Hi! Just wanted to say what a great site and you are welcome to use the below pics if you wish. The first is of me during my first pregnancy in 2005 and the second of me was taken in 2007, just 6 months after the birth of my 2nd child.
My name is Jill Forrest and I host Yoga Baby TV – a webshow for new mothers to learn how to practice yoga safely both for themselves and with their young ones. We make the show for free on no budget just because we love doing it! I used to battle with weight and have always disliked aerobic exercise, it hurt my body and made me feel terrible! I discovered yoga and learnt that I didn’t have to be a spiritual oddball to take it seriously! I am a down to earth normal person and would like to share my story of how I got my body the way I like it – which doesn’t mean skinny by the way!
When I was 25 I turned vegetarian for ethical reasons. This did not help my weight as I lived on cheese! Yoga has always kept me flexible as I have been doing it on and off since age 15 but I always had a tummy and love handles! My usual weight was around 11-12 stone. When I was pregnant with my son in 2006-2007 I heard a podcast about the dairy industry and began to understand what cows go through eg regularly made pregnant, their calves taken away after 24 hours of nursing to get rid of the premilk the industry don’t want, how they bond and are distressed at having their babies taken away, how may get mastitis and don’t get treatment for it etc and it was too close to home as I was due to start nursing a new baby! So I turned vegan. Not only did I feel better in my mind for doing so, within weeks I noticed my cellulite disappearing, I had excema for years and that went too. After I had Miller in March 2007 I couldn’t eat enough and yes vegans do eat things that are fattening too! I lost the pregnancy weight in around 6 weeks and after another 3 months had come down another 2 dress sizes. I eat well, I feel great and I kept up the yoga all the way, even though I was on crutches during the last 6 weeks of the last pregnancy due to pelvic and hip trouble, which sorted itself out with some gentle yoga practice soon after the birth.
I have a few stretch marks and my tummy will never be flat but it is toned again. I worked on a new style of yoga called figure yoga, designed to get your body the way you like it, without beig over the top into exercise and diet and I now run a programme at www.figureyoga.com. I think the important thing is acceptance of your body in its natural state. You do not need to be thin but being flexible and healthy is so important to how you feel about life.
I hope this inspires some people to try yoga, or veganism, or both! You can get the yoga baby web tv show free through itunes and I am always happy to talk! jill@yogababy.tv.
I love your story. thanks so much for sharing. I am a vegetarian mama too, for the exact same reasons. It’s wonderful to see a strong,beautiful woman with convictions. You look great!