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Ajima Jackson

Shannon lost 137 pounds

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Weight loss story of the day:  Shannon lost 137 pounds.  Here is what she shared with us about her 2 year journey to lose the pounds:

Shannon weight loss story

“My name is Shannon. I started my journey April 4, 2011 weighing in at 298 pounds. I didn’t know much about losing weight because I was always the big girl growing up. I didn’t know how it felt to be smaller and fit until now. I started off by getting a gym membership at a local gym. I worked out 5 days a wk and rested on the weekends. I researched everything, especially healthy foods and recipes. I cut out soda completely. Cut back on fried foods, sweets, bread and fast food. I was down 100lbs after my first year which consisted of working out on the treadmill, elliptical and bike. I wanted to switch things up so I started strength training and joined the fitness classes that the gym had to offer (yoga, step, zumba, etc). By the end of my second year, my body hit a plateau. I decided to do my own thing by working out at home. I bought different size hand weights and dvds. That did the trick and I lost my last and finally 20 pounds. Losing weight is not a race. You have to be consistent and determined. Maintaining your weight is just as hard as losing it thats why its a journey. I love the new me and wish I would’ve lost weight sooner. I was motivated to get healthy and look healthy and I succeeded.
Starting weight: 298 pounds, size 18 & 3x shirts
Current weight: 161 pounds, maintaining and toning my body,  size 8 & medium shirts
137lbs gone forever!!!!!”

Shannon weight loss photos

Bridgetta lost 44 pounds

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Let’s show some love to Bridgetta.  She lost 44 pounds and went from a size 20 to a size 11/12.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

Bridgetta weight loss story

“My motivation came from within as far as losing weight goes. I could no longer fit into any of my clothes and I felt depressed. I drove by the gym for weeks before I muscled up the nerve to go inside and finally join. It was the best decision I EVER made! I changed my eating habits from junk food, Little Debbies, McDonald’s, etc. to green, leafy veggies, proteins, water, fruit, and less red meat! My workouts consist of an hour of any cardio (my favorite is the elliptical trainer) and then working a specific area of my body.  I work a different area of the body each day of the week, seven days a week. My starting weight was 240 pounds & my current weight is 196 pounds! I started out as a size 20 & am now a solid size 11/12! I couldn’t be happier. It took me a year and 9 months to get to the size I am. My advice to all the other beautiful African American women out there or anyone else trying to lose weight is to not give up! It takes time and hard work, but it is so worth it!”

Bridgetta weight loss photos
Bridgetta weight loss story

Latoya lost 46 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Latoya lost 46 pounds and went from a size 12 to a size 4.  This petite 5’2″ diva lost the weight with the help of great friends and a great fitness instructor.  Here is what she shared with us:

“Hi, my name is Latoya and I’m finally posting some before and after pics of me and sharing my weight lost story! This is truly a new transition for me. I’m very proud and some moments when I look back I still can’t believe. It was a struggle trying to lose weight and I mean solid weight! Especially when you have been in the same size for years! I would lose weight then gain it back all the time. I gained weight last year due to having new surgery and I was not able to work out or barley walk. It took months for me to even walk on the treadmill because I felt my knee slipping.  I was so depressed! I had gotten up to 196 pounds and I’m only 5’2, so u can just about imagine that! Before I was able to start working out, I weighed 196 pounds and I was in a size 12.  I started doing 5k runs in February 2013 where I met some wonderful friends Lamesa Parker and Kelli Spann! Then in March 1, 2013, I started step aerobics with my friend Kelli Spann and I met my instructor Chera Howard! I went to aerobics 5 days a week. I changed the way I eat, which I had already preciously and made some additional changes. In 2 months, I could see a difference! I went from a size 12 to an 8! I was too happy about that. I continued to go and lost even more weight and inches! By June 2013 I was in a size 6! I tried to stay away from the scale but I wanted to see what I weight so bad! I think I was at 167 pounds then. I continued to go hard as the months went by. Today I weigh 150 pounds and I’m in a SIZE 4!!! I feel so funny going to the store picking up a size that I could never imagine being in again! I haven’t seen this size since junior high school!! I wanted to share my story with those with for those that didn’t know. I love my aerobics class and wonderful instructor for pushing me to get to where I needed to be. Thank You So Much Chera Howard!! Your class has definitely changed my life! This is goes out to anyone that may been having doubts about their weight lost. Please don’t give in!!! I know the struggle is hard but u can make it and get through this!!!”

Latoya weight loss story

Latoya weight loss photos

 

Gwen lost 60 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Gwen lost 60 pounds in 7 months.  She was inspired to get healthy by her daughter who lost 65 pounds.  I love it when families lose weight together!  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

Gwen weight loss photos

“Hi I’m Gwen, I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you my story. I was skinny growing up, until I had my daughter. I gained a lot of weight and over the years it has been a struggle. I quit smoking in Jan 1, 2012 and I gained weight since I stopped. March of this year, I got motivated to change my life and lose weight.  I knew I had to change my eating habits and get busy exercising. I just really want to be healthy and live to see my grandkids when my daughter decides to have kids.

My new way of life is clean eating (fresh fruits and veggies, baked and grilled meats) and exercising 5-6 times a week. I also drink plenty of water, 100-120 oz a day. I like to switch up my exercise routines, so it varies from from gym to workout videos at home to water aerobics.  Dr. Ian Smith’s book, Shred: The Revolutionary Diet, played a major part in my dieting and lifestyle change.

It’s been 7 months now, and it was hard, but I really like exercising and eating right. My advice to others is to get started and stick to it. If you mess up or have a cheat meal forget about it and start all over again. Never give up. My daughter also lost 65 lbs. She inspired me to get healthy.”

Gwen weight loss story

Gwen and her daughter

Rikki lost 138 pounds

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Let’s show some love to Rikki.  She lost 138 pounds (115 of the pounds over the course of a year).  Here is what she shared with us:

Rikki weight loss photos

“I went to the doctor about 2 years ago and he called me the word “obese”. That word made me sick. I tipped the scale at 377 pounds. I decided that it was finally time for me to give up my candy and my chips. I started off with by walking 3 houses down, and every two days I increased by distance by 2 more houses. I cut out pork and red meat.  Then, I started to keep a food diary. Every time I looked at the scale it motivated me to continue. I am now 239 pounds and still have a ways to go. As long as I am blessed to be able to move my body, I will continue my everyday routine. If I can do this, anyone can. My next doctor’s appointment is to have my loose skin removed. After that, I will have a before picture and after picture of my body. I hope my story has helped someone out here who is going through the struggle of changing their eating habits and their daily routine to one that is more healthy.”

Brooke lost 100 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Brooke lost 100 pounds with the help of the Oxygen show “My Big Fat Revenge”.  She has provided a LOT of detail about her weight loss journey.  Here is what she shared:

Brooke weight loss story

What was your motivation?

“I had reached 287 lbs from poor eating habits and lack of exercising. As my husband and I decided we wanted to try to conceive. I felt convicted about raising children with no knowledge of how to eat, workout and worried about my own health if I gained more weight through pregnancy. I was blessed with an amazing opportunity to be apart of a hit weight loss reality
show from the creators if The Biggest Loser. The show aired on the Oxygen network and is called My Big Fat Revenge. They focused on teaching us how to loose weight healthily while confronting a bulky who tormented us about our weight. My main goal was to accomplish this for my future babies and telling one of my many horror stories was just a tool for addition help in this case. I relied on my faith in Christ to get me through the process as I discovered their were parts of myself I was unhappy with that I never confessed to anyone but God. Accepting that, believing God loved me anyway and would give me the strength to make it through helped me to step out on faith and conquer a fear I’ve had since childhood, loosing weight.”

How did you change your eating habits?

“The show explained to us how much eating affects of weight gain and loss. They had us take a look at what was in the food we were eating and recognize that a lot of empty calories were actually harder to burn off. We used free tools like an app called My Fitness Pal to keep track of our food intake and see a picture of how balanced our diet was. I ate unprocessed foods, such as cooked veggies, lean meats and protein shakes before and after morning workouts. I kept my calorie intake to 1200 calories 6 days a week and then carb loaded on healthy foods once a week up to 1500 calories. I also drank a gallon of water a day and coffee with a sugar free creamer sometimes for those mornings I felt sluggish.”

What did your workout routines look like?

“Oh my, I went IN! I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and did an hour on the stair mill and half our walking on the treadmill until I built up the endurance and confidence to jog. These activities were very boring to me so bringing music or watching movies / tv shows on Netflix helped me a GREAT deal. I also used a heart rate monitor to get an idea of how hard I needed to push myself.

In the afternoon I met with a trainer for about an hour fifteen minutes for strength training fused with cardio. We did things like climb hills with cement blocks, football drills, leg presses, arm presses, burpees (yea YouTube those smh) as well as jumping jacks to name a few.

In the evening I’d go back to the gym and take a couple of fun aerobics classes like hip hop, flirty girl fitness or even a home work out video like Insanity, in which I did at my own pace not at the level they did on the DVD. If they did 20 jump squats I prob only made it to 5 at first.”

What was your starting weight? “287 lbs”

What is your current weight? “My ending weight was 187 lbs
( I’m currently pregnant and had some complications where Im not able to work out and have been eating tons of carbs for nausea so I’m currently at 200 lbs)”

How long did your transformation take?
“A total of 7 months for my 100lb victory!”

What advice to you have for others who want to lose weight?

“Slow and steady wins the race! I was so discouraged by my 1 or 2 lb losses each week because I thought it wasn’t enough for the results I wanted as quick as I wanted them but it was a healthy speed for my body. Those pounds started adding up and I realized the number on the scale or measuring tape reflected the work I put in each week. How clean did I really eat? How sweaty did I get during a work out or did I not want to mess my hair up? When I was close to a milestone week I got extremely disciplined just hit my goal and it was those weeks I hit big numbers like a 10 or even 13 lb week. But I cried through my work out or cried when I wanted to eat certain foods yet kept myself disciplined. I went from NEVER running in my life, I mean straight up being embarrassed or complaining about it hurting to being able to run a 10k (6.2 miles) and possibly more because I haven’t pushed myself pass that yet. If someone as lazy, as defensive, as undisciplined, as addicted to food as I am lost weight. Anyone could do it! You are MORE than a conqueror!

I operate a small Facebook group called The New Me Project where we share tips, success stores, weak moments and motivate each other to consistently work on becoming the new version of themselves.”

Check out the video and more details from her episode of the show on the My Big Fat Revenge website.

Brooke lost 100 pounds

Lekeia lost 82 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Lekeia lost 82 pounds.  This proud army wife and mom learned how to count calories and exercised regularly to get results.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

Lekeia weight loss story

“Hi, my name is Lekeia Washington. I’m a 29 year old Army wife and mother of 2. I’m currently 5’1 tall and I weigh 128 pounds. I got tired of being overweight so I decided to do something about it. I went to a website called www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/ and I started counting calories. I’ve lost a total of 82 pounds.

I started my weight loss journey after I had my second child in 2009. At that time, I weighed a total of 210 pounds. I was able to lose 50 pounds in 3 months.  How? I only counted calories and exercised 5 days a week. Counting calories helped me to make better decisions about the foods I ate. After I lost the first 50 pounds and taught myself to eat healthy, I lost the rest of the weight over a period of 2 years. I maintain my weight of 128 lbs by working out and eating healthy. I no longer count calories. I  have changed my eating habits and I feel great. My motivation to lose weight was the fact that I didn’t like the way I looked and instead of complaining about it I changed it. The results I saw motivated me even more. My advice to other women who want to lose weight is to just do it. You will feel great afterwards. It’s amazing to look in the mirror with satisfaction.”

Lekeia before and after photos

Peita-Gaye lost more than 65 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Peita-Gaye of Jamaica lost more than 65 pounds.  This college student changed her diet and embraced regular exercise to lose the weight.  Her story shows that weight loss is an ongoing process.

Peita Gaye weight loss story

“At the age of 20, I was basically hypertensive (BP 150/90). With my paternal grandmother, father and sister having the disease, I decided it was time to change. My initial weight was 222 pounds at the height of 5’4 and I was morbidly obese. After the scare of hypertension, I started swimming and running at least three (3) times a week. I also drank lots of water and reduced my juice intake to only twice a month. Additionally, I snacked on fruits, vegetables and nuts instead of fries and crisps. Honestly, my weight has been a challenge since the age of 9 and I am in the process of defeating it. Currently, I am 157 pounds and was down to 139 pounds last year, this took a total of six (6) months. After an extremely rough semester at school, I gained around 10 lbs and lost 6 lbs in the summer. I’ve gained a total of 18 pounds since September due to weight training five (5) a week and increased protein proportion. I’m on the journey to lose 22 lbs and I would like to encourage anyone out there that weight loss is possible at all stages in life, it’s never too late or early. There will be hiccups. Weight gain will occur, plateaus will happen but just keep going. Don’t dwell on the bad and beat up yourself when these things take place. Just restructure your plan and keep loving yourself no matter what size you are and be journey happy rather than destination happy. In other words, enjoy the transformation.”

Girlz Moving Weight: 3 Friends Lose 200+ Pounds

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Natosha wrote in to share how she and two friends have lost 200+ pounds combined and wrote a book to inspire women to lose weight.  Check out their story.

“Girlz Moving Weight is comprised of three African American women, each over the age of 40 years of age. We were motivated by aching joints, impending medical issues and overall, being tired of the way in which we walked, breathed and viewed ourselves. We chronicle our success in our new book, Weight Broke the Wagon.  We see this weight loss journey as a movement to inspire other women who look just like us that they too can shed the unwanted weight.

Today, our meals consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, and homemade and innovate sugar-free snacks and breads. We’ve virtually eliminated sugar and now drink plenty of water. We’re also working out walking, jogging and free-weights. We believe that weight is NOT so much about the weight we carry on our thighs but the weight we carry on our souls. We hope to hear from you about your successful journey too.

Natosha began at 244 pounds and it took her 4 months to shed the first 30 pounds. She prides herself on eating lean chicken and fish, egg whites, lean turkey bacon, plenty of water and she jogs with her 11 year old daughter and with Black Girls Run. She currently weighs 175lbs and counting.

Gina began her weight loss journey weighing in at 322lbs. She prides herself on her of fresh fruits and vegetables with lots of water. She has shed over 60 pounds since April 2013. She power walks and plans to begin jogging one day.

Rayanne began at 260lbs and has lost a whopping 100lbs. Rayanne has eliminated meats from her diet and prides herself on making unique salads and vegetable dishes such as baked plantains and kale chips. Rayanne was previously a certified fitness instructor so she has returned to her roots of power walking and weight lifting.”

Each of the ladies partake in moderate exercise routines, daily. They have chronicled their weight loss journey in the book and provide tips and encourage on their Facebook page: Girlz Moving Weight.

Gina weight broke the wagon

Tosha weight loss photos

Rayanne before and after photos

 

 

Natasha lost 37 pounds in 6 months

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Natasha lost 37 pounds by using a weight release plan from her weight loss doctor and by working out. Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

Natasha weight loss photos

“I love your stories! I lost 30 pounds in 4 months by eating chicken seafood and certain veggies cheese and yogurt. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid disease AND Fibromyalgia!! I was 25 at the time.  I was also consistently in pain and could not lose weight no matter how much I worked out or ate organic food and fruits! I went to a weight loss doctor and got on their plan.  In the morning I eat yogurt and turkey sausage.  For lunch I would have one chicken breast baked with salad with lemon.  My dinner was fish or shrimp with mix vegetables everyday and for a snack cheese.

What did I do to workout: I work at a clinic so I constantly walked but on Sundays I did bike riding, hiked Stone Mountain (GA) or ran down Peachtree St. here in Atlanta. My starting weight was 238 pounds! I now weight 201 pounds. It took me 6 months to lose the weight. In September 2013, I didn’t even know that I lost so much weight because I wear scrubs to work! I finally realized that all of my clothes did not fit.  That’s when I knew I finally started the process of my weight loss story!”

Natasha weight loss photos