Was Beyonce’s post-pregnancy diet safe?
In her new Netflix documentary, Homecoming, global music superstar Beyoncé talked about her difficult 2017 pregnancy with twins and weighing 218 pounds at the time of birth. She gave voice to the struggle many women have of losing post-pregnancy weight as she prepared for her now legendary two-weekend performance at Coachella last year.
“In order for me to meet my goal, I’m limiting myself to no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol….and I’m hungry,” Beyoncé says in the film.
That doesn’t leave much. Her extreme methods to reclaim her pre-pregnancy body had many people wondering how she survived. She’s been known for advocating for a plant-based diet, but health experts say attempting to drop so much weight so fast can be dangerous.
“My concerns with this way of life are a nutritionally imbalanced diet,” says Kelly Whirity, a registered dietitian with Advocate Medical Group. “Some people who eliminate animal-based proteins from the diet still eat a lot of processed foods and refined grains,” she says.
Veganism and eating plant-based foods can aid in losing weight, but shouldn’t be a quick fix to rapidly drop pounds.
“I would say eating plant-based is more of a lifestyle as opposed to a diet,” Whirity says. “It can have many benefits, some of which include disease prevention, increased fiber intake and weight loss.”
Women often have big goals of dropping their ‘baby weight’ and slimming down quickly after giving birth. Here are some tips for healthy weight loss after pregnancy:
- Be realistic about your weight loss journey and focus on short-term, attainable goals. Healthy weight loss is approximately 0.5 lb.- 2 lb. per week.
- Consume small, frequent meals every few hours instead of going long periods without eating.
- Monitor portion sizes.
- Avoid processed foods, added sugars and refined carbs.
- After consulting with your doctor, begin an exercise regimen and remain consistent.
- Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
- Plan meals and snacks in advance that focus on complex carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats.
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About the Author
Latoya Campbell, health enews contributor, is a Public Affairs Coordinator at Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care. She has a BS degree in Communications/Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and previously worked in digital and graphic marketing for a public library. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, fitness activities and a good spa day.
Oh, please… I bore triplets and weighed 300 lbs. at the end of my pregnancy. Don’t cry for me, Argentina…
Well when you have millions of dollars and can hire nutritionists, chefs, motivators, and personal trainers then you can do anything successfully. For the rest of us its not as simple. I always say, “I’d look just like King Leonidas from 300….if my job was to look like King Leonidas from 300…”
Mark that is funny! You are right.
Veganism is Very healthy when you do your homework, just like anything. A lot of celebrities or social media influencers are simply looking for quick fixes or more attention and end up giving something that is extremely positive for health, animals and the environment a bad name for no reason. To refer that what she did is Veganism or plant-based is not what she was doing in this post-pregnancy scenario – I would never eliminate bread, carbs and sugar all together … that’s not Veganism, it’s a starvation “diet” that happens to not include meat or cow dairy. The majority of vegans I know have been long term and are healthy. I eat balanced: grains, beans, seeds, carbs, fruits, vegetables, good sugars, get plenty of protein from plants and eat the occasional processed quick meal or treat. I think the idea of being vegan is still so foreign to so many people that it’s easier to try to find what’s wrong with it or twist what it is. I would love to hear a nutritionist point out the positives for once, rather than use it as a cautionary tale. Food for thought.
I am only into being thin and don’t care what anyone says about it. However I can’t live with bread and pasta, fresh fruit, plain yogurt and cheese. I can’t stand being hungry.
Of course, she was hungry! And probably exhausted. But when you have “staff” to take care of you and the kids you can get by. If she had to take care of her kids herself and work a 9 to 5 job and go on that diet with no outside help she would be too tired to exercise.