Jessica Simpson shocked the world when she revealed that she had lost an astounding 100lbs in just six months after giving birth to her third child.
Her secret? The singer-turned-businesswoman, 39, called on celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, and together they made a commitment to prioritize walking and eating a diet high in fiber and protein to get her body back in shape.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Harley — who is also the founder of sugar reset brand Sweetkick — detailed the ‘five daily behaviors’ he recommended to Jessica to help transform her postpartum figure, as well as sharing tips for other mothers after they give birth.
Transformation: Jessica, 39, gave birth to her third child, Birdie Mae, in March 2019 and revealed last month she lost 100lbs in just six months
Shocking: At the time, she revealed how she tipped the scale at 240lbs postpartum
Getting in shape: Jessica, pictured left in September 2019 and right in October 2018, focused on walking 12,000 steps per day and eating a balanced diet after giving birth
‘In the past, our focus was really about the workouts. This time, while the workouts still went on, the focus was on the time spent outside of the gym,’ Harley explained.
He and Jessica have worked together for the last 12 years off and on when focusing on improving her health and wellness.
Seeking advice: She employed celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak (pictured) to help her transform her diet and workout routine so she could lose 100lbs in just six months
This time around, Harley decided to use the five daily behaviors he’s previously promoted in his book titled 5 Pounds.
‘We made sure Jessica’s Fitbit read at least 12,000 steps every day before she went to bed, made sure she got at least seven hours of quality sleep a night, [and] unplug from technology at least one hour a day,’ Harley detailed.
The other two principles included Jessica eating a diet consisting of three meals and two snacks, all of which prioritized protein and fiber.
She would also do short resistance workouts every other day.
All of this started quickly after Jessica gave birth to her third child, Birdie Mae, in March.
At the time, she tipped the scale at 240lbs.
But Harley said losing 100lbs in six months was not the specific goal set for Jessica when she started her postpartum-health journey.
‘The goal was the process,’ he said. ‘There was never a specific number on the scale that anyone had in mind. It was “do the work, and the rest will follow.”‘
Pregnancy struggles: Jessica has remained rather candid about what she went through with her third child on Instagram. She even posted funny pictures about her pregnancy
Oops! One funny post in particular revealed Jessica broke her toilet seat. Harley said Jessica kept the same positive attitude when getting in shape after giving birth
Prioritizing walking to 12,000 steps per day did not start at the beginning of the six months after Jessica started to get back into shape. Instead, she and Harley slowly worked up to that goal.
‘We put a cap on her daily step count and gradually increased it overtime until we got up to 12,000 steps. Once she got medical clearance, some simple workouts were introduced,’ he said.
When asked why walking was prioritized, Harley explained how it was ‘the ultimate fat-burning exercise’.
‘Working out with resistance exercise is the best way to tone, tighten, and strengthen,’ Harley continued. ‘But to lose weight, nothing can beat walking. Both of these are essential to get the goals that you want.’
For Jessica’s diet she would typically eat a breakfast of scrambled eggs (one whole egg and three egg whites) with a bowl of blackberries. Then for lunch she would have a salad with grilled chicken and eat grilled fish and vegetables for dinner.
Snacks included a handful of almonds or green beans with Parmesan cheese on top.
‘She never starved herself and focused on getting all the things that she needed to thrive,’ Harley said.
Jessica appeared to have a good attitude about her weight gain when pregnant with her daughter, as she would often joke on social media about funny, yet frustrating, moments — including when she broke her toilet seat and when she purchased her own recliner to help her sleep.
Looking good! Harley told DailyMail.com he gave the singer ‘five daily behaviors’ to focus on. These included walking 12,000 steps and getting seven hours of sleep each night
Keep going! Jessica, pictured in May, worked up to walking 12,000 steps per day and then added a resistance workout every other day once she was cleared by doctors
Busy mom: ‘She never starved herself and focused on getting all the things that she needed to thrive,’ Harley said about Jessica’s diet the last six months. Pictured is Jessica with Birdie Mae
‘Warning…Don’t lean back on the toilet when pregnant,’ Jessica joked with one of her Instagram posts showing her holding up the broken seat.
At the time, followers commended Jessica for being real with them about the highs and lows of her pregnancy while also keeping a positive attitude about it.
And Harley said this attitude remained constant during the six months when she was focusing on her health and wellness goals.
‘Attitude is everything,’ Harley said. ‘Jessica has the best attitude possible. She’s always so positive, sweet, and honest. Honest with the way she feels about whatever she’s going through. I think that’s why people connect with her so much.’
Although Jessica had Harley’s advice and help at her disposal when focusing on her health targets, the celebrity trainer said other new moms can also achieve similar goals with the right mindset.
‘Don’t rush it,’ he advised. ‘Focus on the things that you need to do in the safe and sustainable way to make you feel good.’
He continued: ‘Aside from the steps in the sleep in the workouts, minimizing the sugar in your diet is key. So often new moms are sleep deprived, and if they’re breastfeeding, ravenous. Sugar is obviously an easy, quick head of energy. Minimizing sugar is really an essential component of achieving your goal.’
Harley also advised for people to avoid ‘extremes’ when it comes to dieting and working out. This includes avoiding the fad diets like keto, or choosing to fast or cleanse.
‘Focus on walking, sleeping, kicking sugar to the curb, managing stress, and brief efficient workouts,’ he said