Ajima Jackson

Transformation of the Day: Tina lost 110 pounds. She was diagnosed with PCOS, which can make weight loss difficult. She didn’t let weight gain or depression stop her. By completely changing her eating habits and  creating an exercise routine that works for her, she has truly transformed. Check out her story.

What was your motivation? What inspires you to keep going when you want to give up?
My motivation to lose weight was my will to live a long healthy life. At 23 years old, I was diagnosed with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and begun to put on pounds on top of pounds. PCOS has many physical symptoms, including weight gain in the midsection and difficulty when it comes to losing weight. I didn’t like my reflection in the mirror. I became depressed.

One day I decided I didn’t just want to exist in this world. My inspiration for change is my need to reclaim my life, my health, and my happiness. I want to eventually have a baby and being obese with PCOS can cause infertility.

How did you change your eating habits?
I completely changed my diet to a high protein, low carb diet. I stopped consuming sodas, cakes, candies, fried/processed foods, bread and pasta. I ate more fresh fruits and vegetables. (You couldn’t pay me to eat broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussels sprouts or any vegetable before this journey.)

What did your workout routine look like?
I started out at Curves. Then, I incorporated Zumba into my routine. After about 6 months, I began going to bootcamp sessions and joined a gym. Now, I work out 6 days a week.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 290 pounds and my current weight is 180 pounds. My height is 5’8”.

When did you start your journey?
Journey began in April 2015. No weight loss surgery or skin removal.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
What I learned during this process is there is no quick fix or magic pill. Mentally, you have to be ready for the lifestyle change. This is a forever way of living.

What advice would you share with women who want to lose weight?
Trust the process and don’t give up. The struggle is real and the process can be slow, but fight through it and results will come. Believe and fight for yourself.

Instagram: @black_butt3rfly

Shanice wrote in to share with us how weight training has changed her body. This busy student knows that you have to work for the body you want and that the numbers on the scale don’t always reflect all of your progress. Check out her story.

Left: Jan 12th, 2017 – 21st birthday
Right: Mar 17th, 2018 – After demolishing bottomless mimosas

Believe it or not, this is only a 6 pound difference. My starting weight was 166 pounds and my current weight is 160 pounds. I didn’t lose a lot of weight, but my physique changed significantly due to lifting weights. I am 5’1″ and although I don’t look 160 lbs (that’s what everyone says) that is my weight and I honestly think it’s due to muscle.

I know that you genuinely have to work for the body you want. Once you start lifting, you’ll get addicted. Right now, alcohol is my biggest issue because I go to a huge party school and drinking is so normalized. I still have a really long way to go but I’m pretty proud of myself right now.

Here are some answers to common questions I get asked:

• I do not drink juice or soda. I literally walk around campus with a huge purple water bottle (32 oz) and I refill it about 5 times a day. I drink about 160 oz of water everyday.
• I started out doing 30 mins of cardio then 20 minutes lifting. Later, I began teaching myself and bookmarking workouts on IG.
• I work out for 1.5 to 2 hours, 6 times a week. (20 minutes cardio and 1 hour+ of  lifting) Because I’m in cutting phase, I’m doing a bit more cardio (jump rope, stairmaster, bike, or elliptical), but I still lift for about an hour and challenge myself daily. 3 weeks ago. I was curling with 20 lbs weights, now I’m curling with 40 lbs weights. This may seem small, but I’m happy about it.I’m a full time student so I’ve ingrained exercise into my schedule
• My diet is ok. I’m definitely researching and trying to figure more things out. I have 2 cups of broccoli with every meal since it’s my favorite veggie. (Advice: Find that one veggie you like with the best
  seasoning and incorporate it in every meal.) I bought smaller plates for smaller portions and a food scale (currently counting my macros). Saturdays are usually my cheat days, but instead of having an entire cheat day I have a cheat meal.

My advice: You have to work for the body you want. Waist trainers, detox teas and fad diets are just marketing tools to strip away your money. After the first week of consistent workouts, your body will get addicted and you’ll fall in love. It takes time, peseverance, and dedication.

Instagram: @sweetface_shanice

Transformation of the Day: Garneisha lost 42 pounds. Our Bahamian sista lost and regained weight in the past, but this time she lost more than just physical weight. This time, she put her faith in God into action. Prayer, fasting and intermittent fasting helped her to breakthrough. Check out her story.

My name is Garneisha and I’m from the beautiful shores of The Bahamas! I’m 25 years young and about 5’6” tall. I want to share my journey and glorify God for helping get to the root of my weight problem. I know that my story can help someone else.

My biggest inspiration for losing the weight is Jesus Christ. He has changed my life from the inside out. During the latter part of February, I was in Bible Study at my church and someone shared their testimony. At about my age, they asked God to take the desire for drinking alcohol from them and God did it. Knowing that I have always been big, I went to God that weekend and prayed that He would remove the desire for emotional eating and overeating from my heart. And He Did!

A day or so after I prayed, I wasn’t gorging on junk food or fast food. I just wasn’t interested in eating those foods anymore. In my past, when I was stressed I would emotionally eat, but it all stopped in ONE DAY because of God.

Before my prayer was answered, I would workout hard in the Gym. I took morning and evening classes, in addition to doing Insanity. However, my poor eating habits inhibited me from losing weight. When I was upset or stressed, I would go and get a Crack Conch and fries (a deliciously greasy Bahamian dish) or a 2 piece from KFC. That all changed when Jesus intervened. Listen to me… I didn’t have the desire to emotionally eat or overeat and because of that the weight melted off. By working hard at the gym and having my new heavenly help, I lost more than 15 pounds in less than 3 weeks. Eventually my workout routine changed because God had other plans for me.

A situation arose in my life where I had to do an extreme fast: no water and no food for 3 days for a breakthrough at the place where I used to work and God gave me the answer thru that fast. He didn’t stop there. Two days after my breakthrough He lead me to a God-centered Intermittent Fast and put me on a strict diet. I ate berries or pomegranates during the day and for dinner I only ate fish with some type of veggie on the side. I ate a meal at 9am and ate my dinner at 5pm. I only ate two times a day. I exercised only twice during the 33 days of this Intermittent Fast, doing a HIIT workout for 24 minutes.

Sadly my cell phone broke a couple weeks ago. I kept all my weight loss information on it. However, when God first answered my prayer, I weighed about 240 pounds. Now, I weigh 198 pounds. I went from a 16/18 in dress to a size 10. It was about more than physical weight loss. He revealed to me why I was emotionally eating and more, And He can do the same for you.

Unlike any other weight loss programs, God gets to the root of the problem of why you can’t lose weight (no matter what situation you may be facing), so that the weight can stay off for good. I lost a lot of weight before (TWICE), but I never got to the root of the problem so the weight came back. I know this happens to a lot of people. My advice would be to give God a try. He can’t fail.

The biggest lesson I learned is that God loves me immensely, He is faithful to His Word and that I can trust Him with my all my heart (Fyi, I am still learning that).

My advice to anyone who wants to shed weight, whether it be physical weight, spiritual weight, emotional weight or any other kind of weight loss would be to…

1. Seek God.
2. Trust God.
3. Matthew 6:33 is the answer to anything you may be facing.

Also, if you haven’t give your heart to Jesus, DO IT! It will be the best decision of your life.

I am doing another Godly Intermittent Fast for 40 days. I will update you with my results at the end. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and add me on Facebook so that I can give you all the details on what I did, and how Jesus has changed me. Be Blessed, Everyone!

Transformation of the Day: Alisha lost 180 pounds. She was tired of unflattering clothes and not loving what she saw in the mirror. Inspired by the memory of her beloved brother who passed away weighing 800+ pounds, she figured out what works for her and refused to give up. Check out what she did to release the weight.

What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going when you wanted to give up?
My motivation to lose weight came from my heart. I simply got tired of the reflection I saw in the mirror. I got tired of buying super expensive clothes that weren’t flattering at all. I finally made up my mind that I had enough and just went for it!

When I wanted to give up, I thought about my brother. At the age of 33, he passed away weighing 800+ pounds. I never want to let him down.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
I’ve gone from 333 pounds to 153 pounds.

When did you start your journey?
I started my journey on 04/25/2014, so this transformation has taken 4 years. I had LapBand surgery in 2014, and lost only 50 pounds within a year following surgery. I continued on the same destructive path following LapBand, only to find myself at a plateau that was never ending. My results didn’t come until I incorporated a proper diet and exercise. It takes work! Lapband was just a tool to help.

How did you change your eating habits?
To change my eating habits, I gave up carbs. I stopped eating sweets late at night, and I cut out rice and bread. I’m from the south, where everything is smothered in gravy. I had to give up all my comfort foods so that I could finally be comfortable for good. Currently, I follow the Keto diet and I love it. I get to eat fat and still lose fat! For me, it’s a win-win!

What did your workout routine look like?
I actually worked with a personal trainer. She was a Godsend. If you can, get a trainer. She helped me so much and showed me different exercises so that I didn’t get bored quickly. I work out 3-4 times a week, depending on how I feel. Cardio is done with every workout. I also weight train to tighten and turn that fat into muscle.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is I CAN DO IT! Literally ANYTHING I put my mind to can be done.

What advice would you share with people who want to lose weight?
My advice would be to make up in your mind that you’re ready for change and then follow through. It will get hard, but push past that and knock out those goals. You’ve got this!

Instagram: @itsalishadarling

Transformation of the Day: Johnnette lost 37 pounds. This proud mom and Alpha Kappa Alpha soror is an overcomer. She experienced depression due to an ongoing medical issue and the loss of both her uncle and her fiancé. These challenges led to weight gain. By doing her research, seeking out help and leaning on her faith, she is releasing the pounds. Check out her story.

I am the mother of an amazing 23 year old. I’m also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Over the past 8 years, I have experienced two sudden deaths that changed my outlook on life and on my health.

My weight has fluctuated most of my adult life. I was diagnosed with allergy induced asthma after a year of being exposed to mold at work. After two nasal surgeries, countless doctors’ visits and several hospital admissions, I was finally diagnosed. During that year, I reached my heaviest weight ever: 220 pounds.

My weight began to creep up because I was severely depressed because my quality of life had changed. They were unable to find out what was causing my breathing issues, and that caused me to have to sleep in a recliner for an entire year. In addition to this, I was unable to work out. Once diagnosed, the medications they gave me worked minimally. I went from being extremely active to only being able to work out for short periods that would result in episodes of wheezing. This led to me having to use my inhaler as well as taking nebulizer treatments. I went to an allergist who recommended a weekly allergy shot. I am very leery about medications, so I started researching other holistic options. I read the book ‘Eat to Live’ and adopted the eating plan in hopes that I could possibly control my allergies with diet and lose the weight which has compounded my depression.

What inspired you to keep going when you wanted to give up?
I was blessed to have an uncle who allowed me and my then 10 year old son to live with him so that I could concentrate on school and not have to struggle for the rest of my life. He allowed us to relocate from Chicago to West Virginia to give us an opportunity at a better life. In 2010, my uncle by title, but father by role passed away in his sleep due to cardiac arrest at the age of 52. Heart disease runs in my family and after he was diagnosed with pre-hypertension, he read ‘Eat to Live’ and added the eating regimen to his already very active life. Although heart disease ultimately ended his life, he did everything in his power to combat it.

In 2016, I was engaged to the most amazing man ever. He went into cardiac arrest right after we went to bed and ultimately passed away the next day in the hospital at the age of 44. Whenever I want to give up I think about these two men who were full of life, but whose lives were cut short at relatively young ages.

My son motivates me and the thought of all the memories we will make motivates me. I also motivate myself, because I have so much to experience and accomplish in the future. I want to enjoy everything God has for me, and be healthy and confident while doing it!

How did you change your eating habits?
I initially cut out all meat and only ate tons of veggies, beans, brown pasta and brown rice, but in a year I only loss 13 lbs. In January 2018, I read one of your stories and the woman featured talked about Terry Starks. I went to his page on Facebook and contacted him. Then, I started his program in January 8th. During the first month, I lost 10 pounds by eating 5 times a day.

I continue to be meat free. I cut out beans and I eat very little dairy or pasta. I eat complex carbs such as brown rice and sweet potatoes. He introduced me to plant based proteins that don’t have as many carbs so I no longer eat beans. After the first month, I fell off the plan because I was stressed at work and having some other emotional issues. I started praying more often and began my day with prayer, because this journey is mental and spiritual as well as physical. I needed to have strength over my emotions and actions. Now, I pray and follow Terry Starks‘ Program.

What did your workout routine look like?
I do cardio twice a day, 7 days a week.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 220 pounds. My current weight is 183 pounds. I am 5’4″.

When did you start your journey?
I initially started on January 1, 2017. It took me a year to lose 13 pounds and 4 months to lose 24 pounds.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
I’ve learned that this is a journey and that you have to be patient with the process. Also, God has to be a part of everything. Without Him, I will not be able to reach my goal.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Be patient with yourself, pray fervently, and when you fall off…get back on. Also, don’t compare your journey with anyone else’s!

Disclaimer: Reference or link to any specific product, diet plan, exercise plan or service mentioned in the weight loss stories we share is for the information of our readers, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Black Women Losing Weight.

Transformation of the Day: Marissa lost 80 pounds. She wanted to break the cycle of illness that she saw in her family line and come off of high blood pressure medication by the age of 30. She learned how to make progress without giving up all the foods she loves. Check out her journey.

What was your motivation?
I got fed up and knew I had to make some changes not only for me, but for my family and my future family.

What inspired you to keep going when you wanted to give up?
When I wanted to give up, I remembered why I started. I was determined to come off my blood pressure medications by my 30th birthday. I knew the only way things would change was if I actually changed them. I thought about the preventable sicknesses and illnesses that my family members dealt with in the past and are currently dealing with. I didn’t want that unhealthy cycle to continue.

How did you change your eating habits?
I started my diet regimen based on portion control with Beachbody programs. I didn’t do it to a T, but I learned a ton of valuable info when it comes to eating. I am a major foodie, so I knew that I did not want to give up EVERYTHING that I love to eat. I started eating everything in moderation and making healthy swaps for my meals. Instead of a double bacon cheeseburger with fries, I would eat a bunless bacon cheeseburger by itself or with a piece of fruit afterwards. I did give up juice and soda after I really started paying attention to the nutrition side of things. The sugar and carb count for juice and soda is outrageous. I would rather eat my carbs than drink them.

What did your workout routine look like?
I knew I had to find something I loved to do workout wise or I would not stick to it. I started doing the Country Heat Program from Beachbody because I love to dance. I was doing that 5-6 times a week for 30-35 minutes. I made sure to have a rest day each week.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
I currently weigh 164 pounds. When I started my journey in July 2016, I weighed 244 pounds. My height is 5’7″.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
The biggest lesson I have learned so far is to not give up based on whether the scale is moving. Also, don’t let anyone keep you from doing what you want to do. If you make it up in your mind and you are serious about it, the results are endless.

When did you start your journey?
I started my journey in July 2016. When I started, I never imagined I would be where I am now.

What advice do you have for people who want to lose weight?
If there was only thing I could tell you to help you be successful in your weight loss journey, it is to be CONSISTENT. Don’t give up based on the numbers on the scale.

Weight loss is a process that you have to keep working at if you really want to see those rewards. Find something that works for you and stick to it. Don’t worry about how quickly or slowly you lose the weight. Slow and steady ALWAYS wins the race. #iammyownbodygoals

Instagram: @themarissaj