Here are a few pet named REDBOOK staffers have for their bellies: Jelly Roll, Burrito Baby, ‘Roo Pouch (as in kangaroo), Chummy (chub+tummy), It (as in “God help me, I think It has gotten bigger!”), Michelina (the feminine of Michelin Man), and just plain Susan, “So it’s more like having a friend around.” I like that last one best, because too many women think of their belly as the enemy. Of course, there are compelling health reasons to lose extra weight around the middle: Studies show that women with a waist larger than 34.5 inches around have more than twice the risk of coronary heart disease as those with smaller waists. And belly fat poses a greater threat to your overall health than extra weight carried in your hips, butt, or thighs. Okay, okay! We got the message, and that’s why we focused on the tummy in our January weight-loss package (pg 114). 

But before we go to work on our abs, let’s appreciate everything they go through, especially during pregnancy. All three of our cover girls, Bethenny Frankel, Alison Sweeney, and Padma Lakshmi— have haad babies in the past few years. True, it’s slightly annoying how flat their bellies are now, but because they’re reality stars, the world got to see them at their roundest during and after pregnancy. And their interviews make it clear: A few stretch marks are a small price to pay for the soul-deep satisfaction of motherhood.

Listen, I am not immune to belly woe. I’ll never forget going to the beach a few months after having my first baby, bending over to straighten my towel and thinking, What is that? Why is it wobbling back and forth? What can be done? Well, crunches helped, and the great new moves in this issue will help, but there will always be a little extra left over from having kids. I was talking recently to Lisa HIntelmann, the editorial projects director at our brother magazine, Esquire, and she had this to say:

“One thing I’ve discovered working with all these men at Esquire is that they tend to prefer ‘women of substance,’ both physically and intellectually. They’re disappointed when we go shoot an actress and she’s lost weight!”

It turns out that a little belly is sexy—so I’m making friends with mine, and I’m naming it Marilyn (as in Monroe).

Jill Herzig, Editor-in-Chief

Redbooked@hearst.com