BlackWeightlossSuccess.com is the award winning official blog of the Black Women Losing Weight Community found at www.blackwomenlosingweight.com and www.facebook.com/blackwomenlosingweight
Black Women Losing Weight started with an online Ning community in 2010. We now have a broad social media presence of over 1 million that is growing every day (including Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and more than 950,000 fans on Facebook).
We encourage our readers to seek greater wellness and to reach their lifestyle change goals…not just weight loss goals. We also help them to inspire others by submitting their stories. BWLW also promotes monthly weight loss and health challenges.
Contact us: Click here to contact us via email
info[at]blackwomenlosingweight[dot]com
Ebony Ajima – Black Women Losing Weight Founder
Hi! I’m a holistic health coach and social media expert with a passion for wellness. I graduated from Howard University with a degree in Communications and I still live in the DC Area. (I love it here!) I’m also a proud graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition‘s Health Coach program.
As a work-at-home mom full time and I get to live my dreams. My passion is all about helping women to have the life they want in terms of health and business. It’s about an overall balanced lifestyle, not just weight loss.
I’m so happy to use my extensive web communications and online marketing knowledge to help black women and inspire them to get healthier by sharing articles, tips and daily weight loss stories.
Vallicia Lowe says
I love this site very inspirational
Roz says
I’ve lost 30 lbs since Dec 2011 but I want to lose more. I exercise sporadically & want to exercise more but I can’t seem to find the motivation. I work nites & can’t seem to find the energy. All I want to do is sleep!
cindy says
I too have same problem!!!! Have worked nights for over 26 years. At first it was easiest when my children were small. Now it’s all I’m used to. My weight has gone up drastically too. Am now over 300 pounds sorry to say. Please help me to help myself. Am tired of excuses but don’t know what to do
MIA FELICIANO says
walmart.com has tricycles and its great. Put some head sets on you have a basket to put your water in. I have a friend. She is 74 years old. She rides twice a week sometimes with her daughter. 35-40 miles twice a week. Take your time. On a trail. She has no cellulite no where her thighs are beautiful. Her abs or flat and firm. She is gorgeous. I see her at the pool she out swims me. When I see her on the trail. she waves. Sometime we talk. She told me swimming is not going to help your legs. She said you have to ride a bike. Everyone on the trail is 60 plus years. They are in great shape. I tried a bike its too hard. I bought a tricycle and it works great for me. I can do 10 miles in hour and fifteen minutes. I am forty eight. I am currently on a forty day liquid fast. I have lost 9 pounds in 10 days. I always excercise I do zumba with a group 2-3 times a week. I lift weights 2-3 times a week. I go roller skating, hiking, and I take salsa classes. You have to go places or you will eat yourself into a coffin.
shawn says
Mia could you please tell me more about the liquid diet. Thanks
GLORIA J. HAMMONDS says
I am 62 and weigh 182 pounds. i wan tot lose 50 pounds. Give me some tips and tell me what to eat every day….my daughter is 20 and weighs same but has fat all over her body, arms, thighs, no waist now and she loves fast food which is killing her….what do we do. we don;t eat red neat…it is hard to get her to esat right….HELP
selah says
glad I found this site & this advice! who woulda thunk of a trike? FAB IDEA FOR A FLABBY-
TH
IGHED NON BIKE RIDER!
Carla says
Hello beautiful!!! That is the first tip. You must love you enough to lose the weight first. Second tip you must do it for you.Take ownership of your truth. What I mean about that is know the reason when and why you eat. For me it was a fear of being hungry. Once I owned and took responsibility I was on my way to a better me. The best way to do it is 1 pound at a time. First step is learn to detox your body. Toxins are stored in the fat cells and it is the cause for the cells to store bad fat. I was at 245 I have lost 46 pounds. I ate fruits veggies drank water and 100% fruit juice.when I wanted the things I knew was no good for me I would say you don’t need that you are not missing anything. I had it before and knew what it tasted like. Find a picture of 1 pound of fat.when you have loss that pound be proud of what you accomplished.remember one pound at a time.
Lisa says
Thanks for posting your comments Carla! It makes perfect sense that toxins are stored in the fat cells. I’m going to find a picture of 1 pound of fat and keep it where I can see it! LOL
I’m finally understanding that this really has to be for me, like I need to really be seriously committed and focused on being a better me. Sweets are my issue-I’ll be good for several days with my eating and then scarf 3 chocolate bars in one sitting! This sweet craving is my problem that I hate. I’ll try to be more conscious and tell myself I don;t need it!
Thanks again hun! I’ve lost 40 pounds last summer and am working on releasing another 40-50. wish me luck!!!
shell says
I have that same problem, try just committing to working out on your days off, start light. Maybe try taking a few vitamins, i use B12 and find that it does give me a energy boost.
Staffy says
I would love to hear from someone that works midnights. Is there any advice on strategy for losing weight. I don’t wake up until the middle of the day! What should I do?
Tesha says
When I worked overnight, I would go to the gym when I got off. I did started of doing 30, then 45, then I got up to 60 mins. Then I would go home, take a shower then hit the bed. Try that and see if it helps. Good Luck
Candy says
I have a full-time day job. However, I work midnights for my pt job on the weekends. I wake up an hour and a half before I have to leave for work. That way I’ve gotten some sleep, I can exercise between 20 to 40 minutes, and I can shower before I leave for work. I end up feeling more energized for work.
Cheryl says
i eat before i leave for
work no later than 830 i pack healthy snacks for lunch i never go to work with out it and thats all i eat
soletha says
@staffy, i also work thirds and midnights, my plan is to go straight to the gym when i get off instead of going straight home.
Staffy says
@Soletha that’s a great Idea and I tried it, and it was working. But what did you do about your eating habits? I’d eat and go to bed because I’d be so tired. I am gonna try it again.
Andrea says
Hi my name is Andrea and i wrk til midnight as well i find it so hard to eat right and exercise but i make a sacrifice and try to wrk out at least five times a week with my DVDs its almost impossible for me to leave the house so i find it easier that way….i hope u find sumthn that wrks for u
Rhonda says
I work 2nd shift, and I do understand how hard it is to stick to a plan. My doctor recommend that I do not eat any meal after 7pm. Have only two protein shake and one meal. So I have one at 11 am and then at 3pm and my last meal at 7pm. Some time after work I will go to the gym at 12:30 am until 2:00am. Also if you are unable to go to the gym, workout at home if you have demand channel check out their exercise portion I found some great work-out on that channel. Let me know if this work for you.
cat carmon says
I have to be to work 2am or 3am. I have my breakfast in the morning then two hr later a snack. At 6 I have my lunch. Two hrs later another snack if I hungry. Bye 12 oclock I have my dinner. Two of my meals is a smoothie( veggie or Fruit smoothie in two weeks I have lost 11 pounds. I also do my exercise walk on treadmill for 45 mins. My snacks are veggie or fruit. Plenty of water. Leave all the junk food out, no sugar drinks.
angela says
what king of smooties did you drink to lose your weight
LORNA STERLING says
I’M PROUD OF YOU I’VE BEEN TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS AND I JUST CAN’T DO IT PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU DID SO I CAN DO THE SAME AND SEE IF IT WORKS FOR ME I WOULD LOVE TO LOSE 60 POUNDS BY AUGUST 1ST SO IF YOU CAN HELP ME
Michelle says
Hi, my name is Michelle. I having trouble with finding time to work out. I work 7:30-430 or sometimes later. I usually get up at 5:45 to get my kids up for school and myself for work. When I get off of work. I usually come home cook and try to help the kids with any home or making errans after work. When I donne with all of that. Its usually around 9 or 10 at time. I have tried getting up at 4am in the morning to try to go work out. I find myself so sleepy ans worn out by th end of day. Any suggestion anyone?
LadyT says
Hi Michelle,
I totally understand. I would suggest waking up 15 mins earlier and do a small 15 min workout in the mornings and then another 15 mins before going to bed at night. Also, to save a little time during the week, try preparing/planning/cooking your family’s weekly meals ahead of time and freeze them so all that’s left to do is thaw, reheat, and serve. I hope this helps.
shawn says
I like your suggestion Lady T…
Teresa Stewart says
If you have a crock-pot put in a roast or find a crock-pot recipe on pinterest and start it before you leave for work, when you come home it will be done and your house will smell yummy. You can also let it cook all night and it’s ready before you leave. You can cook almost anything in them these days. Good luck, I am trying to stop night snacking. I am great during the day but I just eat absent-mindedly during the night but I’m going to beat this….
LaTanya Mc. says
I would like to get started losing weight, but don’t really know how to get started can you help me with a start up meal plan.
LESA C. says
I would suggest a real good diet plan, LA WEIGHT LOSS. They go in detail on how to eat properly.
Rai Camille says
I’ve been motivated about my health only sporadically over the years – since I recently started working from home I made a commitment to not pack on the extra 15lbs of work from home weight. I bought a treadmill so I would have no excuses. I hop on when my favorite shows are on instead of sitting or laying idly on the couch watching TV. No more excuses – we can do this in 2013!!!! Love this site
Jessica says
Finding time to workout is very very hard. I have a JR high schooler- a full time job- wifely duties- after school activities- and a new puppy…I don’t have a lot of “extra” time. I’ve learned to incorporate the gym or working out into my routine. I work from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm…I change into my gym clothes at work- then I pick the kiddo up from the nanny- and “WE” head to the gym for 15 to 45 minutes…so by 6 I’m home- preparing dinner I cook fresh food every night and I’m in bed by 11. I treat the gym as an appointment that I absolutely CANNOT miss. For years I made excuses- until my 4’11 body was fitting comfortably into a size 16…I made a life style change and haven’t looked back yet. 35lbs later and a size 8 and shrinking…that was the best decision I could have ever made. No blood pressure meds- all because I chose to eat right and exercise.
Sharon says
Hello, Im 42 YO and 260lbs and I know I need to make a change but feel like I am at a loss. I seem to have the same issues as most of you have stated I get up at 5a to get my grandson ready for school and my self ready for work and to make sure my daughter gets up and ready. I work 8-430 but I work about an hour from my home and after work I usually dont get home til 545-6P from picking up my grandson then I have to make dinner. By the time I am able to relax it is after 8P and I usually go to bed at 9P to do this routine all over again. I tried getting up earlier in the AM but I am so exhausted that I cant seem to wake up and get a proper workout done. At the end of the day im also extremely exhausted. What do you suggest I do to fix this problem. I really want to lose weight but just dont seem to have the motivation or the energy to do so.
Traci says
I woke up at 48 years old (1/5/12)and decided that I did not want to be fat and out of shape anymore. “Operation Reduce” was born. I gave myself two years to get it right. A friend introduced me to a trainer. I had the same excuse as most women who are over weight, no time and no energy. I made time for me and my weight loss. When I started with the trainer I could barely bend over. I stayed the course.
I began slow, with two sessions a week and then moved to three sessions a week now I see my trainer four times a week. A trainer is expensive but so are shoes and I kept buying them when I didn’t need them. So I put the money where I needed it, working on the weight loss. I started @ 237 pounds only 5’3″ and was nothing but blubber and now I am 206 pounds and lots of muscle. I also changed my food. More green leafy foods, organic where I could,lots of lean chicken and fish rich w/omega 3, good carbs, Organic Quinoa replaced rice, I drink about a gallon of water per day. Not only did I lose weight, I also lost several inches. My body is being reformed right before my eyes. I am stronger than I have ever been. I am by no means done. I still have another 30 pounds to go.
I wanted you ladies to know you can do it. The only way to do it is to keep doing it for the rest of your life. You have to make a choice to live differently and take better care of yourself. There is no magic it is all work and dedication. Hard work! You will have bad days, goods days and better days just do not stop always move forward.
selah says
GREATEST ADVICE EVER! no matter the how or why, the way requires commitment and work!
Arnette says
thxs Traci for that information. Instead of buying shoes,clothes & alot of food i am going to put my money into a trainer and begin my life long weight loss journey.I have been going back and forth with my weight problem. I think i am tired now.
Shanna says
How does this weight lost wrk??
ajima says
Does what weight loss work?
Annette says
240 5″3 desperate to be smaller @ least 60lbs. Help
melissa rutledge says
Hi ladies I just joined and I need help. In February I was 230 lbs im 5’5 and I need to know where to begin to lose weight …I just had my 4th child in January and I have had 4 sections so I have a pouch…..ladies where do I start??
Eme says
I enjoy this site. It is a good feeling to see black women taking control of their health.
Tina Brown says
I am on the heavy- side but my weight go up and down. But im at the point were i know i need to lose the weight. I was obsess with working out until i pull a chest cavity and stop completely. I got a historectomy and gained over 100 pd. After that i lost faith, and that been over a decade. I just turned forty- seven and need to get back on the map of working out every day cu i don’t have any excuses. Its just pure laziness
. So please give me some input on my situation.
Nadine Gaujean says
This is my very first post on this site. I am doing the July challenge no meat and no excuses. I have lost ball self-confidence and think I am the ugliest thing out there. I had max out at 260 lbs, but had accepted being a big girl and dressed diva fab! But then something chage and I decided I was going to look fabulous at forty. So over several years I worked at it and had come down to a comfortable size 12 at 175lbs. I was beautiful, nope gorgeous, confident and had finally found a man that loved ME as I was. I got sick in 2010 with polymytositis, an auto-immune disease that attacks the muscles ( by the way ladies this disease it brought on by stress). I could not walk, bath, or even feed myself for 2 months. The course of action for this was prednisone. I was on 80mg everyday for a month. It has been three years and I am still on prednisone. Needless to say I have had relapses band have been back in the hospital several times, but still on this dam medicine. I have gained Bach 50 lbs and have been completely depressed!!!! I am a school teacher and wore sweat pnts everyday. I have been blessed in that I still I my man, he is African, enough said, but it is difficult to lose weight while on this medicine. Someone told me about this website and well I have nothing else to lose. Just a fat person looking for encouragement.
Mokushia Eaton says
I have known about this site for awhile but never took the time to really pay attention to what was being posted. I have been overweight all of my life and I became comfortable with my weight and my appearance. In my mind I felt it was ok because I didn’t have any health issues. I am getting older and the health issues are staring to appear so I decided February 13, 2013 that it was time to make a change. I started out at 388 pounds and as of today I am 355 pounds. I have a ways to go but this site is such an inspiration for me. I hope this site encourages and inspires others as it has done for me.
Rosalind-Marie says
Hello, I am new here and am looking for help and encouragement for healthy and effective weight loss. I am not trying to do pills or any form of weight loss surgery (I know friends who have-some have remained successful with it and others are struggling with some physical issues as a result). Like most of you, I work (HS Teacher), so I barely get a chance to exercise, because I get up at 4 am and have to be out the door within the next hour to make it to work on time (long drive). Not to mention, that I have to get set up for the day in regards to getting things together for each class period. Throughout the day, I barely get a chance to exercise. When I get home, there are days that I am so tired that I don’t even eat, or barely eat, let alone exercise. Now that I am on summer vacation and don’t have to get up for work, I have gotten so used to sleeping in late and basically hibernating, that I have done little to no exercise at all. I really do want to get out this crazy lazy funk, but how? I need help and am struggling..
Tonya says
Hi Rosalind-Marie. There is hope for all of us…I too am trying to lose weight. What hurts me is the drive to make the effort worthwhile so I understand what you are trying to convey. B12 in sublingual liquid form is a great motivator for energy for me. Solgar is the brand which works for me though the “taste” lets you know it is definitely good for your health, if not your taste buds…lol!!! Just a bit inspiration in what helps me. Hope it is helpful to you as well.
Dwana Huggans says
Ms Jackson, you inspire me to do my best. I am so greatful for this forum and how your recommendations are helping me in my quest to make more healthful choices for my immediate diet needs. I cooked sauteed broccoli rabe, lentils and baked some squash for the first time. Thanks!
Ajima Jackson says
Thank you so much, Dwana!
Carolyn Hayes says
Hello! My name is Carolyn & im new to the blog.. My current weight is 204 lbs & i’m 5’6″.. My weight loss goal is to lose 30-40 lbs. I havent exercised n a while so im tryn to get bk n2 it.. Also i was told that a high protein low carb diet was the best to help n losing weight also.. Can anyone give any suggestions for exercise & diet please? I do hv alot of workout dvd’s at home s/a Leslie Sanson’s Walk at Home dvd’s.. Any feedback will b greatly appreciated. Thanks!
delois says
hi,and my name is delois i found this site a few months ago and am so glad i did very inspiration, the stories and the pictures i be like wow!!! and i pray that one day the pictures i see on this site that one be mine one day..am not on all those other sites and i have no way of postin a pic.but it have been a big help to me.. i have lost about 30 pounds..and would love to lose 90 more.. pray for me and i will pray for you GOD BLESS!!
Latesa says
I am So Happy I found this website! I started my journey of getting back Healthy Tuesday, August 26th 2014. I was 282pds (the heaviest I’ve ever been.) I started Brisk Walking. At first I couldn’t even make it around the block. But I still kept at it, 5x a week. I now do 4 miles 5x a week. It takes me an hour & 10 min- to an hour 30 min. to do so. I am down 45+ pds. I am glad I found this website now I can read & learn more about other Black Women who are getting healthy as well. I’ve been searching Everywhere & actually found out about this site Through facebook.
Sheria Duncan says
I stumbled across this website one day late 2013 (I believe) and have been hooked every since. I love reading the Success Stories. Those women inspire and encourage me more than they probably know. Sometimes when trying to lose weight you feel as though your story is unique and strange but to know that there’s women out here with my same exact struggle and they have overcame it is an Exhilarating feeling. So thanks for making this possible for me.
tara johnson says
I will love to loose some weight these ladies inspire me alot but don’t know where to start from could u help me plz
Angel says
Hi, my name is Angel. I am 23 & I am ready to turn my life around. I have a skin disorder called hidradenitis & it makes it very difficult to live, let alone lose weight. I’ve tried multiple times to workout but the outcome is the same extremely painful with a body full of knots. I also have very bad joints from sports & dancing when I was younger.. I also work, and go to school. I need to lose weight to not only get healthy, but to be comfortable in my skin. I need motivation, and guidance. Does anyone have any advice on how to start, and what works best for someone with obstacles???? =/
Deb says
I want to go from size 18 to 12, even a 14! I’m 60yr old beautiful lady. Please help me!!!!
Davina says
Hello iam from Germany, can You translate this of German.