Whitney Port Says Weight Concerns Were 'Blown a Bit Out of Proportion': 'I'm a Busy Mom Who Just Needs to Take Better Care of Herself'

Whitney Port hasn’t shied away from addressing recent concerns about her appearance — but had some strong words for those who left “snarky” comments on her recent Instagram posts of a vacation to Cabo with her husband, Tim Rosenman, 42, and son Sonny, who turned 6 last month.

"I, of course, appreciate any concern over my health but just a friendly reminder to hold yourself back from making snarky comments about someone's weight, cause Timmy will come for you! Jk,” the former Hills star, 38, wrote on her Instagram story. The caption was placed over a photo of her wearing a bikini, holding out a drink for a toast.

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“But for real, I'm super down with constructive criticism, but be careful how harsh, unfounded or mean-spirited your words can be."

And Port asked people to keep in mind that her words were for “EVERYONE’s posts.”

She added, "I'm a beach vacation. In a bathing suit. Warning: some pictures and videos might show my body!"

Port wrote that her comments were triggered by people mentioning her vacation shots — often selfies in body-baring bikinis — resembled "body checking," a practice associated with disordered eating.

“Cheers to all you folks thinking I'm doing 'body-checks'!" she wrote.  "I didn't even know what that meant until someone wrote it on one of my posts!"

“Body checking” is described as “examining your body through various practices including in the mirror, by weighing yourself, touching your body parts, or pinching yourself,” Verywell Fit explained.

The practice was linked to anorexia according to research published by the National Library of Medicine, which pointed out that “the frequency of body checking in the natural environment was associated with baseline ED symptoms, particularly weight and shape concerns.”

Port has talked about her weight as concerns mounted over her appearance from fans, and said her husband Rosenman told her, "it's not just something strangers are spewing."

“I have yet to admit to myself that I have an eating disorder,” Port said on a recent episode of her podcast, With Whit. 

“I feel like it’s just more out of laziness and pickiness,” she explained about her recent weight loss, adding that she will “just go hungry and like, don’t care.”

“I think, though, that is a type of disordered eating,” she admitted. “Like, that’s not okay, that’s not healthy. I'm obviously not giving my body the nutrients it needs.”

But in her recent Instagram post, Port said that as discussion about her health and appearance continued, “Everything was blown a bit out of proportion.”

“I’m a busy mom who just needs to take a little better care of herself and I’m on it.”

And on another podcast episode, Port emphasized that she was aware of the reasons for concerns about her health, saying, “Getting on the scale was really an eye opener.” 

“I think that once you see the numbers, the numbers can’t lie and I had no idea that I weighed as little as I did.”

The designer said she’s looking at ways to improve herself “holistically.” 

Port has said that she was going to reach out to an “awesome” nutritionist and eating disorder specialist that her best friend recommended to her.

“I need to be taking care of myself.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at NationalEatingDisorders.org.