Jillian Michaels: Won't Ruin Her Body With Pregnancy

I'll probably be in the minority, so I'll just go ahead and share my opinion. I'm with Jillian on this one. I lost 50 lbs and have kept it off for a year now. I'd like to lose another 10. I've started running 5ks, 10ks, and half marathons. I love it. Getting pregnant right now would screw it all up. There are races I wouldn't be able to sign up for. And I'd have to lose weight again. It was hard enough the first time. I'd have to deal with stretch marks and with stiches, um, down there. Yeah, it probably is narcissism and body image issues, but so what? It's my body. Do YOU want to have a baby, sir?

I think this is just her excuse. It's easier to be narcistic than to admit you're a woman who doesn't want kids. I know plenty of women who just don't want kids and they don't like admitting it because they are looked down on for ignoring their "nuturing nature." While I think that it should not be seen as a requirement for women to want children, I don't think it should be masked by vanity. If she really wanted kids, it wouldn't matter about how her body would look afterwards or how hard she should have to work to get it back into fighting shape.
I don't mean to sound condescending on her not wanting kids because I'm not. It's her choice. The not wanting to gain baby weight, however, just sounds lame.

I think it shows that Jillian knows herself. She admits that she has body image issues, and in a note on Facebook (I believe) said something along the lines of how she knows herself and knows that gaining that kind of weight wouldn't be good for her mentally. She's also mentioned adoption.

While I think it's sad that she has these issues, it's also good that she's recognized them. I know a woman with serious body issues who got pregnant and then basically stuck to a diet while pregnant. Her child was born full term but extremely tiny and had to fight. Some people say this woman was selfish, I think she had a serious mental issue that should have been addressed.

I believe it is very important to avoid having children unless you are ready, emotionally as well as physically, and really want them. It's doing a huge disservice to a potential child to have one when you are less than fully committed. There are many well-meaning individuals who are convinced that every women will adore being a mother once she has her own child. That simply isn't true.

As an aside, actually being pregnant and giving birth is the easy part. (I say this having gone into pre-term labor, which was stopped, being in the hospital for 2 weeks before being on bedrest for another two weeks, being induced and eventually having a cesarean due to my baby being at an odd angle.)

I seriously thought "she" was transgender.

I'm sorry men women are not just breeding machines. Not all of us want children we don't all want ruined bodies this includes things like losing bladder control, not just getting fat so good on a woman who doesn't want to have children and isn't afraid to say it.

I think YOU are narcasicistic and self important to ascribe any motive to a woman who doesn't want children. Not only do they screw up your body they screw up your life. I want to be able to run when I want I want to be able to travel when I want, brats are not for everyone, some of us want to live OUR lives not the lives of children.

If she doesn't want kids due to her fear of gaining weight, fine. She (and the potential children) are better off that way.

However, I don't think she should adopt either. What if, God forbid, she adopts a child who has a natural tendency to gain weight easily? She will make that child's life a misery.

Two words: SO WHAT?!?!

Do adults have the right to decide what is and isn't right for their bodies? YES.

Does it really matter WHY a woman doesn't want to get pregnant? NO. If she doesn't want to carry a baby, she doesn't have to!

So she can't handle doing "that" to her body...big deal. It's not just pregnancy itself, but post-partum issues and the HUGE physical, mental, and emotional demands of a newborn that put stress on the body.

Guess what? 5 hours of rigorous exercise a week + a natural, wholesome diet + looking great = my natural anti-depressant. Would I want to have to scale it back? Not at this time. I'd rather sweat it out than take prescription meds, and that's MY choice. Maybe in the future, that will change, but that's entirely up to me!

I am not a fan of Jillian Michaels, her approach to fitness, or the dangerous regimen featured on the Biggest Loser, but I DO congratulate her for having the guts to speak her mind and advocate for herself, especially when her position will surely net her a bashing from the peanut gallery.

Mike, how can you judge someone's choices without being in her shoes? This blog post is ridiculous and smacks of narcissism itself.

Honestly who's business is it? Of course she choose to share this info with the rest of the world, so she can't complain when people will criticize her decision.

i understand her completely, i dont want kids not just for that reason alone but that is a factor in it. i think when you lose a large amount of weight and your body is prone to weight gain it is normal to think that way. i give her credit for admitting that, it shows that she is a normal human being that struggles with things like the rest of us do

For those who listened to her radio show/podcast while it was still airing, Jillian has always been open about the fact that she's still working through her own issues about her body image. That she'd even publicly admit to having issues is something I applaud. Everyone deals with these types of issues to *some* extent, but few have the guts to actually speak about it openly.

This article is just stupid and insulting. If she doesn't want to ruin her body with children, then I really don't see the problem. I wish more women would think about stuff like this (and many other issues associated with having children for that matter) before they jump into having children.

Like other commenters have said: "Women aren't breeding machines!!!"

I say JM just knows herself really well and if she knows she wouldn't handle pregnancy well, then good on her for not being afraid to say so. I have a 6 month old daughter and sometimes I can't believe this body is mine. I've lost all of the 43 pounds I gained during the pregnancy, but everything is still so different. I can totally understand why someone with serious body image issues wouldn't choose to put herself through it.

I have never responded to a blog/post/twitter, etc. but after reading the article and now hearing the responses I felt compelled to write. I must admit, I am quite shocked and saddened to read the responses here and elsewhere. I think the point the author of this blog, and others, is trying to make is greatly overlooked. This is NOT about women being breeding machines. It has absolutely nothing to do w/ a woman's choice on whether or not to have children. I am 100% in favor in women being allowed to chose to do whatever the hell they want to their bodies. We each have ownership in the choices we make. So, let's step back and really look at what the issue is. What has landed Jillian in this position in the first place - mass media and society's warped view on what a "perfect" or healthy body should look like. It is the standard set in this country on what we place value in as beautiful that is so gravely distorted. Face it, why else would Jillian be fearful of weight gain? Society has told us time and time again, that healthy = thin, sexy = thin, pretty = thin. This is completely and utterly a body image issue - not a reproduction issue. The point has NOTHING TO DO w/ whether or not to have children, but everything to do w/ how we view our bodies. As a society, we place value on HOW our bodies look, not on what they can do. As a public role model for health and fitness, especially for women, she has a responsibility as a public figure to help change our view on this topic. More women suffer from eating disorders and body image issue than breast cancer. Yes, I give her credit for speaking out, but for all the wrong reasons and all the wrong ways. For the record, I am a personal trainer who focuses solely on women's wellness. I do not weigh my clients. I refuse to succumb to society's standards. Our worth is not based on the number on the scale, a reflection from a piece of glass, age, or mass media's idea of the perfect body. Instead, we base our numbers on how many push ups, pull ups or pistol squats we can do. How fast we can run, jump and climb. And yes, I'm a mother of 3 wonderful boys. And yes, I'm also a recovered ED. For every step I try to take forward in trying to change the way women regard weight, body image, etc. I feel like Jillian just took me back a year. :(

I know for me, my body did change, but oh well. The two results were the most wonderful things to have happened to me and I'd have given a lot more. The thing is, JM is assuming her body will not recoup to the way it was pre-pregnancy. From what I understand (unfortunately not through experience), if you exercise, your body will go back to its original shape pretty rapidly. I swear my neighbor across the street went back to they way she looked before within a month of having her 3rd baby. You'd never have known she had one let alone 3. In the end, regardless, it's the woman's choice, for whatever reason. It's also her business and should keep it private.