InTouch Weekly USA × September 19, 2008
Gwen’s baby weight panic
When Gwen Stefani was carrying her son Zuma, she gained an estimated 45 pounds – and often joked to friends that she was “huge.” But insiders tell InTouch that the pop star’s jabs at herself were no laughing matter. “Gwen was very insecure during her pregnancy with Zuma. She thought she wasn’t sexy,” reveals an insider. “She would look at pictures in magazines and comment on how skinny other women were. Being pregnant was a blessing, but it also was very hard to let her body go.”
Gwen’s husband, Gavin Rossdale, 40, admitted recently that she feels pressure to get her sexy body back. “It’s very hard because everyone’s so judged,” he said.
She worries about her weight
Gwen, 38, has struggled with her body image since childhood. “My grandmother was really obese and I think that frightened my mom,” she says. The singer admits she’s been watching her weight since she was a young child. “I’ve always been on a diet, ever since I was in the sixth grade,” says Gwen. “I was chubby when I was a little girl and I have those issues everyone else has.”
So, when Gwen had to lose the 30-plus pounds from her first pregnancy, it was traumatic. “That was one of the hardest things for me – the pressure of,’Okay, I need to get into shape so that I can put this record out,’ ” says Gwen, who released The Sweet Escape seven months after son Kingston was born in May 2006.
This time around, Gwen might need to work twice as hard to get fit. “With each pregnancy, it becomes harder to lose the weight,” says registered dietician Joseph J. Mutz, who does not treat her. “As a woman approaches 40, her metabolism slows down.”
But Gwen’s trainer has a plan: “The key is to lose the weight withing twelve weeks,” Mike Heatlie tells InTouch. “The longer it takes you to lose it, the harder it is.” Though she’s anxious to slim down, Gwen’s enjoying motherhood and isn’t scheduled to begin training until January.
Gwen, who only gave birth to Zuma on August 21, is trying to be sensible about dropping the baby weight. “I’ve wasted a lot of time on it, thinking about it,” she says. “Nowadays, I just try to realize how stupid it is because nobody cares – except me!”
She didn’t exercise as much this time
During her first pregnancy, Gwen hiked in the Hollywood hills and worked out with her trainer until two weeks before she gave birth. “It was crazy,” she admitted. But when she was pregnant with Zuma, she put Kingston’s needs first and didn’t work out as much. “I’m hoping my children will save me from my vanity,” she has said.
Leave a Comment