Entertainment
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have to be one of the world's best celebrity couples. The actors married in 2012, have two daughters together, and expertly show how to troll your loved one on Instagram. Behold, exhibit A:
It's clear the couple don't take themselves too seriously, and that includes Lively not being afraid to speak candidly about her body and the huge effort it took to work on her postpartum body.
The 30-year-old took to Instagram to talk about how long it took to remove the 61lbs (28kg) she put on while pregnant with Ines, who was born in September of 2016. Most of us were shocked to hear Lively had so much to lose, but it's a reminder that the carefully selected outfits for our favourite celebs, as well as the controlled environments in which they roam, are strategically organised to show them in a favourable light.
But Lively decided to take down that veil, and get real about what it has been like since giving birth to her second child. Posting a post-workout picture to Instagram, Lively said that it took a whole of 14 months to get back into shape.
"Turns out you can’t lose the 61 lbs you gained during pregnancy by just scrolling through instragram and wondering why you don’t look like all the bikini models," she wrote in the caption of the post. "Thanks @donsaladino for kickin my A double S into shape. 10 months to gain, 14 months to lose. Feeling very proud".
By staying dedicated to what must have been a rigorous, long-term workout plan, she lost the weight with the help of well-known celebrity trainer Don Saladino. The NYC-based fitness coach has trained other A-list clients including Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, and Ryan Gosling, as well as Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds has been training hard for the latest Deadpool film.
Can you imagine the two of them working out together? *heart eyes*
Saladino also posted a picture of him and Lively celebrating her stunning new post-baby figure.
She looks better than ever, but it was also a kind reminder that it can take a long time for your body to recover (and hey, give it a break! You just created another human being for Pete's sake!). People flooded Lively's post with gratitude for the star's honesty.
"Thanks for saying 14 months to lose," one person wrote in the comments. "Others make us think it's magic, like a month after they are even slimmer than pre pregnancy." Another added: "Thank you for being realistic in how long it takes to lose it! These beautiful babies take priority after all!".
However, some people also chose to point out that Lively is in a privileged position and has resources available to her that others don't. "You look amazing!! I wish I had somebody to take care of the kids while I was training," one person commented. "She looks AMAZING. BUT it doesn't hurt when you're rich and famous and have the best trainers and nutritionists, house keepers etc money can buy," another added.
Nevertheless, her hard work and dedication paid off and she's proud of her body. And that's what counts. Well, as well as this message left by a fan: "Ok you have a point. I should be running over the mountains not sit here scrolling!"
Hop to it!