-baby body,” she wrote.
“This attitude of forgiveness and gentleness is the spirit with which I have embarked on my weight-loss journey and it’s made all the difference in the world.”
She continued: “The years of deprivation, counting every single calorie, completely eliminating major food groups and setting unreasonable weight goals are over. None of those things ever really worked for me and only fostered an unhealthy, resentful relationship with my body, an attitude that I do not want to pass on to my daughters.”
“It was the most natural and healthy thing in the world to put on weight during my pregnancy and allowing my body to shed it slowly, gracefully and healthfully feels… good.”
She went on to write about the steps she’s taking to lose weight gradually post-partum. She plans out her low-calorie meals (without being too strict on herself) and devotes “no less than three days a week to exercise that suits my body type, like yoga and long hikes,” she said. Heigl also prioritises sleep and starts every day by repeating positive mantras.
You can read her full blog here.
