It can be tough to shed pregnancy weight; many new moms feel the unspoken pressure to immediately lose any weight gained. Or they don’t lose weight, and feel insecure about their post-baby bodies.
Some moms DO lose any baby weight they’ve gained, but it.shouldn’t.matter.either.way.
In the least helpful study ever conducted, researchers claim that mothers weigh roughly three pounds more than childless woman of the same age.
A study conducted at the University of Cambridge analyzed data that was previously collected by dozens of other studies involving women and weight. The studies tracked women’s weight ranges from the ages of 15 to 35.
The study claims that childless women steadily gain between 1-2lbs. within five or six years. The panel suggests that tired parents are more likely to skip exercise and to snack more frequently on unhealthy foods.
On average, mothers also gained the same 1-2lbs … and then an additional 2lbs, 14 ounces.
According to University of Cambridge professor Dr. Eleanor Winpenny, the goal of the study was not to specifically gauge pregnancy weight gain:
it’s about all the lifestyle changes that happen as people become parents.
Because apparently gaining 2-3 lbs. within a few years is a significant “lifestyle change”.
TWO or THREE pounds.
The study was published in Obesity Reviews, and concluded that:
Becoming a mother is associated with 17 per cent greater absolute BMI gain than remaining childless.
It goes without saying that becoming a parent has a major impact on your prior routines and way of life.
But that being said, implying that gaining 2 or 3lbs. is indicative of somehow “letting yourself go” is absolutely ludicrous.
Dr. Kirsten Corder (co-author of study) stated that while having kids can make it tough to maintain a consistent exercise schedule, the study is a good reminder to parents that:
Of course there are challenges with having a small child, but it’s also an opportunity for people to think about their own lifestyles and how they could be more healthy and active.
So if you’re one of the mothers that has gained at least TWO POUNDS since any of your children were born, consider the study a “helpful” reminder that you’re probably slacking and on a downward health spiral.
SERIOUSLY??
Yes, it’s true that the demands of raising small children can certainly affect both your time (and desire to) maintain a consistent exercise and healthy eating routine.
But for the study to imply that a mere 2-3 pounds of additional weight is the indicator of mothers letting themselves go is both excessive and judgmental.
A person’s weight can fluctuate up and down in one single day, much less over several years.
In fact, I can step on the scale after eating a Chipotle burrito and the number is a good 2-3 pounds higher than it would have been before ingesting my burrito baby.
Why even release a study that could make moms even MORE self-conscious about their weight than they might already be?
This is why so many women have body image issues.
Too many women are overly concerned with the number on the scale to begin with. And studies like this only increase the unrealistic scrutiny of women’s bodies to begin with.