Ariana Grande lost a lot of weight. After announcing her pregnancy in May 2018, the singer dropped 18 lbs in the first trimester and 25 lbs in the second. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy in October and since then has put the weight back on, reporting to the media that she’s ‘feeling great.’
While it’s always great to hear about a celebrity’s weight loss journey, it can be hard to replicate their results. Especially when they share their diet and workout secrets with the world. That’s why we’ve collected some of the most useful advice from Ariana Grande regarding her weight loss. Here’s what she had to say.
Take Advantage Of Pre-baby Meals
When you’re pregnant, your diet becomes really important. You want to make sure that you’re eating the right nutrients for your baby’s development. And since most restaurants have a set menu, that means that you’ll have a restricted choice of pre-made dishes. That’s why it’s important to take advantage of pre-baby meals. Not only do they tend to be cheaper than ones created specifically for babies, but they also give you the opportunity to sample different flavors. If you do happen to be served something that you think is harmful to your baby, you can ask the waitstaff for a replacement. But for the most part, you can rest assured that what you’re serving your baby is safe. And that’s what’s important.
Evaluate How You Feel
Even if you’ve been a healthy person all your life, it’s worth remembering that you’re not actually pregnant forever, so you might not feel like this all the time. Especially in the early stages, it can be difficult to tell how you’re going to feel once the baby arrives. Before the due date, it’s normal to feel tired and a little cranky. Some women even report feeling more restless than usual. This is because the hormone progesterone, which is responsible for preparing the body for pregnancy, adds a gentle element of euphoria to your daily mood. After the baby is born, you’ll wonder why you ever felt bad in the first place.
From a health standpoint, it’s preferable to feel tired than to feel ill. Especially in the early stages of motherhood, it’s easy to succumb to infections that cause fever and aches. When your body is busy creating a brand-new life, it’s not in a position to fight off ailments. So it’s preferable to feel sleepy and a little out of sorts than to feel sick. Which is why it’s important to remember that this is how you’re supposed to feel. And it’s also why it’s important to monitor how you feel, even if you’ve been a healthy person all your life.
Reduce Stress
Stress is one of the main causes of unhealthy weight gain. With so much attention paid to your looks, it’s easy to let your self-image get tied up in knots. Especially if you’re not used to feeling vulnerable, watching food charts and seeing the numbers on the scale can feel a little like torture. To some extent, this is unavoidable. Humans were never meant to be perfect. We were just meant to do our best, which is probably why so many people gain weight while they’re pregnant. Some women even blame their weight gain on the hormones of pregnancy. Naturally, there’s a difference between accepting your flaws and feeling good about yourself and accepting your baby’s birth weight. This is where reducing stress comes in. Whether it’s a job change or an unexpected financial burden, it’s worth assessing whether or not your stress levels are just a little inflated.
Eat To Nourish Your Baby
Whether you’ve decided to breastfeed or formula feed your baby, food is truly important. Especially in the early stages, some women have found that formula-feeding helped them to sleep more easily. Since your baby’s diet is important for their health, you want to make sure that you’re providing them with nutrients. This can be difficult if you’re not used to cooking for one. In the first few months of their lives, most babies will only accept milk from their mother. So if you decide to breastfeed, make sure that you’re taking the time to learn how to prepare healthy meals for your baby. This will not only make the process less stressful, but it will also give them the nutrients that they need to grow strong.
Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
For years, scientists have debated about whether or not alcohol is actually harmful to your baby. And although it’s still unproven, there’s enough evidence to suggest that it’s not a good idea to drink while pregnant. While there are some nutritional benefits to alcohol, there are also some serious drawbacks. The first being that it’s highly acidic, which interferes with the proper function of your stomach acid. This can lead to a variety of problems, from heartburn to digestion issues. Second, some women have found that drinking during pregnancy has an adverse effect on the size of their baby. Especially in the last trimester, women who drink, on average, more than a glass of wine per day have larger babies. So although it’s still not proven, it’s best to avoid alcohol if you can.
Don’t Be Fooled By The Hype
It’s natural to want to emulate the celebrities that you admire. Especially when they’re at the top of their game. And it’s easy to get so absorbed in the media that surrounds you that you forget about what’s really important. While the weight loss journey is something to be proud of, it’s also worth reminding yourself of the hardships that came before. When you lose a significant amount of weight, it’s easy to assume that all your lifestyle choices immediately followed suit. This was certainly not the case for Ariana Grande. Before she married singer Justin Bieber, she was actually a rather large person. She even carried a lot of extra weight during her pregnancy with Justin. And although she’s a natural beauty with perfectly symmetrical features, she still had to work hard at shedding the pounds. She didn’t just magically become thin after giving birth to a baby girl, despite what the media would have you believe. And although she’s always been open about her body positivity campaign, it’s also worth remembering that she’s a human being first.