Every Woman
Soap Opera Digest: Has it gotten easier after three pregnancies?
Martha Byrne: Actually, this is the easiest because I know I’m done. There’s something in your subconscious, when you know you’re gonna have more kids, where you’re determined, but you think, “I’m gonna be there again. I’m gonna have another baby and I’ll probably gain more weight.” But now that I’m done, I can really focus. I’m 36, and it’s time to go, “Okay, I want to be in really good shape.” When you have three kids, you need as much energy as possible to take care of them. And the only way to do that is with exercise and good quality food. I’m not manic about losing it, though. It takes time and patience. Digest: It must be so much pressure to see actresses who just gave birth on the red carpet a week later.
Byrne: It drives me crazy! I’m like, “That’s not normal!” I understand Heidi Klum — she’s a supermodel who’s like seven feet tall — but I don’t know how other people do it. First of all, your body is totally different. Your hips just delivered a baby! The pressure is there. I don’t care what anybody says: It exists. People are waiting to see what you look like. I’m as guilty of it as anybody else. Believe me, I wanted to lose as much as I could before I went back to work. But then I see some actresses and I think, “You’ve got to be starving yourself.” It’s freakish. I saw a picture of Angelina Jolie and [there was] some comment like, “Is she pregnant again?” And I thought, “She’s probably breast-feeding her child — come on!” It’s a little crazy, but that’s the business we’re in. That’s the society we’re in, actually. It’s unavoidable. Realistically, I’m the kind of person who, if I felt comfortable at this weight, I would say, “I’m comfortable with the way I look. I’m done.” But I’m not. I don’t feel like I’m in my own skin yet. So when that time comes, that’s when I stop. That’s when I’m like, “I can’t go any further or else I’m gonna have to just never eat again.” I’m not going to live my life like that. Food is too good and life is too short.Digest: Does the show pressure you?
Byrne: I’ve never once had anybody say, “Okay, Martha, it’s time to shed those last 15.” I’ve never had that kind of pressure. To my face, anyway. That’s a good thing, because I put enough pressure on myself. What’s unfortunate is when there are some people who can’t lose any more. I’ve seen it a couple of times on our show where there are women who are incredibly beautiful with feminine bodies. And they’re getting pressure from somewhere. It’s like, “Wait a minute. Women are all different.” My mother always said, “No matter what size you are, when you feel that you’re at your best, it doesn’t matter what anybody else says. If you feel like there’s something you’d like to improve, then when those comments come in, you’re like, ‘You know what? They’re right.’ ” And she’s right. I know when I’m not doing my best and I have to hunker down [and commit to a weight-loss regime] so I can feel better. But when you’re at your peak and you know that’s as good as it’s gonna get and you’re happy with that, then what other people say doesn’t matter. My whole life has been like that. I had an agent once who wouldn’t take me because my arms were too fat. I was 19 and 110 pounds. I’m not kidding. I thought, “I guess a resumé doesn’t mean anything.” But I sympathize with what women go through because I’ve been through it. It’s tough. It’s not gonna come off right away. It shouldn’t, and if it does, there’s something freaky going on, as far as I’m concerned. There’s some high-colonic situation [laughs] or something. Keeping my daughter healthy is what’s important.
Conversation
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