Usually, Isla Fisher is fiercely tight-lipped about her personal life. For example, she kept her second daughter Elula’s name a secret for quite some time after giving birth. But recently, The Great Gatsby star opened up about how her pregnancies have changed her body.
To lose the 65 pounds she gained during her first pregnancy (thanks to the cheesy pasta she ate to ease her morning sickness), Fisher worked with a personal trainer three times a week. And with her second pregnancy, she lost the 70 pounds she gained by breast feeding, hiking and occasionally working with a trainer.
After losing the weight, she now practices yoga five times a week to maintain her body and help her de-stress. Mind and body exercises like yoga, Pilates and meditation are recommended by West Orange, NJ, plastic surgeon Moktar Asaadi, MD, for mothers looking to get their pre-baby bodies back. “They help your body and neutralize the stress of daily life. Patients who are regularly exercising have better skin, better muscle tone and even their fat is healthier.”
However, Fisher does say that she’ll never have a flat tummy again, something that many mothers can relate to. But she’s okay with it. “Even though it will never be flat again, it’s still my favorite because it reminds me of my greatest achievement: my babies,” she says.
For women who aren’t completely happy with their post-baby tummies, there are surgical options. “Once breast feeding is completed and a comfortable and stable weight is attained, the post-pregnancy figure will most likely require restorative or corrective surgery to recover anything close to the pre-pregnancy state,” says Las Vegas plastic surgeon Mary Herte, MD.
Women most commonly only need an abdominoplasty (or tummy tuck) to remove excess skin and reset the belly button back to where it belongs. Oftentimes, liposuction is used to enhance the overall result.
“The most essential part of abdominoplasty for most women is the muscle repair to bring the rectus abdominus muscle, or sit up muscle, back into position,” says Dr. Herte. “Plication of this muscle, or pleating it, flattens and firms the abdomen, banishing the post-pregnancy ‘Buddha belly,’ and makes it possible to effectively work out afterwards to increase tone and strength and sometimes even achieve a six-pack.”
