Paula Patton Calls Losing Her Baby Weight ‘One Of The Hardest Things I’ve Done’

Ask a celebrity mom how they lost their baby weight and you’re sure to hear one of two things. The traditional answer is to thank the Heavens for the miracle of breastfeeding and it’s calorie-busting ways. The second is to say something about playing with their kids and all the energy it takes. I mean, how can you not lose weight running after toddlers and pacing with a newborn, right? Tee hee. Endearing smile. Maybe throw in a word or two about healthy nutrition, just to make sure that it’s semi-believable

Even if that really is all that a woman needs to do to lose her baby weight, she doesn’t need to throw it in everyone else’s faces! Breastfeeding and pacing? All that got me was sore nipples and bags under my eyes, not six-pack abs.

This is why my new favorite celebrity is Paula Patton. The ridiculously beautiful Patton has a 21-month old son with her husband Robin Thicke. But after giving birth to Julian Fuego, she had just five months to get into shape for her roll in Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol opposite Tom Cruise.

Instead of saying that she simply pumped her way back to an amazing body, Paula says that she worked out for two and a half hours, six days a week. It was a serious commitment and it wasn’t easy. ”It was really the most grueling and one of the hardest things I’ve done,” Patton told People Magazine.

Not only did Patton drop the celeb nonchalance, she also talked about the mental and emotional stress of trying to lose all that weight so quickly. ”I would never cry in front of the boys, but inside I was hurting and a little depressed,” she admits.

While I’m sorry to hear that a woman had to feel so stressed about her weight immediately after giving birth, I’m also so grateful to Patton for talking about it publicly. When all you’re hearing is how easy or natural it is to wear your pre-preggo jeans out of the hospital, it’s hard for moms who don’t bounce back immediately. Discussing the challenges and hard work it can take is so refreshing.

All moms recuperate after childbirth at their own rate. All of our bodies have different needs when it comes to losing the baby weight. And none of us should feel pressured to shed the pounds immediately. But if a woman does choose that goal for herself, at least there’s someone out there admitting that it’s not easy, physically or emotionally.

So thank you, Paula Patton, for being honest and straight-forward. I wish we had more celeb moms out there who would follow in her lead.