During her pregnancy, Victorian mum Kashmir Jacobson gained 22 kilos.
Tipping the scales at 107kg once her baby girl was born, she determined to change.
‘The realisation that I had put weight on during pregnancy wasn’t as clear at the time as I was so pre-occupied and wrapped up in becoming a new mum,’ Kashmir explains.
‘I was tired and not eating as well and as regular as I should have been. I remember one afternoon I was trying to get up off the floor after laying on the ground with my her, and it was a major struggle.
‘Enough so that I was slightly puffed and my knees could buckle at any time because of the pressure of my weight on my joints.
‘Later that week I remember being tagged in a photo on Facebook and nearly fell off my chair with shock on how my poor body had become so overweight.
‘Yep a full visual of you at your heaviest really puts things into perspective. “It’s not a bad photo” I told myself.
‘I actually realised that how I saw myself was not how I really looked. This was the push and motivation I needed to start my journey.’
Kashmir says her determination ‘came from within’.
The new mum started simply – by walking stairs while carrying her young daughter and going for strolls with the pram.
Then she started personal training sessions once a week and began watching what she was eating.
Now, Kashmir happily says she’s living her ‘best life’ and is inspiring others to do the same via her Instagram page – which has more than 10,000 followers.
‘From the start of my fitness journey I had never imagined I would have the will-power and determination to achieve the results I have today,’ Kashmir admits.
‘Remember you don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great.’
But it hasn’t been easy for the mum – and it’s something she’s open about.
‘Despite all the strain and challenges with exercising in an overweight and heavy body I kept going,’ she says simply.
‘I turned up and gave 100 per cent. I knew that I needed this, not just the physical benefits but the mental too.’
Now, every Sunday Kashmir spends time prepping meals for the week ahead – focusing on four days at a time.
‘I like my food to stay fresh in the fridge so any more than 4 days is a waste unless it’s freezable,’ she says.
‘Also I like to eat out a few times a week so this gives me variety so I wont get bored or waste food by throwing it out.’
While Kashmir doesn’t follow a specific meal plan, she does count macros.
‘Breakfast this week is a chocolate protein smoothie with 55g blueberries and 200ml unsweetened almond milk,’ she explains.
‘Lunch is creamy chicken mushroom pasta. 100g Vetta high protein low carb pasta. 1 serve of creamy mushroom Chicken Tonight sauce, 40g mushrooms and 50g broccoli.
‘Dinner is 45g garlic prawns with 125g cauliflower fried rice, 60g mixed corn capsicum, peas mix and 1 serve of parsley white sauce with crushed garlic.’
