Jessie James Decker Says Body Image Isn’t ‘Just About Being Skinny’: ‘I Don’t Restrict Myself’

usmagazine.com:

Jessie James Decker has been known to confront body-shamers over the years, but her confidence didn’t come easily.The 35-year-old exclusively opened up about her relationship with her body in the new issue of Us Weekly, confessing that having children caused some major changes. (She shares Vivianne, 9, Eric Jr., 7, and Forrest, 5, with husband Eric Decker.)“Your body changes so much and so quickly.

I think I struggled with it,” she told Us. “I was a petite little thing my whole life. And I gained 55 pounds my first pregnancy — my body hurt, my back hurt, I had tendonitis, carpal tunnel.

It was so painful.”Decker recalled that “it took so long to lose the weight” she put on before giving birth to Vivianne. Her candid approach to discussing her own postpartum experience stems from recognizing that “women struggle with it so much.”After her pregnancies, Decker “was not one of those women who breast-feeds and the weight melted off” — and she wants other moms to know that “it’s OK” to embrace the change. “You just grew a baby in your body and it’s OK if it’s not melting off,” she told Us. “It took nine months and it may take that time or longer to get it off.

So just focus on your baby and what a miracle it is.”Decker had her “moments” while adjusting to the way her body “completely changed” after giving birth, but she told Us that she’s learned to shift her focus. “I love to eat and don’t hold myself back when I want to enjoy.