Emily DiDonato has taken to social media to reveal her inspiring postpartum weight-loss journey. In an Instagram post shared Thursday, April 18, the 33-year-old model dove into the challenges and triumphs of shedding 25 pounds after giving birth to her second child, Oliver, last April.
“11 months of blood, sweat, tears and boring meals lol,” she captioned the Instagram video, which opens with her doing weighted squats four months postpartum, mentioning her weight at the time was 175 pounds. The clip then transitions to seven months later, showcasing her continued progress with the same exercise, now 25 pounds lighter.
The Covey founder tagged fitness expert and pro-trainer Elise Young (also known as @elisesbodyshop on social media) in the video, suggesting that crushing her fitness goals has been a collaborative effort.
A large chunk of DiDonato’s 2.8 million Instagram followers rushed to the comments section to applaud her achievement. Among them were individuals who are postpartum and expressed feeling inspired by her health journey.
“Thank you for sharing,” wrote one of her followers. You give me hope when I’m three days PP and don’t recognize myself!” Another commented: “This is incredible!! So inspired by your [consistency] in chasing the strongest and most confident version of you. Once my next surgery is done and I’m able to lift again, I’ll be hitting those ladder workouts again and thinking about this post to stay consistent and disciplined!”
Her comment about eating healthier meals resonated with many of her followers. “We don’t talk enough about how much boring meals make a difference in weight loss,” a fan commented. DiDonato replied, writing, “Literally, but people don’t want to hear it, lol.” (A similar sentiment was echoed by Megan Thee Stallion in a recent Women’s Health feature.)
Many people requested the ReModeling podcast host to elaborate on the specific types of “boring meals” she’s referring to, so fingers crossed she’ll dive deeper into the subject in a future video.
DiDonato is well-aware that caring for oneself postpartum goes well beyond getting back to one’s pre-baby weight. In a sit-down interview with NewBeauty from August 2022, the Victoria’s Secret model shared that prioritizing one’s mental health is even more of a priority.
“I think my best piece of advice for anyone struggling with postpartum is to not be afraid to admit that you need help and to reach out for it,” she told NewBeauty. “Women are praised for ‘doing it all’—but I think anything and everything can feel so overwhelming after having a baby. You have just entered the most important and life-changing phase of your life and it is only natural that it takes some time and extra support to adjust to it.
“I think reaching out for help can be reaching out to your other mom friends, other friends who are pregnant, your own mother, or reaching out for professional help via a therapist or psychiatrist. My main goal in sharing my journey postpartum is to encourage other women to reach out for the support and help that they need.”