We're So Proud of Blake Lively's Empowering Attitude Toward Her Ever-Changing Body Evolution
, there's no way we'd have known that in 12 short years she'd be paired up with one of the [...]
When we first saw Blake Lively in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (after reading the book, of course), there's no way we'd have known that in 12 short years she'd be paired up with one of the funniest, hottest and most talented actors with two beautiful daughters — but we could have guessed.
Not only is 29-year-old Lively living her best life onscreen, she's also loving life as a mom with hubby and baby daddy Ryan Reynolds. The actress spoke to E! News about loving her post-pregnancy body after having her and Reynolds' second daughter, Ines.
"I'm learning to love my body in every iteration and I think that's hard for women, and so I learned a lot," she said.
Lively's body has changed quite a bit between her two pregnancies and intense training for various films. Ahead is her body evolution and her body-positive way of thinking throughout it all.
MORE: Jessica Simpson's Body Evolution Is the Ultimate Inspiration: 'I Have Been Every Size'
2012
Just a few months before marrying Reynolds, Lively slayed the red carpet at the Savages premiere in this beautiful form-fitting gown in June 2012. Her thoughts on getting ready for red carpet events have us loling and wishing we were besties.
"I like it to be easy. I don't feel like I have to do so much with hair and makeup, because I'm the mannequin for these beautiful clothes, so I never want to do anything too distracting," she said. "Most of the time, I put my hair in a ballerina bun, and I take it down and it's wavy, and then I leave. I feel shy when people are fussing on me. And my diet of choice before events is a chicken potpie from Tea & Sympathy, because they never have enough food at these things."
2014
While rocking possibly the cutest ever baby bump, Lively attended the Angel Ball in October 2014 with Reynolds — just two months before giving birth to their first daughter, James.
2015
Lively cut all gluten, soy and processed food from her diet while preparing for her extremely ripped role in The Shallows, released in June 2016, less than a year after having James.
"I did no gluten and no soy," Lively said in an interview with The Kyle & Jackie O Show. "Once you remove soy, you realize you're eating no processed foods. So that's basically what I did. No processed foods and then working out."
"[It] seems like, 'Oh, that's really easy to cut that out,' but then you realize, there's soy in everything," she continued. "Like, everything you eat, there is soy in it. Even if it's healthy, Whole Foods organic stuff, there's always soy in it. Just try no soy and no gluten and watch how hard that is."
And as we know, Lively confirmed that it's all about balance.
"You just have a balance of protein, carbs and vegetables. It wasn't the worst. Like, I was eating rice and sushi."
Click here to check out her killer workout.
2016
Flaunting her second baby bump four months before giving birth, Lively looked as elegant as ever at the 69th Annual Cannes Film Festival in May 2016.
For as strict as her diet was while training for The Shallows, Lively's trainer Saladino says she otherwise eats a pretty typical diet, enforcing the 80-20 rule: "80 percent of the week, you're really good, and 20 percent you leave for error and having fun," he said. While Lively doesn't drink, she does enjoy pasta and pizza (who doesn't?), so it's nice to hear that she doesn't deprive herself of her favorite foods.
Saladino also said that Lively eats only high-quality, nutrient-dense foods. Saladino's plan revolves around "eating organic, balanced meals consisting of proteins, vegetables, fruits, slow-burning starches like sweet potato, and getting healthy fats like avocado, coconut oil and grass-fed butter."
2016
Three months after giving birth to daughter Ines, Lively and Reynolds brought both daughters with them to the Hollywood Walk of Fame when Reynolds was honored with his own star in December 2016.
2017
Lively rocked a black fringey minidress at the 2017 People's Choice Awards in January where she took home the Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress award for The Shallows. When asked how she got back in shape a month later, the actress gushed about learning to love her postpartum body.
"It's all a process. You know after the second kid it's really different. So this is not my normal body, but I like it."
"I'm learning to love my body in every iteration and I think that's hard for women, and so I learned a lot."
We love that this proud mom of two is learning to embrace an empowering attitude about her changing body. Hollywood needs more women like Lively who are happy with their bodies — postpartum or not.
Related:
Blake Lively Hilariously Trolls Ryan Reynolds Over TIME 100 Honor on Instagram
Blake Lively Claps Back at Reporter Who Asks About Her Outfit at 'Power of Women' Luncheon
13 Times We Were Blown Away by Christina Aguilera's Body Evolution