Pregnant Women Who Don't Drink Root Beer Floats Are Obnoxious (VIDEO)

on August 2, 2011 at 9:31 PM

maternity workout pants Blame the pregnant celebrities who barely show a bump during their nine months then bust out a bikini minutes later looking flawless if you want, but mommyrexia is infecting American moms like never before. The term, coined by the New York Post, is used to describe women who don't want to get fat during pregnancy. Not just too fat, but fat at all; they want to stay skinny for the entire nine-month journey, then banish every little last trace of it from their body immediately upon exiting labor and delivery.

Ridiculous right? Yes, says Today show's Dr. Nancy Snyderman. In fact, she got downright angry about the trend saying mommyrexia is an "Upper East Side, obnoxious, white girl problem." Check out this video to hear what else she had to say about it.

She minces no words, that's for sure. My favorite line: "Pregnancy should be nine months of root beer floats and bliss, then deal with it afterwards." I agree.

I didn't drink a single root beer float during my pregnancy, as I don't like them, but for me it was nine months of spicy steak tacos from Chipotle and bliss. Two and a half years later, I'm still dealing with it. Not really; I only gained about 28 pounds with my daughter and those pounds are long gone. It's the tone of my abs and some other areas that I'm still dealing with ... and may be for a long time. But that's fine as I have a healthy, beautiful daughter.

A healthy baby seems to be of secondary concern to some of these mommyrexics. Not only do they starve themselves (and therefore their babies), but some actually increase the amount they exercise when they become pregnant so they don't gain weight. Sure there are probably some who have a genuine medical disorder that causes this behavior, but I'm with Snyderman -- most of them are just being narcissistic.

Of course going in the other direction isn't healthy either -- overindulging carries its own sets of risks, and exercise during pregnancy is healthy and safe in most cases. The bottom line is moderation, and our focus should be on our health and the health of our babies and not what we -- or any actress in Hollywood -- look like. To do otherwise is obnoxious.

Do you know any mommyrexics?

Image via lululemon athletica/Flickr

About the author Julie Ryan Evans

can be found writing from coffee houses wherever she may be. The quality of her days is largely influenced by the seat she nabs and whether a protein plate is available.

Filed Under: eating for two, food aversions & cravings, is it safe, pregnancy health

Comments (19)

momtolittleg

on Aug 2, 2011 at 9:43 PM

Someone observing my pregnancy from a distance may have thought I was "mommyrexic," as after about 30 weeks my meals were limited to less than about 5-8 grams of fat. It wasn't because I didn't want to gain weight- it was to avoid the severe PAIN that I was in due to gallbladder issues. My minimal fat diet led to me gain only 13 pounds, but I was SO much more comfortable once the problem was diagnosed (stupid OB docs!). My weight was gone within 10 days after birth.

So, just sayin' that some women may look to be avoiding weight gain but may have other underlying issues...

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xavierlogan09

on Aug 2, 2011 at 10:31 PM

i don't think women should over eat and deal with it later. Because then they wouldn't be happy with the way their bodies look afterward. I don't think women should gain too little weight either. They will still be unhealthy. I hope this does not become a trend.

CyraEm

on Aug 2, 2011 at 10:49 PM

Fucking hell. I know anorexics, diagnosed, long-suffering anorexics, who got fat during pregnancy for the sake of the baby. They hated it, but they did it. These women forced themselves to eat, a tearful painful endeavor that amounts to forcefeeding, because they wanted their children to thrive, and there are women who have the gall to refuse food even when it is easy for them to eat because of a waistline?

I agree, some of them may be anorexic, and that is a tragic situation. I understand those people, and I sympathize. But I'm willing to bet money that a significant portion are not and for them I pray for a reassessing of priorities.

on Aug 2, 2011 at 10:53 PM

Although I would add that people who claim any eating disorder or self-loathing in relation to weight is a "white girl problem" are just making the non-white/male anorexics, bulimics, normal people with self-loathing, feel even more isolated. I've had a young black girl with disordered eating tell me that she feels that her whole race has rejected her for having a "white girl's problem", including her family, and that everyone else dismisses her, not believing that she could have a "white girl's problem". It's diminishing and counter-productive.

jonellg

on Aug 2, 2011 at 11:27 PM

Who cares. Botching about how thin a woman is, is no better then bitching about how fat a woman is.

Melissa042807

on Aug 2, 2011 at 11:34 PM

I don't know anyone who has gone that route. I have friends who just have skinny frames and didn't look much different, just like they'd shoved a basketball under their shirt, but according to their OB were within the healthy weight range. *shrug*

For me, I didn't undereat but I didn't overeat either. I really focused on fueling my body and my baby. I made sure to eat healthy snacks between meals and not just gorge on unhealthy food all the time. Sure, I craved chocolate peanut butter ice cream for my entire 2nd trimester, but it's not like I ate an entire carton in on sitting.

Every woman's body is different - some will gain less and some will gain more, but what's most important is getting proper nourishment. That's what the primary focus should be.

sarapunkinpie88

on Aug 3, 2011 at 12:27 AM

This is the new trend even over in the UK. Pregnant women are even smoking just to get smaller babies so they don't get to many stretch marks and Allen

All not Allen

CoolRelax

on Aug 3, 2011 at 8:07 AM

I don't know any kooks who do this. I ate whatever I wanted while I was pregnant with the girls and still had to start drinking high calorie protein shakes.