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Jillian Michaels Says She Can't Handle a Baby Body
Filed under: In The News
Jillian Michaels, right, hangs out with kids but doesn't want to give birth to any herself. David Goldman, Cartoon Network / AP
Fitness guru and hard-body Jillian Michaels is making a stir in the blogosphere this week after she said she'd rather adopt a child than cope with what happens during pregnancy.
"I'm going to adopt. I can't handle doing that to my body," Michaels tells Women's Health magazine, according to Fox News. "Also, when you rescue something, it's like rescuing a part of yourself."
Experts say that Michaels' attitude toward pregnancy is a revealing clue about the celebrity trainer's view of her own physique.
"She is teaching people about body image and self-esteem. Women who have children all the time and get right back in shape particularly if they exercise," Dr. Leslie Seppinni, a Los Angeles-based Family Therapist & Clinical Psychologist tells Fox News. "If this is how she truly feels, she should seek counsel before coaching others on issues of body image."
"The Biggest Loser" star is getting slammed by parenting bloggers left and right for her remarks, and she set off a flurry of posts in response to her admission. Catherine Connors, author of the popular blog "Her Bad Mother," says she believes Michaels revealed a basic "disgust" for the biology of pregnancy."Now, obviously – obviously – Jillian Michaels is not, shall we say, cerebral," Connors writes. "Indeed, she makes her living working with sweat and sinew and all those gym-towel-stinky let's-get-physical things – she makes her living working with bodies – so why should she, of all people, be put off by the messy physicality of pregnancy?"
Connors isn't the only one taking umbrage with Michaels' take on pregnancy and motherhood. Kristen Chase is the author of "The Mominatrix's Guide to Sex: A No-Surrender Advice Book for Naughty Moms," and she also blogs at "Motherhood Uncensored." Chase, who was inspired by Michaels' "30-Day Shred" fitness regimen to lose 40 pounds, takes issue with her characterization of adoption as "rescue."
"Now I'm not at all surprised that someone so entrenched and successful in the fitness business would have latent body issues," Chase writes. "You don't need to be a psychotherapist to figure that out. And sure, being an adoptive parent is heroic and admirable. It's also not something to be taken lightly, as we have seen with the Tennessee mom who sent her young adopted son back to Russia alone on a plane."
Not everyone thinks Michaels' remarks are such a big deal. One blogger says that moms need to stop saying the sky is falling all because Michaels made a comment "basically stating that she would just prefer adoption" to having biological children.
Michaels recently shared her fitness past with ParentDish, telling us that by the time she reached junior high school, she was using food as a comfort mechanism and that her own father was "addicted to food." She weighed 175 pounds as a young girl before she turned to martial arts as a way to get fit.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
4-26-2010 @ 9:10PM
Sifrina said...To each his own. And give her some credit for being honest. Adoption is not for everyone and neither is pregnancy. I'm not one of those women who "never-felt-better-than-while-pregnant" but I did cherish every day of that bizarro but wonderful science experiment I endured. Probably because I knew I was only doing it once and had a pretty uneventful pregnancy. Not everyone chooses this but still wants to be a mom and that's fine.
Can pregnancy cause damage to your body's shape? Absolutely. Can it teach you something about learning how to take a backseat to someone else's health/well being (over your own vanity, comfort, dignity, and plans)? Yes. Is the experience of pregnancy necessary to be a loving mother and learning what really matters in life? Of course not!! Adoption is another wonderful, exciting way to have a baby and her enthusiasm for this is the key.
And you know what, if she doesn't think she can handle pregnancy she's smart to not try to endure it. One of my friends with eating issues purposely only gained 15 pounds while pregnant and that is so scary.
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4-27-2010 @ 4:57AM
BecauseImRight said...While I can't say I'm thrilled with her saying she can't handle doing that to her body, it's not a terrible thing. She has obviously worked very hard on herself and does not want to lose all she worked for. She could have maybe said it in a better way. Also, we are overpopulating the planet so good for her deciding to adopt someone else's unwanted child and giving them a home.
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4-27-2010 @ 10:49AM
Amanda said...I remember hearing a woman say at a dinner party, "I'll never have kids, the pain is too terrifying." I think it's fair to say that you have no idea until you do it. I am in the best shape of my life post-babies, but I know that isn't everyone's reality. I do think she send a dangerous message and, yes, reveals a serious chink in her grasp on body-image and confidence in the ability of each body to achieve an acceptable and appealing state of appearance and fitness.
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4-27-2010 @ 11:29AM
paige said...I read her comments and have been thinking about it for a while. I like many things about Jillian Michaels' approach (though I would *not* like her to be my trainer IRL) on DVD. I like that she's upfront about her physical limitations and the fact that exercise is hard and that she doesn't love it herself.
I, however, am most impressed by female trainers who've been able to get back in shape post-pregnancy. It gives me hope that I can persevere and overcome the chaos of my work/parenting/marriage/personal life demands in order to get and stay fit.
Getting and staying fit is hard and to be commended. Getting fit after a baby or staying fit through a couple of decades of pregnancy, breastfeeding, juggling conflicting demands...that deserves a medal. I want a trainer who knows what all that is like and who has succeeded.
That said, I think it's entirely in character for Jillian Michaels to be straightforward about the issue, and I, too, do not find it surprising that celebrity fitness experts have some pretty serious body issues.
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4-28-2010 @ 10:05AM
sugarjo said...Who really cares? To each his/her own. We all have different reasons behind the lifestyle we choose to follow and this is hers. If she would rather adopt than be pregnant, I think that is her business. Adopting a child is in and of itself a blessing to all parties.
I carried and birthed two children and chose not to have a third because I couldn't bear to part with that baby at 6 weeks. There was no way I could afford another baby without returning to work full time and I just couldn't imagine putting a baby into daycare at such a young age. With my two daughters, I was blessed to be able to stay at home until they were over 5 years old. Does it make me horrible to suggest a mother putting a child into daycare at 6 weeks is wrong? Nope. I just felt it was wrong for ME.
I don't think Jillian was passing judgement on women who get pregnant and go through childbirth. She was merely commenting that it is not for HER. Get over it ladies!
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4-28-2010 @ 2:19PM
merry said...wow cant have children and someone cares more about how she looks how long can have your body forever? i hate when women do this all this money is making pple crazy i dont even have a dime to adopt or have ivf so am going to work twice as hard just to get 20000 to be able to bear a child and she has ovaries and she dont doesnt want a child? this is really sad?sad jillian am sooo disappointed in you
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4-28-2010 @ 5:10PM
Ash said...Well I agree and disagree. I myself do have a 1 year old and have yet to get back to my prepregnancy size. It is somewhat annoying to actually "work" to get back into shape, but I'd rather be fat for now with my daughter than be skinny and without her. If the lady doesnt feel like she wants to "ruin" a body she worked years to get then so be. People just jump on everything nowadays. She's free to do what she wants. Its not that serious. happychildguide.wordpress.com
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4-28-2010 @ 5:42PM
SKL said...As an adoptive parent, it's great that some people decide to embrace the idea of adoption for reasons other than infertility.
What rubs me the wrong way is this attitude:
"Also, when you rescue something, it's like rescuing a part of yourself."
If you view adoption as "rescuing something," you might want to check at the local dog pound rather than an adoption agency.
Children are not "things." And it is wrong to treat them as having been "rescued." They should be treated as full members of the family, just like any biological child. They have just as much to offer, regardless of how they came into this world. Finally, if you need rescuing, you are not ready to be an adoptive parent. If you are an emotional mess, resolve your issues to the point where you can be a good parent, and then parent your child. Adoption comes with a lot of issues that require maturity.
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4-29-2010 @ 9:16AM
LMA said...SKL- as a fellow adoptive mama, that really upset me too! And no one should ever choose adoption for any reason other than wishing to be a parent. I haven't been too crazy about the Biggest Loser or Jillian this season, and ths just cements it for me... I find her attitude insulting to my daughters.
4-29-2010 @ 9:59AM
Tara said...Jillian has since said that her reasons are emotional as well as physical... maybe she can't have kids? Wow, some people sure are quick to judge! She didn't want to tell the whole world her reasons... shame on her! Everyone has their own reasons for doing things. I doubt Jillian really feels that way about her body!
If I had the whole world judging me on everything I did or said I probably would mess up a bit too! But, oh I forgot. You guys are all perfect 100% of the time.
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4-29-2010 @ 10:35AM
Barbara said...LISTEN UP JILLIAN "CONCEITED" MICHAELS ... FIRST AND FOREMOST, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE A CHILD PERIOD AND HOPEFULLY, NO ONE WILL ALLOW YOU TO ADOPT. YOU ARE TOO FULL OF YOURSELF AND IF YOU THINK HAVING A BABY WILL SCREW UP YOUR PRETTY LITTLE BODY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT RAISING A CHILD CAN DO TO YOUR WHOLE BEING! YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT CUT OUT FOR MOTHERHOOD. IT'S A WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE WHETHER IT'S YOUR OWN CHILD OR NOT, WITH ALL IT'S UPS AND DOWNS, AND YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT CUT OUT FOR THE TASK! I NOW HAVE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON YOU. SORRY I PURCHASED THE WII FIT THAT INCLUDED YOUR CRAP IN IT! ENOUGH SAID!
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4-29-2010 @ 12:00PM
SKL said..."whether it's your own child or not" - what does this mean?
5-03-2010 @ 4:30PM
la said...It's a GOOD thing she does not want to have children, because being a Mom means putting your child's needs FIRST. Obviously Jillian is only concerned with herself, and her physique. She is definitely not Mom material, and at least she knows it.
I'm thankful to be a Mom..my body is not as trim as it was pre-baby, but it's worth it to have our beautiful, healthy, happy little boy. I would do it all over again, too!
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5-03-2010 @ 11:19AM
arielle said...you all need to get ur head out of your ass. let her do what she wants. it is her life . why dont you all just leave her alone .
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5-17-2010 @ 2:59PM
ashley said...you have to remember that an entire interview is never published and if you did a little searching you would have found out that she has endometriosis, and for those of you that don't know what that is it is where the lining of the uterus doesn't stay in the uterus, it attaches to the ovaries and fallopian tubes, your back and/or the rest of your abdomen. This causes severe pain and can lead to fetility problems. many people with is condition have to have surgery to even attempt to try to concieve and on top of that she also has polycystic ovaries. here is what she said about why she is adopting "The truth is, I learned very early on that I have endometriosis and polycystic ovaries. I was always told that fertility would/could be a problem for me. Why do I have this? I’ve heard everything from “You have too much caffeine in your body” to “It’s genetic” to “You need to be put on birth control pill” — and I don’t believe in using synthetic hormones. In order to get pregnant, I know it would require surgery. For me, it becomes a sort of “I can’t handle doing that.” I’ve always just accepted that this is my thing, and this must mean I was meant to adopt, and that’s okay. But who knows … there might be advances in science for women with endometriosis, so I’ll never say never. But, for now, I plan to adopt.” so before you go judging someone on a personal decision you should get the facts and realize not everything in an interview is used. I know people who suffer from both of these conditions and they have said that trying to concieve has been one of the hardest things they have done, where others say they didn't have a hard time, it just depends on you severity....heaven forbid, that anyone here every become famous and have things you say taken out of context and have everyone judge you and that one phrase.
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