Mina Starsiak Hawk Claps Back at Criticism of Her Weight Loss: 'I Feel Great'
mina starsiak hawk/ instagram
Mina Starsiak Hawk is defending herself against a critic who accused her of losing too much weight.
The 36-year-old HGTV star, who has been sharing on Instagram that she's been working on improving her fitness and strength over the last few months, posted a screenshot of the body-shaming comment from one of her followers on Thursday.
The fan said that they "always respected" Starsiak Hawk for "not succumbing to the size 0 celebrity pressure" and liked that the home renovation expert "actually ate food."
"But alas, it didn't last," they said.
In response, the Good Bones star told the commenter that her weight loss hasn't changed who she is as a person.
"Such a bummer that all that earns your respect is the size I appear to be, or not be. I am the same person, with the same work ethic. That, believe it or not, eats the same food which includes boatloads of Mexican food," she said.
Starsiak Hawk added that her goal over the last few months has not been focused on weight loss.
"I actually stopped drinking 5 or 6 months ago and kicked up the weight lifting part of my, already daily, workout routine," she said. "My goal with neither of these changes was weight loss. But I feel great. The strongest, and least hungover (lol) that I have in years."
She went on to remind the fan that celebrities are humans too.
"I think it is important to remember even those of us whose lives we have allowed to be public, still are just people," Starsiak Hawk added.
"I take no offense, honestly, but there are people with much thinner skin than myself that a comment of that vein could effect[sic] deeply."
Watch the full episode of People Features: Mina Starsiak Hawk streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device.
Starsiak Hawk shared in September that she had lost 10 lbs. in the last three months, "but more importantly…. I feel strong." Her renewed effort comes after she got a tummy tuck, liposuction and breast implants in December 2020, a decision she made after giving birth to her second child, daughter Charlie, that September.
Speaking with PEOPLE after her surgery, often referred to as a "mommy makeover," Starsiak Hawk explained that the decision to have the surgery was about more than her appearance.
RELATED: Mina Starsiak Hawk Feels 'Like Myself Again' After a Post-Baby Tummy Tuck and Breast Implants
"My C-section scar was a very visual and physical reminder of not looking like myself and not feeling like myself anymore," said Starsiak Hawk.
The mom, who also has son Jack, 3, with husband Steve Hawk, said she also wanted to correct the diastasis recti she developed during her pregnancies, which left her with 4-and-a-half in. of separation in her abs.
RELATED VIDEO: Mina Starsiak Hawk Feels 'Like Myself Again' After a Post-Baby Tummy Tuck and Breast Implants
"I do a very physical job and I like working out, and your core is so attached to everything, every movement I do, like swinging a hammer," she says. "And I just didn't feel like I was going to be able to work out and get this back to where I felt strong, like myself, like I did before kids."
RELATED: Mina Starsiak Hawk Reflects on Welcoming Daughter Charlie After Losing Sister-in-Law Stefanie
In her Instagram post on Thursday, Starsiak Hawk urged her followers not to be so critical on social media
"While those photos were me, un-photoshopped, SOOO many things we see online ARE edited. Nothing wrong with either version, but what is important is that knowledge. So please please please, don't compare yourself. Don't compete with anyone other than yourself," she said.
"Photoshopped, airbrushed, surgically altered, all natural and everything in between is perfect as long as it's you and it's what brings you joy. Can I get an amen."
