Bianca Gonzalez and her second child Carmen (Image: Instagram/@iamsuperbianca)
As Bianca Gonzalez proudly shares pictures of her fitness routine, she wants to assure those who see them, especially moms, to avoid comparing themselves with her.
The TV host and mom of two opened up about the pressures of losing baby weight and how social media posts like hers could affect postpartum moms. Gonzalez shared a picture of her doing pilates yesterday, Sept. 19, captioning it with “payat (thin) but strong” before giving a message to fellow moms.
“‘Parang ‘di nanganak (It’s like you did not give birth)!’ I fully realize that photos like these may contribute to the unrealistic expectation on mothers who just gave birth. I have no ‘secret,’ I always say I am just SWERTE (lucky), and that I know this is NOT the norm,” she said.
She attributed her slim figure to genetics such as having a fast metabolism, and her practice of pilates for more than 10 years. She said other factors to her weight loss could be breastfeeding and eating vegetables.
She noted, “Another mom reading this could be doing all that and more but the results could be different. That is why I always say na swerte lang talaga ako (that I am lucky) and of course, thankful for it.”
Gonzalez thumbed down shaming moms for gaining weight. “Moms should not be shamed for being ‘ay, ang laki niya (Oh, she’s so big)!’ because that ‘laki’ (size) is what helped grow and nurture a human being inside her.”
She quoted advice from actress Judy Ann Santos, which is to work out and diet for yourself rather than for others.
She assured moms: “Know that your child loves you whether or not you shed those ‘extra 10 pounds.’”
“Ang dami natin (There are many of us) who struggle with our bodies after giving birth, how it will ‘never be the same.’ But if we think about it, we have a child! Our lives will never be the same,” she stressed.
Gonzalez gave birth to her second child Carmen in October 2018. She admitted on social media that she had a more difficult pregnancy with her. She suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, which is characterized by severe nausea and vomiting, causing her to lose weight while pregnant. /ra
RELATED STORIES:
‘Hindi po kami kaawa-awa’: Bianca Gonzalez on being morena
Bianca Gonzalez-Intal shares ‘harsh realities’ of motherhood
‘Every body is different’: Andi Eigenmann on losing postpartum weight