This incredible mum is known as ‘supermodel mom’ at her children’s preschool after giving birth eight times — and credits her raw vegan diet for her incredible physique after she became dangerously addicted to diet pills following the birth of her first child 20 years ago.
When homemaker, Jocelyn Morris, 40, from Woodland Hills, Utah, gave birth to her first child, Justice, now 20, she weighed 165lbs, and after being overweight for most of her life she was desperate to lose weight and started to take diet pills.
Instantly, Jocelyn was hooked on the quick results as she soon got down to 125lbs in a matter of months.
Change: Jocelyn Morris, 40 from Woodland Hills, Utah, gave birth to her first child, Justice, 20 years ago weighing 165lbs
Altered: The mom-of-eight became addicted to diet pills after having her first child
Difference: Jocelyn, pictured in 1997 (left) and 2017 (right), lost 40lbs while using diet pills
She kept taking the pills in order to maintain her weight loss and to suppress her appetite. However, taking the tablets left Jocelyn with constant headaches and feeling jittery. It wasn’t until she saw her doctor in 2006, that Jocelyn decided to ditch the pills as her periods had stopped and the doctor told her that her blood work indicated that her body was starving.
Jocelyn dreamed of having a big family so after ditching the pills she started to follow a balanced diet that also included processed foods, meat and cheese but she was left feeling depressed and found it difficult to bounce back after her six pregnancies that followed.
Before going raw vegan two-and-a-half years ago, Jocelyn was vegan for a year and she lost weight to reach 125lbs, but she felt dead and lifeless inside, so turned to a raw vegan diet and hasn’t looked back since.
Incredibly Jocelyn gave birth to her eighth child just three weeks ago and is already feeling more energized, happier and healthier than after her previous pregnancies thanks to her diet – with mums at preschool calling her ‘supermodel mom’ because of how quickly she bounces back post-pregnancy.
‘I first started taking diet pills after I had my first child at age twenty. That was the first time in my life I actually lost weight. I had been overweight all through my childhood and up until that point,’ Jocelyn said.
Results: She wanted to use the diet pills because she had been overweight her entire life, but they ended up ‘starving’ her body
Difference: Jocelyn ditched the diet pills and adopted a raw vegan diet to help her body
Strong: Her mood swings disappeared on the diet and she felt healthier
Incredible: Since starting the raw vegan diet two-and-a-half years ago, Jocelyn hasn’t considered altering what she eats
Love: She revealed her kids call her ‘supermom’ and love how she is on the raw vegan diet
‘After having my first child I stayed right around 165 lbs. Then when I started taking diet pills I finally lost weight and got down to 125 lbs. I felt I had to continue taking diet pills to maintain that weight because they suppressed my appetite and I was worried I would overeat.
‘The diet pills made me feel jittery and I had constant headaches. They also made me extremely moody and ornery.
‘My turning point came when the doctor told me my blood work showed my body was “starving”. It was also very acidic, and I had lost my period.
‘Before adopting raw vegan, I was trying standard vegan for about a year. I lost weight on it but felt dead. I didn’t feel energetic and vibrant. I was tired all the time. I had tried the raw vegan diet three other times in the past but never stayed with it for very long.
‘So, I decided to try it again, but did more research and tried to balance my macros differently so I could feel more balanced and energetic.
‘I have way more energy on a raw food diet. The children love when mom does her raw food because they know I’m happier and have more energy when I do. Plus, they love to eat my goodies, they know I won’t be in pain and I will be happy because for some reason it just makes me happy.
‘I would be very depressed, I felt very ugly and almost hopeless for getting my body back before. I feel more at peace now. Eating a raw vegan diet really improves your mood.
‘So, I feel at peace, energized, and just happy. I know my body will bounce back because I’m nourishing it the best I can. I’m not eating processed junk food, I’m eating whole plant food. My body bounces back much faster now even though I’m on my eighth child.’
Important: After having her eight child, Jocelyn found her body recovering quick than it did when she was on the diet pills
Happy: ‘So, I feel at peace, energized, and just happy. I know my body will bounce back because I’m nourishing it the best I can,’ Jocelyn said
Energized: Raw veganism is a diet that combines the concepts of veganism and raw foodism, it includes whole, ripe, raw fruits and vegetables with a moderate amount of raw seeds and nuts
Healthy: Its benefits include; increased energy, improved digestion, sleep and mood, clearer skin, reduced body aches and pain and weight loss
Focused: Jocelyn said sometimes it is hard to stick with the diet when her family (pictured) is cooking their own dinner
Raw veganism is a diet that combines the concepts of veganism and raw foodism, it includes whole, ripe, raw fruits and vegetables with a moderate amount of raw seeds and nuts. Its benefits include; increased energy, improved digestion, sleep and mood, clearer skin, reduced body aches and pain and weight loss.
Jocelyn follows a high raw vegan diet which isn’t one-hundred per cent raw as she enjoys the occasional portion of peanut butter and incorporates vegan protein powder into her meals, which aren’t classified as raw.
She enjoys a breakfast and lunch of a smoothie with coconut water or almond milk, with some form of plant fat from chia, hemp or flax seeds, vegan protein powder and various fruits and greens, if she doesn’t fancy that she’ll have a bowl of soaked seeds topped with berries or cacao nibs and nuts.
For a snack she munches on raw vegetables, fruit or nuts and for dinner she enjoys raw vegetables in a salad, wrap, raw soup or as veggie noodles with avocado, tahini, or nuts. From time to time, Jocelyn enjoys a dessert of raw brownies or banana ‘nice cream’.
Finally, she spoke about the problems she faced following her seventh pregnancy adjusting her raw vegan diet and discussed the reactions she receives from people when she is out and about.
Yum: She enjoys a breakfast and lunch of a smoothie with coconut water or almond milk, with some form of plant fat from chia, hemp or flax seeds
Improved: Not only did her moods improve on the diet, but also her skin and hair
Critical: Jocelyn said daily body movement has been important to filling fit and healthy
Delicious: For dinner she enjoys raw vegetables in a salad, wrap, raw soup or as veggie noodles with avocado, tahini, or nuts
‘After my seventh baby I did have problems with my skin and hair. I made some adjustments to my macros and since then I have had zero problems,’ she said.
‘I actually find this way of eating very easy, even in social gatherings because how easy is it to just eat raw food. Sometimes dinner is a struggle when you smell cooked food, but I always have delicious homemade raw wraps, crackers and goodies made so I can easily make something satisfying and then it’s not a problem.
‘Oh my goodness, people can’t believe I’ve had as many kids as I have. They call me the ‘supermodel’ mom at preschool.
‘That makes me laugh because I am no supermodel. I think the biggest thing though is people can’t believe how fast I bounce back after having a baby.
‘Ditching the processed foods is a great place to start, eating whole food, raw or not, will get you on the right track. Start moving, daily body movement is critical.’