Celebrities often appear to regain their pre-pregnancy bodies within weeks of giving birth, proudly showcasing their weight loss and unbelievably flat stomachs on social media. However, Blake Lively has spoken candidly about her own experiences of losing weight after giving birth, and why it isn't always easy or healthy to slim down too quickly.
Sharing a photo of herself working out with a personal trainer on Instagram, Blake said: "Turns out you can't lose the 61lbs you gained during pregnancy by just scrolling through Instagram and wondering why you don't look like all the bikini models. Thanks @donsaladino for kicking my A double S into shape. 10 months to gain, 14 months to lose. Feeling very proud."
Blake Lively showed off her post-baby body on Instagram
Blake certainly has reason to be proud; after 14 months of training she looks incredible in a black sports bra and Victoria Sport tights, with a flat stomach that any woman would love, regardless of having children.
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The 30-year-old welcomed her daughter Ines in September 2016, and also has a three-year-old daughter called James. Although her children are only young, Blake is already keen to teach them about unrealistic beauty expectations, and said she doesn't want them to grow up believing they need to be perfect.
Blake is a mum to James, three, and Ines, one
Talking about the glamorous and glossy images we see of celebrities on the red carpet or at photoshoots, Blake told Refinery29: "What little girls are seeing isn't what [these celebrities] look like when they wake up in the morning — even though it's no less beautiful."
The L'Oreal ambassador also admitted that while she is grateful to have make-up artists and stylists on hand to get her camera-ready, she doesn't want her daughters to grow up believing that is the norm. "There's this awareness of what they're going to be exposed to and what they grow up seeing. For me, it's important for my daughters to know that it's not real life," she said. "They're seeing me dressed up in all this hair and makeup, but they also see me without that. I want them to see both sides, because there is never just one side."
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