Kat Von D reveals struggle with weight loss after pregnancy: 'Before I got pregnant, I did have my dream body'
Makeup guru and tattoo artist Kat Von D made a departure from posting highly stylized photos on her Instagram account and instead shared a video of herself lifting dumbbells in a black Depeche Mode hoodie on Wednesday. In her caption, she revealed her postpartum challenges and battle with body image to her followers.
“I know most people, [especially new moms] tend to only post the most perfectly edited version of what motherhood looks like for the sake of Instagram,” she writes. “A part of me feels compelled to show the real side to what life might look like, especially after just having had a baby.”
The 37-year-old goes on to say that while she has never been “‘skinny’ by model standards,” she had her “dream body” before she got pregnant. But after she gave birth to son Leafar in November, everything changed.
“After having my son, I was shocked that regardless of how strict I was with my diet, and how well I took care of myself, I somehow managed to gain so much weight,” she writes. “I weighed 220 lbs to be exact!”
She wanted to make it clear in her post that her real life isn’t as “beautifully curated” as her Instagram feed.
“I might post photos of tattoos I’m doing, music I’m making, my loving husband and my beautiful baby boy who refuses to stop smiling - but what you don’t see is the relentless workout schedule, where sleep is sacrificed and tears are mistaken for sweat. Where there’s no makeup, no cute outfits, and a constant struggle to never give up,” her post says.
She shouted-out others who may be going through similar struggles, writing “to all my fellow mom’s out there, I just want to tell you that I f***ing love you, and that we got this.”
People immediately chimed in, sharing their own experiences and describing how uplifting it is to hear honest stories that make them feel less alone.
“Being so transparent with this reminds others that we are all human and that life is so much more than a number on a scale or a size tag,” one person commented.
Another talked about how similar her own story as a mom was. “The exact same thing happened to me. I am over 6ft tall and was in great shape before I got pregnant. I stopped looking at the weight gain during pregnancy at 65lbs. I had a month to go,” the person wrote. “I cried so much behind my bathroom door while no body was looking. I looked as pregnant if not more after birth. I was over 35 years old and it took a long time to get it back with countless sweat and tears.”
Others reminded the beauty brand founder to give her body time to fall into place.
“Your baby took 9 months to grow in your body so give it at least 9 months to get back to anywhere as before,” another follower added. “That’s how I kept it in perspective!”
“Take your time no race to get back to where you were - take it easy on yourself you created a miracle.” one said.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Kat Von D reveals she had 2 miscarriages after sharing intimate breastfeeding video
Police officer buys hungry children Taco Bell dinner after mom's car breaks down
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.