Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says stress is 'making me lose weight'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said her job is taking a toll on her body. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said her job is taking a toll on her body. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The stress of working in Congress is taking a toll on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s health, she says.

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In an Instagram Stories appearance with Florida congresswoman Lois Frankel, the 29-year-old Washington, D.C. newcomer admits that “stress is making me lose weight.

The comment came after Frankel offered her tips for surviving as a freshman congresswoman. After schooling her on the importance of “good shoes” with rubber soles — as opposed to the “ridiculous” heels Ocasio-Cortez tends to wear — Frankel shared her second piece of advice.

“You have to watch what you eat,” the 70-year-old Democrat said. “Because you can gain weight very quickly.”

Lois Frankel told the Bronx native to watch her diet. (Photo: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez via Instagram Stories)
Lois Frankel told the Bronx native to watch her diet. (Photo: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez via Instagram Stories)

But according to Ocasio-Cortez, she has the opposite problem.

“I need to gain weight,” she said. “The stress is making me lose weight.”

Frankel pressed on.

“I’m gonna tell you something,” the veteran politician responded. “When I was your age, I weighed the same that you do.”

Whether or not Ocasio-Cortez heeds Frankel’s advice is her business, but it’s undeniable that her new high-profile role has come with intense scrutiny and stress. Hours before she posted the videos with Frankel, the New York congresswoman tweeted about her and her peers receiving “a spike in death threats” over conservative coverage — citing a fundraising email that called her a “domestic terrorist.”

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