Cassie is opening up about her health journey after giving birth to her daughter, Frankie, in December. In a blog post titled “What Healthy Looks Like,” the 33-year-old singer candidly discusses her postpartum struggles.
In her blog post, Cassie shares a photo of her body one month after giving birth, and another photo of herself 30 pounds lighter eight months later. She admits that it was hard for her to even allow her husband, celebrity personal trainer Alex Fine, to take the “before” photo.
“In the moment I didn’t even recognize myself looking in the mirror and two, I didn’t understand the importance of a before picture. It made me cringe,” she writes. “I just wanted to do the work and wake up one day and be back to my normal self — no before picture! It was TMI! ?.”
Cassie says she enjoyed her pregnancy and gained 60 pounds. She naturally lost 30 pounds within weeks after giving birth, but the struggle began when she actively tried to lose the rest of the 30 pounds she had gained. At first, she lost 15 pounds by working hard though she says she experienced unexplained anxiety, but then gained the 15 pounds back “out of nowhere.” She was later diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis.
“My thyroid was hyper for a short period (hence the anxiety and weight loss) and then slowed down causing me to gain weight back,” she explains. “The next 3 months following were confusing and depressing to say the least. I changed my diet paying attention to things that I reacted negatively to (ie, bloating). I actually started roughly following an autoimmune diet (AIP) in fear that my thyroiditis would turn into Hashimoto’s Disease (an autoimmune disorder).”
“I had completely lost my mind, but I’m glad that I did,” she continues. “I needed to understand what was happening with my body. I went from creating and bringing life into this world to trying whatever I could to get back to feeling like myself again. It wasn’t about my weight anymore, it was about being happy, feeling good and not developing a disorder I’ve never heard of.”
Eventually, her thyroid regulated, and she began to see results in her body after being more consistent with her workouts.
“I know a lot of people think, well she’s married to a personal trainer, it shouldn’t be hard for her or she should be in shape she has no excuse, but I was unhappy with myself,” she notes. “Sh** happens, I’m human. Truth be told, Alex spent those months in quarantine with me trying to drag me out of my slump to workout because he wanted me to be happy again, but more often than not I didn’t budge. I finally started working out 2-3 times a week and I’ve gradually moved up to 5-6.”
“The program that Alex designed for me was the best gift he could have given me besides Frankie, of course,” she adds of her husband’s support. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning, but it was worth it and I’m so glad I didn’t give up. Today I’m in better shape than I was before the baby. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been in this good of shape. I was always thin in the past so I got away with looking fit but didn’t really work out consistently. In fact, it just wasn’t my thing.”
Cassie stresses that she is focusing now on being healthy and happy as opposed to chasing a certain physique.
“Working out has given me a place to get rid of any negative energy and emotions that I might have, boost my serotonin and practice discipline,” she shares. “Everyday that I workout isn’t perfect, but I show up and I push myself.”
“For me, this is what it looks like when I’m taking care of myself,” she continues. “This is what healthy looks like for me. It’s not about being thin or muscular or whatever people have in their minds as looking ‘healthy.’ Health comes in all shapes and sizes, it’s different for everyone. Health is a peace of mind.”
Earlier this month, Cassie shared an adorable picture of her holding her baby girl.
In June, she also gushed about her husband in honor of his first Father’s Day.
“You are so caring, loving and kind and I couldn’t have even dreamed of having a partner as amazing as you,” she wrote in part. “Frankie and I are so lucky to have you!! Thank you for loving us and protecting us the way that you do. We love you sooooo very much and we celebrate you everyday!”
