Laila Ali’s Blog: I Have 25 Post-Baby Pounds to Lose!

Please welcome our newest celebrity blogger, Laila Ali! The former boxer and Dancing With the Stars alum, 33, is mom to son C.J., 2½, and just gave birth to daughter Sydney, now 7 weeks old, on April 4. In a twist to our traditional format, Laila will be video blogging! Check out her first entry below.

– Laila Ali

Hello PEOPLE.com viewers, I’m Laila Ali.

And if I look a little bit chubby to you right now it’s because I am! I just had a baby 5 weeks ago and I have 25 pounds of baby weight that I want to get off, NOW. Now, it’s going to be a challenge. I did it one time with my first child, but now I have two. And my baby is nursing 24-7 and she will not take a bottle, I’m tired all the time and I have a little, busy 2-year-old.

So sometimes it gets a little overwhelming when I think about it, but I know I can do it, and I decided that I want to put myself out there by doing it publicly. And I’m going to post video here on PEOPLE.com, and it’s going to have cooking tips, fitness tips and I’m going to weigh myself on video.

So that’s a little scary now that I’m thinking about it, but I’m up for the challenge because I want to look like this again (holds up a picture of herself). I actually got the weight off. This was after I had my first son. I’m about 30 pounds away from this, but I know I can do it.

So speaking of doing it, I gotta go because I gotta get this workout in while the baby’s sleeping. See you next time.

– Laila Ali

Comments

sarawara on May 24th, 2011

YEA! So glad she’s on here! LOVE her!

Kelli on May 24th, 2011

I totally dig her, and Wow. I’ve never paid attention to the fact that she sounds exactly like her father! I was waiting for her to start shouting “I’m the greatest!!!”

Mandy on May 24th, 2011

I am deaf so I do not like this “twist” on traditional blogs. There are no captions so I can’t even understand what she is saying. I’m very disappointed with this.

Sasha on May 24th, 2011

Good Luck Laila!

Ashley on May 24th, 2011

Be quiet Mandy, no one cares. I guess you won’t be experiencing Laila’s videos, boo hoo. Deal with it and read someone elses. Quit complaining, no one is going to offer you any sympathy.

Sherri on May 24th, 2011

Laila Congrats on the new addition! I know you will be sucessful & look forward 2 your blogs… Can’t wait to see a picture of Sydney.

Melissa on May 24th, 2011

Ashley you are an awful person, was there any reason to be so rude?

RKF on May 24th, 2011

Whoa Ashley — that was harsh. Maybe it’s an issue Mandy should bring up to People.com directly, but there’s no need to be an evil bitch.

Marcie on May 24th, 2011

Wow Ashley. Your comment was mean spirited and very unneccessary!

Brooklyn on May 24th, 2011

Wow, Ashley. Your comments were completely uncalled for. Very rude.

Soco on May 24th, 2011

Wow Ashley are you gunning for Queen Bitch of People comments? You are definitely a front runner.

Sorry Mandy, my mom is deaf so I understand the frusturation of not being accommodated.

Ashley on May 24th, 2011

Haters gonna hate, trollers gonna troll.

Jillian Williams on May 24th, 2011

Ashley needs a lesson in compassion.

I wish Laila all the luck in the world!

ali on May 24th, 2011

Aw! Ashley that was like so rude but you do have a point. Please keep the negative things to yourself. You are only making yourself look silly. I am also deaf but I dont expect everyone to make accommodations for me.

sheryl on May 24th, 2011

WOW Ashley, the Karma that you are due for being so rude and selfish and WRONG….I don’t feel at all bad about what is coming your way. I am a certified ASL interpreter, and I still find it hard to believe the ignorance and lack of compassion out there. Mandy, I would definately contact People and ask for equal access…I am sure they can do it.

Andrea on May 24th, 2011

Dear Ashley,
Meds and anger management therapy MIGHT do a world of good for you. Seeking solace (look it up sweetie) in trite little rhymes doesn’t justify bad behavior.

Dan B. on May 24th, 2011

Sorry Mandy but don’t deaf people read lips? If you don’t then you should… You have good spelling and grammar skills now it’s time to go further! Good luck to you!

Jillian on May 24th, 2011

Ali, Nothing Mandy said was “negative.” She brought up great points that People should look into and hopefully fix so that everyone, including yourself can take advantage of the blog. If you view that as negative, that is so very sad.

Allison J on May 24th, 2011

I love Laila! Best of luck to her and her new addition. As far as losing the baby weight – I feel your pain! Just take your time losing the weight and enjoy your new baby girl!

CJarrett on May 24th, 2011

Well looks like this girl Ashley definitely has issues! Seems as if she’s not satisfied with her own life which results in the back lashing of others. Sweetheart, you seriously need to grow some breast, woman up and realize you need assistance!

kem on May 24th, 2011

Ashley-

What you said was awful and rude. There was no reason for your comment and for your ignorance. How dare you say that no one cares. I am 100% sure that people.com will care about Mandy’s feelings and do something about it. Especially if they want to keep their deaf readers.

Dan B.-

Not all deaf people can read lips. And why should she if she doesn’t? Deaf people are always having to accommodate to the hearing, why can’t the hearing accommodate some situations for them?

Both of my parents are deaf and I agree with Mandy and thinks she has the right to be disappointed. People.com should think about all of its readers and try not to alienate any of them.

s.t. weston on May 24th, 2011

Does Ashley take hateful medicine. How dreadful to be so hateful to someone who is hearing impaired.

No wonder the U.S. is in the mess it is today.

sloanesmomma on May 24th, 2011

good luck! not a fan of working out at all! my advice is to take ur baby for a walk a few times a week and it might come off naturally so it did for me!

Shannon on May 24th, 2011

She is so pretty! Good luck Laila!

courtney on May 24th, 2011

Ashley,

You are so RUDE!!!! How dare you get on here and be so mean to someone who is deaf. You need to learn so respect and manners. People.com I’m sure will find a way to accomodate to their deaf readers. There are plenty of people who care, unlike yourself!

Emme on May 25th, 2011

Ashley- I can’t believe you actually took the time to type such a hateful comment. And, obviously you were wrong in saying that nobody would give Mandy any sympathy. Whether it was meant to be serious or just to add drama, either way your comment was a sick thing to write.

Dan B.- Not all deaf people can read lips! And even the ones who can read lips cannot completely rely on reading lips ALL the time. It’s a bad idea to tell deaf people(or anyone) what they “should” do when you have no idea what it’s like to be them.

Ok, back to the article… good luck Laila! Can’t wait to see what else you have in store!

Anonymous on May 25th, 2011

Would prefer reading this blog.

For Mandy on May 26th, 2011

This is not perfect, but the general idea of what she is saying, Mandy.

Hello People.com viewers!

I’m Laila Ali. And, if I look a little bit chubby to you right now it’s because I am. I just had a baby 5 weeks ago and I have 25 pounds of baby weight that I want to get off now. Now, it’s going to be a challenge. I did it one time with my first child, but now I have two. And, my baby is nursing 24-7 and will not take a bottle, I’m tired all the time, and I have a little, busy 2-year-old. So, sometimes it gets a little overwhelming when I think about it, but I know I can do it, and I want to put myself out there by doing it publicly. I’m going to post videos here, on people.com, and it’s going to have cooking tips, fitness tips, and I’m going to weigh myself on video. So, that’s a little scary now that I’m thinking about it, but I’m up for the challenge. I want to look like this again (holds up a picture of herself). I actually got the weight off. This was after I had my first son. I’m about 30 pounds away from this, but I know I can do it. Speaking of doing it, I gotta go because I gotta get this workout in while the baby’s sleeping. See you next time.

Kristin on May 26th, 2011

@ ASHLEY….Mandy has my sympathy! Anybody with half a heart would be sensitive and compassionate. And as for you, you have my sympathy too. You are such a cold, bitter, and sad person that you need all the sympathy you can get! Grow up, get a life, and may you never suffer disabilities that others are forced to deal with!

Tena on May 27th, 2011

To Whomever typed Laila’s message for Mandy to read: You are a class act! God Bless You.

What of it? on May 27th, 2011

Laila seems like a cool person. I’m looking forward to the videos.

Yvonne on May 28th, 2011

Good Laila you look beautiful just the way you are. As for these idiots leaving negative feedback every one knows they are just HATERS I HAD NO PROBLEM UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU SAID AT ALL!!!! If you could not understand her maybe you have some issues. Laila ROCK ON SISTA!! Ignore haters and keep it moving. After all haters are just motivators.

Anya on May 28th, 2011

Laila, congrats on the newest addition to your family. Motherhood is a balancing act and you’ll reach your goal and be fabulous. Keep it moving!

Many blessings,
Anya N. Burnett

Liz on May 28th, 2011

I agree, whoever typed this up for the deaf poster is awesome. My mother was deaf and an excellent lip reader, however she might have also had a problem reading from a video or if it has narration while a picture or something else is playing. I really hope People.com will include a transcript of all their video blogs, as I myself, a hearing capapable person, prefers to read a text and not watch a video also. A video blog is a great way for visually impaired users to experience the blogs, just take it one step further with a transcript!

For that other girl, compassion goes a long way in this world, especially if it is you who needs it. Keep it in mind.

Marky on May 29th, 2011

There is a lot of deafness in my family, and while my sister is quite deaf and fairly proficient at lip reading, my husband has lost his hearing more recently, and will likely never be able to learn to lip-read. There are all sorts of deafness, different levels, and deaf people have different levels of abilities when it comes to things like lip-reading. My father never learned to lip-read. wonder if the post from Ashley was even an honest post, or one just meant to provoke comments and discussion.

Truth is. it’s an article about Laila and that should be the focus. She’s on her way to getting back in shape, she loves her family and people should be proud of her.

Isolda on May 29th, 2011

Ash-ley should stand for ash-amed. FYI, providing equal access for people with disabilities or diverse capacities is not a matter of shame or pity.

It’s a granted right we all have by the stated principle of no discrimination, so it goes up to the core concept of human rights and equality, which at least in theory, are democracy’s own foundation.

And, since democracy is the system through which people as rude and uneducated as you are granted the right to speak, you should be the first one to stand up for respect for diversity and inclusion.

After all, if someone as emotionally disabled as you are, has managed to “be included” by society, let alone people who are just affected by physical impairment.

Do us all a favor and look for help, educate yourself and YOU be quiet. And, by the way, physical disability could knock at your door any minute. A car crash, a sudden fall, you name it.

What comes around, usually goes around. Keep us posted.

Sylvia Petratos on May 29th, 2011

I think that the negative comment posted is not only disrespectful to anyone who is hearing impaired or has a hearing impaired family member but also to Ms. Ali who is trying to use this blog as a tool to reach out to anyone who is interested in following her weight loss challenge, and/or her lifestyle in general. Blogs are meant to be informative and not a place to be disrespectful to others. I agree that people.com should know that the video format with regard to blogs may not work for everyone and that maybe they could post a summary of some kind for their hearing impaired followers! Whoever typed out the “summary” for Mandy was very sweet! We need to help each other in this world: human kindness is something we all should practice. For the person who wrote the terrible comment, perhaps you were having a bad day, and maybe you will think about what you wrote and consider being a little more compassionate before you “speak/write” something like that again!

teresa on May 29th, 2011

all i can say with regard to the socially inept comments coming from “adults”…is LACK OF BREEDING

D on May 29th, 2011

Do you all not know what a troll is? A jackass that posts things on purpose just to push buttons. You have all given her/him exactly what they were after.

Angela on May 29th, 2011

Go Laila! My son was born 4-13 so I am totally relating to sleep deprivation, nursing, and weight where you don’t want it. I’m really working on the healthy diet and getting my workouts in…and I’m starting to see progress. 10 lbs to go!

Harmony on May 31st, 2011

WOW! I feel so sorry for Mandy!! I AGREE WITH SOME PEOPLE AND VERY WRONG ASHLEY DISRESPECT also I am deaf too duh!!!.. ANYWAY, LAILA IS GOOD WORKOUT OF BODY AND CONGRATS HAVING SECORD CHILD! Have a wonderful a day AND God blessing y’all!!

Sharon M on June 1st, 2011

She’s beautiful. I’m sure Laila is up to the weight loss challenge! Good Luck!

Vanessa on June 1st, 2011

Ashley, I have sympathy for you having such negativity inside you to leave such ignorant, unkind comments. Are you so desperately in need of attention that you went about getting it this way? Are you happier inside now that you got what you wanted and in the process possibly hurt someone? You can do better than that, Ashley. Remember, you get what you give, you reap what you sow. Be kind to others and they will most likely be kind to you. And learn to have a healthy amount of self respect, I think you sorely need it. Anyone who loves themselves in a balanced way would never treat others the way you have. I sincerely wish you the best.

Brinda Matlock on June 2nd, 2011

You will do it Laila I know you will. You come from excellent genes Ali and Porche`. Just go on and do it cuz.

RealTalk on June 2nd, 2011

Wow….Ashley that’s so evil of you 2 say and you need some help! I’m sure people magazine cares as well and they will eventually accommodate hearing impaired viewers! Laila Good Luck with the weight loss!

Cynthia on June 3rd, 2011

Ashley, would you feel that way if you and a deaf child. Life has a way of repeating itself, I would be very careful.

Carla on June 5th, 2011

Go Laila!

You look gorgeous always girl and congrats on the kids.

And to the person who posted the text transcription of the video, right on. You rock. You heard a problem, you found a solution and you moved on. The world needs more of that. Love it.

Caroline on June 5th, 2011

Ashley,

Its ok. You don’t know any better. When you are there is no heart there is no Compassion. You need to humble yourself and understand what it means to hurt and not have something as precious as hearing. Oh wait. You have been hurt so much until the only thing you know how to do it hurt. Trust me Im not hater. Im a survivor and so is Mandy.

Reese Peece on June 6th, 2011

Hi Laila:

Count me in! I have one child and like you, was successful in losing my baby weight (I love my child and would do it all over.) the first time. You are a very beautiful and look great! I have had some health issues in the past year that packed on 30 unwanted and unappreciated pounds. I am looking forward to getting back to my pre-health issue weight.

I am going to get moving with some much needed exercise. I know what I need to do as far as eating right, but I have to get moving like you.

I look forward to hearing about your success. Take care of your baby.

Tea on June 6th, 2011

Laila-
I just saw your blog!

You have inspired me to lose my baby from SEVEN years ago. I am on board. I am looking forward to your next blog!

Cassie on June 7th, 2011

Congrats on the new baby Laila and I know you will be successful in your weight loss.

Ashley, I will be praying for you.

Righteous on June 8th, 2011

@ Dan B., your comments reveal that you are grossly misinformed. Your comments alone could make you become another poster child of ignorance and ridiculousness. I hope you can read non-fiction articles (more educational than the tabloids) and learn about the deaf community and human cognition and realize the limitations of lip-reading as a vehicle of communication/comprehension. When you become better educated then you can ‘veg out’ with the tabloids. Good luck learning about the world!

Lailah Lee on June 26th, 2011

Peace and greetings. i also recently had a baby and he will be one at the end of July (GOD willing). I have lost the baby weight and I am now trying to tone safely. My husband loves my frame and as I lost the weight I looked a bit ill. Trying to nurse, diet and exercise is hard but worth it. Am expecting another child and hoping weight loss will be as easy as the first. To Miss Ali, congrats and you have been an inspiration to me for a while. I am an amazon as well, and naturally strong. Sometimes it is hard to still be looked at as feminine for that reason but the sex appeal is there. I appreciate the honesty and sincerity in your posts. Inshaa-Allah May you raise beautiful and healthy children and May they be righteous Ameen.