Kristin Cavallari Celebrates Her Weight Gain, Not Weight Loss

While most celebrities prefer to share weight loss pictures, reality star Kristin Cavallari took to Instagram over the summer to celebrate the opposite: weight gain.

“I am 35, I’m a mom to three kids,” Cavallari said. “That doesn’t mean that I can’t show off my body and be proud of it. I’ve gained a lot of muscle weight. I work really hard on my body and I think that’s something to celebrate, not something to be ashamed of.”

The former Laguna Beach star, who now owns and operates a jewelry and skincare business called Uncommon James, showed off her glutes and legs in a beach picture. In the caption, Cavallari explains that previously she was so skinny because of stress, and now feels fantastic having put on some healthy weight.

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A post shared by Kristin Cavallari (@kristincavallari)

Stress-induced weight loss, like what Kristin Cavallari experienced, usually begins when fight-or-flight hormones start flooding the body too often

In a separate interview, Cavallari spoke about gaining healthy weight, and the example she wants to set for her kids.

“I also think there need to be more conversations around gaining weight rather than everyone always trying to be so thin,” she said.

“I have a daughter and I think it’s very difficult now for everybody, but especially girls growing up and looking at social media. This idea of body image is just so warped,” she went on. “And I just worry about these young girls and so I think it just needs to be a bigger conversation about being OK gaining weight and not focusing on a number on the scale.”

She also discussed the fake social media world of fillers, filters, and photo angles that augments the perception of reality for viewers.

“Because I’m in the press, it’s allowed me these opportunities to have these real conversations with my kids. When, if I wasn’t, I probably wouldn’t have had these conversations yet, but they see firsthand how not everything on the internet or on TV is real,” Cavallari said. 

“I’m able to start laying the groundwork now when they’re so young. I think actually my kids have a pretty good grasp on social media, the internet TV, I think, I think that is a very good thing,” she also said. 

During long bouts of stress, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode known as the “acute stress response.” This physiological mode tells your body that a threat exists and you need to be on high alert. As a result, your body readies itself by releasing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, both of which can diminish appetite and make your body less likely to absorb nutrients.