Tia Mowry, the actress, mother, wife and twin to Tamera Mowry has always been fly. "The Game" and "The Real" talk show star just revealed some more photos of her embracing her gray hair. This has been a year-long process after her a 68-pound weight-loss transformation. The actress posted a picture of herself slim and trim with a lengthy caption about her weight loss progress after giving birth to her daughter Cairo in 2018.
The post-partum picture gives way to a bigger issue going on in the world of moms: body-shaming after pregnancy. It seems as though in this time of the "insta-generation" everything has to be now: my movies, my career, and even your snapback, post-baby body.
Mowry took this head-on when she posted on social media.
"To all the women who are feeling pressured after birth. Do YOU! Do what makes YOU proud and do it in YOUR time. Not anyone else’s," she wrote.
"I've lost to date 68 pounds since giving birth to my daughter," she continued. "I’m very proud that I did it my way and in my time. I didn’t feel rushed to snap back. I enjoyed breastfeeding and spending quality time with #cairo and my son #cree," wrote Mowry on her Instagram.
The 42-year-old actor, who also rocked a few gray curls in her pic, went on to remind new moms to ignore the pressure to lose pregnancy weight quickly.
"I was called #fat during my #pregnancy and I was called #fat after my #pregnancy. Why do we do this to each other? Instead of #love one another other? I will never understand that. I intentionally documented my journey and became vulnerable to show #women that it’s okay to go at your own pace, it is okay to love yourself no matter where you are in your journey," she wrote.
"After hard work with just diet and exercise, today I’m closer to my goal," she wrote. "Do I have loose skin and stretch marks? YES. Guess what?? I LOVE all me and I want you to love all of you too."
Tia's Health Journey
In July 2018, Mowry was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, a condition in which a mom’s blood sugar levels become too high during pregnancy. Although gestational diabetes typically goes away on its own, it boosts the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Mowry shared a video of her working out postpartum following her diagnosis. “I was lost for words. Never ever did I think, THIS could happen to me,” she wrote. “Time to get back on track. Making healthy choices and moving.”
“I intentionally documented my journey and became vulnerable to show women that it’s okay to go at your own pace, it is okay to love yourself no matter where you are in your journey,” she continued. “After hard work with just diet and exercise, today I’m closer to my goal. Do I have loose skin and stretch marks? YES. Guess what?? I LOVE all me and I want you to love all of you too.”
5 Tips for Women with Gestational Diabetes
Eat Healthy Foods
Eat healthy foods from a meal plan made for a person with diabetes. A dietitian can help you create a healthy meal plan. Learn more about diabetes meal planning.
A dietitian can also help you learn how to control your blood sugar while you are pregnant. To find a registered dietician near you, please visit The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise is another way to keep blood sugar under control. It helps to balance food intake. After checking with your doctor, you can exercise regularly during and after pregnancy. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days a week. This could be brisk walking, swimming, or actively playing with children.
Monitor Blood Sugar Often
Because pregnancy causes the body’s need for energy to change, blood sugar levels can change very quickly. Check your blood sugar often, as directed by your doctor.
Take Insulin, If Needed
Sometimes a woman with gestational diabetes must take insulin. If insulin is ordered by your doctor, take it as directed in order to help keep blood sugar under control.
Get Tested for Diabetes after Pregnancy
Get tested for diabetes 6 to 12 weeks after your baby is born, and then every 1 to 3 years. For most women with gestational diabetes, the diabetes goes away soon after delivery. When it does not go away, it's then called type 2 diabetes. Even if diabetes does go away after the baby is born, half of all women who had gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes later. It’s important for a woman who has had gestational diabetes to continue to exercise and eat a healthy diet after pregnancy to prevent or delay getting type 2 diabetes. She should also remind her doctor to check her blood sugar every 1 to 3 years.
Tia Mowry Gets Candid About Endometriosis
Tia Mowry-Hardrict got candid about her fear of expanding her family due to her struggle with endometriosis, telling PEOPLE magazine, “I do suffer from endometriosis, so there’s a little bit of a challenge there.” Characterized by the growth of scar tissue outside the uterus, leading to severe pain, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that 5 million American women suffer from the condition. However, it appears that the 38-year-old, who hosts her own show on the Cooking Channel has discovered a way to soothe her symptoms. Her secret? Food!
“Food is powerful and has a significant impact,” she writes in an excerpt from her new book, Whole New You: How Real Food Transforms Your Life, For a Healthier, More Gorgeous You, per Health magazine. “No matter what you put in your mouth—the good, the bad, or the Cheeto—it’s doing something.”
About the new book, the former co-star of the sitcom "Sister, Sister" wrote in an Instagram post the day of its release:
"I tell my story of how I was diagnosed with endometriosis and how food was my medicine! In the book are over 100 recipes that nourished me to health and I was able to have my miracle Cree! I want to inspire, uplift and encourage with this book! I hope it nourishes your soul as it did mine!"
According to the Mowry, she was diagnosed in 2006 and soon after began experiencing debilitating abdominal pain.
Later, she underwent laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure in which a surgeon makes several small incisions about a half an inch. Plastic tubes called ports are then placed through the incisions to create a passage way for a small camera which transmits images of the abdomen to a monitor. Benefits of the technique include “shorter hospital stays, less pain, rapid recovery and early return to work,” the University of Southern California, Department of Surgery states.
Along with pelvic pain, particularly pain with menstruation, endometriosis can also come with pain during sex, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation and infertility, cites the Mayo Clinic.
After her physician suggested eliminating the junk food she grew accustom to eating on set, the actress ditched processed foods, dairy products, refined sugar, and snack packs, to name a few. "I started to feel deeply, thrillingly alive," she writes. "For the first time in my life, I understood the concept of profound 'wellness.'"
While changing her diet has worked wonders for the star, she went on to caution others that what works for her may not work for them. “Although I’ve had my own powerful healing experience, that does not give me the expertise or credentials to offer specific healing advice to anyone with a serious condition.”
However, she hopes that by sharing her story she can aid in doing away with the stigma surrounding eating clean – making healthy food choices. "It’s not just because they’re packed with nutrients and are simply good for you. I’m determined to push past that stigma because whole, natural foods, cooked with love, taste absolutely fantastic," Mowry writes. "You heard me: fantastic.”
To try over 100 of these "fantastic" recipes, pick up Mowry's new book here.