Coachella is a big deal for stars, especially when it comes to someone like Beyonce and the type of performance she normally puts on. She took her performance goals to the next level by going on an insanely restrictive crash diet to shed some pounds, just months after giving birth to her twins, Rumi and Sir, via C-section.
I understand her desire and dedication to doing it quickly. However, many of her fans are now looking to her for dieting tips, and we’re not sure if it’s the best diet to follow in reality. In Beyonce’s defense, on the other hand, Coachella waits for nobody, and she had to get herself stage-ready, fast!
The diva revealed her highly restrictive eating plan in her Netflix documentary film ‘Homecoming.’ She reveals the truth about her rigid diet and how it helped her prepare for her 2018 Coachella performance. Apparently, she cut out massive food groups like carbs, dairy, meat, and fish, while also staying away from sugar and alcohol. In short, she basically ate only vegetables for the duration of her preparation time. As if this wasn’t hardcore enough, she also had to maintain her energy throughout strenuous workouts and rehearsals. Again, this was not long after she carried and gave birth to twins – not to mention she is now nearing 40.
Regardless of the nature of the situation, you may find yourself in, I think we have all realized that a restrictive eating plan is not a healthy approach. However, dieticians believe that it is especially dangerous for women postpartum. Here is why.
Coachella Stage Sacrifice
Beyonce is famous for her incredibly powerful voice, and last year’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival already blew everybody’s minds. Headlines state that she is the first black woman to do this.
Beyonce admits in her new Netflix documentary, Homecoming, that she worked incredibly hard to get back in shape for her performance. She explains that it was her first time back home on the stage after giving birth.
The diva created her own homecoming, and it’s not easy at all. She says in the documentary that there were days when she thought she’d never been the same. Especially, physically, in terms of her strength and endurance. Coachella is incredible, but is it worth it?
According to Beyonce, she weighed 218 pounds the day she gave birth to her twins. She added that she spent a lot of time in the gym, as well as rehearsing to lose the extra weight, so she’d be ready for the stage. The diva explains that the beginning was the hardest because she experienced many muscle spasms. In addition, internally, her body felt very disconnected. She explains that her mind was not there because she wanted to be with her children.
This is the thing that we don’t realize as fans. We don’t see how much hard work and sacrifice goes into a show like this. Especially when you get older. Beyonce explains that she is not as young as she once was when she could go 15 hours straight in rehearsals. She has children, a husband, and a body to look after.
Restrictive Dieting Is What It Takes
Beyonce knows that crash dieting is not a recommended thing to do. But she knew what it was going to take. That’s why she went on such an extreme diet. It was the only way she’d get her body into the shape it needed to be in for the stage.
For most of the time, Beyonce tries to eat a healthy diet. She and her husband Jay-Z follow a vegan diet. They’ve been doing so for quite some time now and studies are proving that a vegan diet can be beneficial to your health and certainly is a good approach to addressing environmental concerns. However, even though losing weight fast was what she felt she needed to do, she admits that she doesn’t think it was the best decision nor could she do it again. It might have been just that bit too excessive!
Was This Healthy Postpartum?
No matter what, crash dieting is not good for you. Although it might be tempting to lose weight fast, stay away from doing it. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), dieting can deny your body vital nutrients and delay healing after birth. Rather than restricting yourself, stick to eating good whole foods so that you can get back to a normal weight within a few months.
Beyonce didn’t say exactly when she started her crash diet. And while it was nine months after her time of giving birth, dieticians still don’t think it’s a good time to be restrictive. Liz Weinandy, RD, MPH, is a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She thinks that this diet is insane. She says you need to be eating a wide variety of really healthy foods, which include foods that are in the carbohydrate group like fruit and whole grains. Liz understands that she needs to get back into shape, but at what cost?
Our bodies need time to adjust to changes, and we must learn to honor that. We need to be kind to them and patient with the process.
Breastfeeding Might Take a Knock
Gina Keatley, a certified dietitian-nutritionist practicing in New York City, says when you’re too restrictive in your diet while breastfeeding, you’re starving the baby for valuable nutrients. You will deprive your baby of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Moreover, cutting out bread, carbs (fruits and vegetables are carbs), sugar, dairy, meat, and fish, there’s very little left! All you’ve got is water and olive oil. This is not a diet that Gina would recommend to anyone.
However, New York-based registered dietitian Jessica Cording adds that Beyonce is under a lot of scrutinies based on her job. In addition, she has resources available to her that most women don’t. But, generally speaking, this approach isn’t recommended especially after giving birth and then breastfeeding.
As women, we require all of those nutrients that you are restricting. Cording says she generally tells her clients that it’s important to be kind to yourself and take things at whatever pace you need. It’s harder to think clearly and have energy if you’re not well-nourished.
Take A Break To Recover
Before you even think of losing weight – give yourself a nice break. Despite the digits you see on the scale, you’re amazing no matter what, especially just after giving birth! However, it is very understandable that as women, we all want to look and feel good again after giving birth. Just be smart about it – even if Coachella is in sight.
To do this, Keatley recommends eating a varied diet that includes low-mercury fish, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. Julie Upton, RD, co-founder of the nutrition website Appetite for Health says you must only concentrate on eating wholesome natural foods. Limit or avoid drinking alcohol, sweets, and low-quality calories like junk foods.
Apparently, breastfeeding burns a lot of calories too, about 500 a day, So, you might lose weight without even trying. But if you’re dead keen on shedding a few pounds, rather follow a logical and nutrient-rich diet, which means eating from all the different food groups.
Experts all agree that you should never restrict entire food groups. I think in retrospect, it would’ve been wiser for Beyonce to have agreed to perform at Coachella a year later. That way she would not have had to endure such high-stress levels and unpleasant experiences.
However, the diva does admit she’d never do such a thing to herself again. She explains in the documentary that she definitely pushed herself further than she knew she could, and she learned a very valuable lesson. More importantly, she says she will never, ever push herself that far again.
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