I participated in a conference call with Bethenny Frankel earlier this week. I must admit that when I was invited to join in, I had to turn to Facebook to see if my friends and readers would be interested. I watch very little television and even less reality television. I don’t especially like the various “Housewives” – except the Atlanta version, which is kind of like an entertaining train wreck…if there is such a thing. Anyway, since so many of my friends thought that Bethenny was great, I became intrigued. After the call, I can see her appeal…she comes off as friendly, real and down-to-earth. I liked what I heard. I’m interested to see how the new season of her BRAVO show “Bethenny Ever After…” turns out. It will focus on her juggling finding time for her family (including her new husband and new baby), work and social calendar. I will be tuning in for the premiere on February 28th at 10pm, so let’s compare notes. Meanwhile, there was a lot of information covered on the call, so I will break it up into two posts. Today, I will cover her family relationships along with the deal on the “international weight loss scandal” (her words) that she had.
Bethenny’s relationship with her husband Jason
After having a baby and getting married (“big crescendos”), they are in the thick of the first year of marriage. It’s hard because they are from such different worlds. However, they are learning to come together, which she talks about in her book, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life. The upcoming show will address some of their differences. (He is from a small town his entire life; Catholic and religious and likes his parents to be around all of the time. By contrast, Bethenny has lived in dozens of places; practices yoga; and likes to be alone a lot – because her life is so public.) Overall though, they are doing well and make an effort to keep the spark alive. They do so by going on a date night once a week where they switch off choosing a surprise place to go. Bethenny made me laugh as she said, “We usually pick some hip place so we can feel like we’re still cool. And, you know, then you get some and that’s how we keep the spark alive.”
Bethenny’s relationship with her baby daughter, Bryn
Both she and Jason wanted the baby very badly. As older parents, they especially appreciate having Bryn. (In fact, Bryn was with her during the call making those cute baby sounds.) Bethenny sounded like the typical proud first-time mom as she talked about her daughter: “She doesn’t really cry or get upset about anything. She’s just a really easy, good baby. She’s a pleasure. I’ll be tough but we’re best friends. She’s definitely a mommy’s girl. Oh my God, she’s great. She says momma and her second word I think is going to be Cookie. And she has two teeth. And she’s just fun and sweet. And she’s starting to crawl. She can go in reverse. She’s trying to figure out how to go in forward. She can downshift.”, etc., etc. The only challenge that Bethenny acknowledged was breast feeding, which was “really hard” for her. Overall though, she summed up having kids by saying, “It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”
Bethenny’s thoughts regarding losing weight after the baby
Bethenny defended herself against critics (of her losing the baby weight so quickly) by declaring, “I’m not supposed to keep my baby weight on because I’m supposed to make people feel better and I’m not supposed to lose it because I’m supposed to show anybody how it’s done. I did what I do.” She didn’t treat pregnancy like a complete free-for-all binge. She gained 35 pounds by the time she gave birth. After having a C-section, she wasn’t allowed to eat for days until she passed gas. (I don’t know about that one. That’s new to me. None of my friends who have had c-sections ever mentioned that!) She lost weight while staying in the hospital for six days. Then, she went back to her normal routine, not a crash diet. “I was just like, healthy before, during, and after. And I think it’s a great message to say to people, you don’t have to get all wound up about it. You don’t have to binge while you’re pregnant and you don’t have to crash diet when you’re not.” (I agree!)
That’s it for this part. I will share the second portion of the interview tomorrow. In it, I will share Bethenny’s thoughts about her reality show experiences, fans and her social life…along with some great cooking advice that she gave us.
Do you watch Bethenny on television or any of the “Housewives” shows? What do you think about her/them?
(Image: By Bravo)
