Black Weight Loss Success

The Official Blog of the Black Women Losing Weight Community. Tips, articles and weight loss resources for African American Women.

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Ajima Jackson

Ashisha lost 65 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Ashisha lost 65 pounds in 7 months.  She lost the weight by working out at home and changing her eating habits.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

“Hi, My name is Ashisha. During my weight loss journey, I’ve lost a total of 65 pounds. I’ve always been slim, but over the last 5-6 years I gained weight. Reaching a high of 190 lbs as seen on the pic on the left, I decided that I was not going to reach 200 pounds.  I started on Sept. 2012 and 7 months later, in April 2013, I reached my 50 pound goal. Today, I weigh 125.5 pounds.  That’s a total of almost 65 lbs. I changed my eating habits and started eating healthier. I limited breads & pastas, chose baked meats vs. fried, drank lots of water  vs. sodas or juices.  I also added more green veggies & fresh fruit to my diet,  but no sweets. I limited my calorie intake to 1500-2000 calories a day, including what I ate  and drank. I walked on the treadmill at home 6 days a week for 30-45 min, as well as did jumping jacks, crunches, used 3 lb dumbbells for my arms and did leg lifts 6 days a week. I even tried planks but never mastered them. My kids, husband, and other weight loss success stories I would read about were my motivation during times of tears and wanting to give up. If I could do it, anyone can. I would tell anyone if they want to do it; DO IT and don’t look back.  Get yourself a good support group and just do it. I look at old pics and thought “there’s no way I was that big”. I love it when I see people that haven’t seen me since my weight loss and they don’t recognize me at first.” Check her out on Instagram: @hishaw

Ashisha weight loss success story

Rene lost 36 pounds

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Rene’.  She’s lost 36 pounds in 5 months.  She has changed her lifestyle to avoid high blood pressure.  Doing a raw vegan detox and exercising were part of her journey.  Here is more info:

“My name is Rene’ and my journey to lose weight began June 2013. From June-Oct,  I have loss 36 pounds and counting!! I have a history of high blood pressure and stroke in my family. My doctor told me I was “lucky” not to be on any medicines as a black female with my family history. He said to continue living medication free I needed to lose weight. A good friend/coworker did a complete lifestyle change and she was a big inspiration to me. I started with a 10 day raw food detox. Since the detox, I decided to remove red meat, fried foods, & pork from my diet. I never considered this a diet, it was a lifestyle change to healthy living!! My husband, children, sister and friends have been a HUGE support in my new healthy lifestyle!!!

Exercise wise, I started out walking because that’s all I felt I could do. Now, I go to the gym 2-3 times a week. My advice to others is: no matter where you start, just start. If you fall off, get back up. If the weight doesn’t move as fast as you would like, don’t get discouraged!! And by all means, don’t be a scale watcher. You may lose pounds but there are times when you’re losing inches. NEVER call it a diet because if you choose to have a “small” treat you can do it guilt free!! Thank you for allowing to share! Blessings to you!!”

Rene weight loss success

Nov Challenge 2013 Day 8 – Tips for Week 2

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It is day 8 of our Holiday Slim Down Challenge for November.  Don’t forget to check in on our online community and Facebook page to let us know how you are doing.  I thought I’d provide some helpful tips to keep you going for week 2 of the challenge.

  1. Make sure that you take advantage of the free 4 week meal plans (with recipes and shopping lists) available on our blog.
  2. Drink lots of water between meals.  It will help you to feel full.
  3. If you crave chocolate, you could need more magnesium in your diet, especially during menstruation.  Consider eating more fruits, nuts or taking a supplement.
  4. Craving fried foods?  You might need more healthy fats and/or calcium.  Try to get more calcium from things like low fat cheese, dark veggies and greek yogurt.  Also, consider an omega 3 oil supplement and eating more fish.
  5. Throw it out!! As much as you can (I know it can be hard with kids), throw out every food that you know you should NOT be eating.  Only you truly know what is on that list.  Be REAL with yourself.  Once you’ve thrown out the bad stuff…commit yourself to not buying it again.
  6. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store for at least 70% of what you buy.  You’ll find more fresh foods and less processed foods (some of that food on the shelves is there for months).
  7. Drink green smoothies instead of commercial juice and soda.  They are a great source of fiber and vitamins.
  8. Don’t eat when you are sad, depressed, mad, or bored.  Emotional eating is the source of so many unwanted calories.  Don’t medicate your emotions with food.

These tips are just simple suggestions, but if you put them to good use they can really help you reach your goals.

Also, Check out our Veterans Day Sale: Get 20% off Everything in our store thru Nov 12th. Visit blackweightlosssuccess.spreadshirt.com/. Use the Coupon Code at Checkout: EARLY20

november 2013 weight loss challenge

 

Sheila lost 43 pounds

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Featured weight loss story of the day: Sheila lost 43 pounds in 6 months.  She embraced regular exercise and made healthy changes to her eating to make getting healthy and lifestyle change her focus.  She also got help for chronic pain.  Here is what she shared with us:

Sheila weight loss story

 

What was your motivation?
My main motivation was to get healthy and maintain good health.

How did you change your eating habits?
I loaded up on complex carbohydrates and limited my intake of simple carbohydrates. I stopped eating processed foods and began eating more whole wheat/grains, legumes and vegetables. I only drank water and I stopped drinking sodas and beverages that had high fructose corn syrup. I only use extra virgin olive oil when preparing my meals. I stopped eating red meat, mainly because my acupuncturist said it’s very harsh on our digestive system.

What did your workout routines look like?
My workout routines consisted of 60 minutes of Zumba® 3-4 days a week.

What was your starting weight?
My starting weight was 209 lbs.

What is your current weight?
My current weight is 166 lbs.

How long did your transformation take?
My transformation took 6 Months.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Firstly, get healthy and lose the weight for yourself and begin when you are absolutely ready.
It will be difficult but DON’T GIVE UP!  Lastly and more importantly, do not consider it as a diet, rather consider it as a lifestyle change.

My weight loss story:
My story began about three years ago.  I worked from home eight to nine hours a day; five days a week.  I started to experience pain in my right shoulder/arm. Initially, it started as a dull, aching pain which was more of a discomfort to me. It then progressively developed into a sharp, painful, shooting and debilitating sensation to the point where my husband and I thought it would benefit me to seek treatment from a physical therapist/chiropractor. I found a local Spine and Rehabilitation center that provided Chiropractic/Physical Therapy treatments. I made an appointment and I was advised to come twice a week for several months. They did a comprehensive analysis of my neck, electrical stimulation and “spinal manipulations”.  Unfortunately, I did not get relief from any of these treatments, so I felt I had to try some type of exercise that would not only give me the relief I desperately needed but one that would effectively help me lose a considerable amount of weight.  I had heard of dance fitness program called Zumba® and how much fun, effective and exhilarating it was. I found a local studio that offered Zumba® which was very convenient and affordable. My goal was to get healthy because I truly believed my weight and lack of exercise was the cause of my pain and suffering. Toward the end of 2009, I began Zumba® and I went 3-4 times a week. The classes lasted an hour and I felt energized after every class! I purchased a scale and maintained a spreadsheet where I kept a log of my exercises and everything I consumed (food/beverages). I made a promise to myself that I would lose at least 40 lbs by my Birthday, October 21, 2011. In April of 2010, I weighed in at 209 lbs (size 16) and by my Birthday (as promised) I lost 40 lbs and weighed in at 169 lbs (size 10). In the process of losing the unwanted weight by doing Zumba®, the debilitating pain I felt in my right shoulder/arm was GONE! I have been able to maintain my weight loss and I am working on losing an additional 8-10 lbs. Amazingly, I am still pain free! I thank my husband for his tremendous support and I thank God for giving me the strength, the willpower and the belief I needed to have in myself which gave  me the confidence necessary to successfully execute and complete the goal I set for myself.  And finally, a big thanks to the amazing and wonderful Zumba® instructors who continue to inspire me!

 

 

Toshi lost 80 pounds with weight loss surgery

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Toshi wrote to us to shared her weight loss story.  She lost 80 pounds after having gastric sleeve weight loss surgery back in December 2012.  Here is what she had to say:

“Hello My name is Toshi. I would like to share my weight loss story. Back in December 2012, I was tired of being the big girl with the pretty face. I have been battling with weight problems since 1996. I did so many fad diets and took pills until I had reached my heaviest weight of 255 pounds. That’s when I decided that enough was enough. I was blessed to be able to join a healthy lifestyle program through Kaiser. This program is required in order to qualify for the weight reduction surgeries they offer. After successfully completing the 3 month course, I had the gastric sleeve surgery on December 19, 2012.

Today, I have learned to eat smaller meals more often and incorporate exercise in my life. I actually changed my eating habits by eating more frequently. I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. My meals consist of high protein and vegetables with “good” starch. I eat proteins like chicken and fish. I also cook my food by baking and grilling. I have little to no fried foods. I also feel that my success is due to the fact that I had to make it a lifestyle and not a “at the moment” decision. As for exercise, I keep it real simple. I’m walking 2 to 3 miles a day. I also love dancing on the weekends and Zumba class every once in awhile.

I am currently down to 175 pounds from 255 pounds. I hope to reach my goal weight of 155 pounds by the first half of 2014. This will be pure success for me because my 30 year high school reunion is right around the corner. I will be close to the same size I was in high school when I reach that goal. I just want women out there to know that there are weight loss surgery success stories out there. I am living proof.”

Toshi weight loss success story

6 Tips for Starting a Vegan Diet

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If you have decided to start a vegan diet then you are in good company. Many people are adopting the vegan lifestyle for health and ethical reasons. Here are 6 tips for starting a vegan diet to help you get the most benefit from your choice.

vegan diet tipsTip #1 – Plan meals ahead of time

Keeping a vegan diet takes effort. By the middle of the work week, you may not be up to the effort anymore and it becomes easier to make the wrong choices. You can prevent this by planning out your meals ahead of time and organizing your food so grabbing the right thing to eat is easy. Also, always make sure to have a snack with you of fruit, nuts or whole grains to help tide you over when hunger strikes.

Tip #2 – Up your B12

Vegans have a smaller percentage of B12 deficiencies than vegetarians; possibly because of the dietary on green, leafy vegetables but even being low on B12 can seriously impact your health. B12 is a soluble vitamin, which means our bodies do not store it. What is not immediately used is filtered out. It is essential that you add a B12 supplement to your diet to avoid developing a deficiency in this vitamin. A B12 deficiency can cause serious problems and even lead to thinking disorders, neurological problems, mood disorders and fatigue.

Tip #3 – Don’t assume meatless means healthy

Many vegans assume that if there is no meat in a dish, then the dish must be healthy. A lack of animal or fish protein in a dish doesn’t imply a healthier food; it just means that something else has been used to supply the body with something that will be taken in as filling. In many instances, bleached  flour, trans fats, other benefit-less fillers are used to create a dish that is filling, but has little nutritional value. Always make sure to know what is in the dish and to make sure that the rest of your plate has a balanced serving of other foods to maintain a healthy diet.  Read food labels and do research online.

Tip #4 – Be consumer smart

Being vegan isn’t just a healthier choice for many; it is also a booming marketing demographic for food and clothing producers. The label of ‘vegan’ attached to any item often comes with an associated higher price than its non-vegan counterpart. As a smart consumer, it is important that you remember that there are no regulations about who can and cannot use the term vegan on a label. Only recently have food packaging laws been changed to clearly define what can be labeled organic and many people are shocked to discover what they though was a healthy and organic product, only contained one organic ingredient amid many chemicals, steroid and genetically altered ingredients. Be careful when buying that you don’t believe the hype. Take the time to read all of the ingredients and do your homework.

Tip #5 – Look at restaurant menus before you go out

More and more restaurants are accommodating vegetarians, vegans and those with gluten intolerance. While some restaurants will highlight on the menu which dishes are prepared to common vegan standards, some will only list this information online. Planning ahead for what you are going to order before you get to the restaurant has more benefits than just allowing you to stick to your dietary guidelines. If you already know what you can and cannot eat and have an idea of what you will order, it can make dining out more comfortable with friends and family who may not completely understand the vegan restrictions.

Tip #6 – Find vegan sources of protein and calcium

Many of the studies done on the impact of a vegan diet on health have reported low bone density in long term vegans and a protein deficiency in the diet. This has been attributed to a commiserate low calcium intake. Protein deficiencies in the diet can contribute to lethargy, depression and other issues. This doesn’t mean that a vegan diet promotes these deficiencies; it does mean that many vegans are not following a diet that provides for vegan sources of adequate amounts of protein and calcium. Some common sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables; calcium fortified or set soy products, beans, fruits and grains.  You can find protein in things like faux meats, soy, nuts, leafy greens, beans and vegan protein powders. The recommended daily allowance of calcium for an adult is set at 1000 mcg a day. Protein needs will vary according to the individual.

Are the Green Tea for Weight Loss Claims True?

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green tea for weight lossIf you were to believe all the advertisements, infomercials and half the websites on the Internet that are connected to a product with green tea, you might think that it is the magical answer to weight loss. It can be hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to evaluating products and supplements aimed at helping people burn fat because the issue of obesity is highly charged and there is a lot of money made on diet products. The tried and true methods of reducing calories, eating healthy and increasing exercise can seem too hard to maintain, if your schedule is overburdened or your current weight and lifestyle habits make it hard to break through into healthy living. Green tea has been presented as a cure-all of obesity, but are the green tea for weight loss claims true? The answer is a resounding yes and a huge no. Understanding how green tea can assist in weight loss and how to use it to support a weight loss program will help you achieve your goals realistically.

How to spot when things aren’t what they seem

The first thing you have to accept is that the human body is not designed to lose a pound a day. The body is hard-wired to prevent starvation and will quickly seek to regain the weight loss when the chance comes, and not just regain it, but to build up an additional surplus of fat just in case it is placed into starvation mode again. This is why healthy weight loss is most often calculated at a pound every week to two weeks. This pace means that the weight loss has not placed stress on the metabolism that will create a backlash weight gain and that your habits have changed to support sustaining the healthy weight loss as well.

What green tea does

Green tea leaves are taken from the plant Camellia Sinensis which is indigenous to China and grows in many areas of Asia. The leaves are harvested and prepared with a minimum of oxidization, which preserves a high level of naturally occurring polyphenols in the leaf. The polyphenols can then be consumed by ingesting the tea or water the leaf has been steeped in. These polyphenols contain many properties that are just beginning to be understood and documented by the scientific community to support the practices the tea has been used for in traditional medicines. Polyphenols have been shown to provide support to the immune system, act as a diuretic, have high concentrations of antioxidants, and have the effect of raising the metabolic rate without also increasing heart rate. Traditionally, green tea is used to increase energy, fight off sickness and as a weight loss agent. The thought is that by ingesting regular amounts of green tea in powder, capsule or infused water the polyphenols act within the system in support of immune and metabolic functions.  However, this is a theory but one with a lot of information out there to back it up.

How to use it to support a weight loss plan

No green tea product is going to help you lose weight just by taking it alone. It’s not a magic pill.  Green tea is a diuretic, so you will experience some water weight loss but that is not permanent. Green tea has been proven in scientific studies to aide in weight loss by increasing the metabolism by up to 4%. Your metabolism is how fast your body can process fat to fuel, which is how weight is lost. Green tea has also been shown to increase energy levels, similar to caffeine, which can help you keep up with exercise routines. There is also evidence that green tea supports healthy blood sugar maintenance which is also beneficial to weight loss management.

Guaranteeing success

Green tea can play a very important role in weight loss. By using it in conjunction with calorie management and an exercise program, can help you to lose weight and keep it off.  Just think of it as any other supplement you may choose to use.  It’s a tool. One of the best ways to incorporate green tea in your diet is to use it as a substitute for sugary or high caloric drinks, such as lattes and other fancy coffees. In the end, adding green tea to your daily diet may assist you in reaching your weight loss goals in a healthy way that can be maintained, but it will not do the work for you.

Martine lost 181 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Martine lost 181 pounds.  This proud nurse went from 321 pounds down to 140 by exploring all of the options available to her and seeking out professional advice from experts. A high protein, low carb lifestyle and much prayer worked for her as well as raw vegan eating.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey (video below):

Martine weight loss photos

“Hello, I love your site but I did not want to submit my story & photos until I had arrived to my goal… My friends however convinced me to submit my story. My name is Martine & I am a registered nurse. I’ve been overweight for most of my life, but yet was very active until I went to college. I was 18 & that year I gained about 60 lbs as I was not eating the healthy foods I normally ate at my parents’s house. Soon, in approximately a year’s time, I was morbidly obese & found myself being over 300 lbs. I was devastated, felt helpless but soon I decided to change my life. Over the next 10 yrs I studied health & tried every diet out there. I was gaining & losing all the time but at some point I actually did lose 100 lbs by doing a high protein no carb diet. I sustained that for 2 yrs until I went to nursing school. There I found myself stressed beyond measure and while I invested much in taking care of my health, my body resisted me.  Eventually I gave in, gaining approx 60 lbs. When I finished nursing school I was then stressed with passing the nursing board exam & gained another 20 pounds. Then I got stressed due to finding a job and moving to Texas and gained more weight, until I was over 300 pounds again.

At some point while I lived in Texas my health started crumbling and I knew it was a life or death moment. I had only 2 choices: fight or flight. I determined to seek out & use every intervention known to man. I began working hard & I sought specialist doctors & dietitians to help me out. I followed their plans. It was a major challenge and life style change. I was given a choreographed, very specific program on portions to eat, types of foods to eat, how to eat (ex: chewing time), how & when to drink, amounts of meals per day, higher in protein, lower in carbs. I also heavily focused on putting the right nutrition in my body. I followed the program hard core. I went from 321 pounds to 140 pounds in approx 13-16 months. That’s a total of about 180 lbs in a year & 1/2!!!!

Work outs: I did walking around my neighborhood and workplace lightly. This was not the focus in my program. At first, I had very little energies as I went from a super high calorie diet to low calories, from high carbs to almost no carbs. So, I did light activities. I also noticed that the more I worked out the less I lost & the more I refrained the more I lost. Something else I did is: I prayed A Lot. I am a Christian and for me there are times when I was met with discouragements or plateaus. I would pray & say “Lord please put me under x amount of lbs… or please give me another 5 lb loss.” As I lost weight, I rewarded myself every 3 months with a brand new wardrobe. I actually ate in restaurants w/ friends all the time, but I’d order healthy salmon. soups, or salads. Today, I am eating a raw fruits & vegetable diet, which has tremendously blessed my health. I also add 2 Premier protein shakes a day. I have tremendous amounts of energy, am alert, & am very optimistic. My advice to people wanting to lose weight is to first accept themselves & love themselves bc God loves them & has a great purpose in life for them.  I’d also suggest they seek out help. Don’t try to do it all by your selves. Join support groups. I lost weight with many of my friends, so I was not alone. I would advise to look into every program that can work. Depending on how heavy one is, no intervention is off limits as long as one is monitored by professionals. Be optimistic & celebrate every pound off. God bless.”

Martine weight loss story

Pros and Cons of Colonic Irrigation Therapy

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colonic irrigationColonic irrigation therapy is gaining popularity. During the past 10 years, many doctors are hearing from their patients that they have started to receive this treatment for relief of everything from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), chronic gas, nausea, chronic fatigue and as a catchall detoxifying process. Given that the therapy is neither approved or regulated by the FDA for treatment for any disorder or disease, many people are wondering if there is any real benefit from having a colonic done. Some are even saying that the risks are too great, and colonics can create more problems. Colonic therapy has both pros and cons. Neither side has absolute evidence of either opposing belief and both sides claim anecdotal proof. Before you decide to try colonic irrigation, here are some things you should know.

What is a colonic?

Colonic irrigation therapy, sometimes referred to as colonic hydrotherapy, is similar to an enema but very different. With an enema, water is pushed into the colon through the rectum using a syringe or gravity fed enema bag. The water rarely goes beyond the first several inches of the colon. With a colonic, water is forced up into the colon via a hose inserted into the rectum to fill the larger intestine. The colon and intestine both have a natural cramping reaction to force the water out, pushing out any fecal matter or debris that is held within as well. While the process sounds uncomfortable, it is pain free for most people (some medical conditions could make it painful) and done in such a manner as to be hardly felt at all. At a colonic clinic, you are taken into a private room where you lay on your side with one leg drawn up on a special table. Sterilized medical equipment is used to introduce the hose into your rectum and then the waste water retuned is siphoned directly into a disposal drain so you will not even smell any odor or see any of the waste removed from your body. It is most commonly recommended that you do not have the procedure performed more than once every 6 weeks as the colon and sphincter muscles need to recover from the expansion and expulsion action forced by the colonic.

The Pros of Colonic Therapy

Colonics work to remove bacteria and debris from the colon and intestine that the body has not been able to pass naturally. This can assist in relieving stomach and lower back pain due to chronic constipation. It can also help to promote weight loss (improved elimination and nutrient absorption) and create a sensation of lightness and well-being. The proponents of colonics also state that the removal of the bacteria and debris acts as a detoxifying action. By washing the colon clean, the body may be able to better regenerate healthy bacteria that are needed to aid in food digestion and metabolism. Some people have a difficulty in emptying their own colons naturally and regularly because the modern diet contains processed foods that are difficult to digest, void of fiber and water intake is not enough to aid the natural elimination process. Also, a general lack of adequate exercise means that for some people the muscles involved cannot control the colon efficiently.

The Risks of Colonic Therapy

Oddly enough, the very same reasons given as a benefit of colonics are also stated as the risk in having the therapy done. Medical science is only just beginning to understand the role of bacteria in the intestinal system in aiding metabolism.  There are questions over how necessary, or beneficial, it is to be constantly starting the bacterial growth and flora from scratch. While probiotics are often used in conjunction with colonics, replacement bacteria are not as adapted to the evolved diet as that which was originally in place in the person. Another valid concern about colonics involves the lack of oversight and regulation in providing the therapy. There is no standard certification or licensure for a colonic therapist and no set methods and procedures for ensuring that safe health management practices are used in the clinical setting. Even the equipment used to perform colonics is not standardized and can vary from practitioner to practitioner. Experts advise caution in using colonics as an aid in weight loss as it may create an electrolyte imbalance, especially in the elderly, that can cause serious health problems.

My advice is that you speak with your medical professional of choice before having a colonic to review the pros and cons and get some sound information to help you make a decision.

 

Quita lost 22 pounds

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Let’s show some love to Quita on her 22 pound weight loss.  She embraced working out with DVDs and eating right.  Here is what she shared with us:

Quita weight loss photos

“My motivation was me turning 30 years old and not loving my outer appearance. Earlier this year, I was 178 pounds and now I weigh 156 pounds. I do Insanity workouts, drink Shakeology protein shakes, and watch what I eat. Now I cook way more healthier foods, take vitamins and drink plenty of water. I wanted to give up so many times but when I saw people twice my size dropping the unwanted pounds and looking fabulous, I knew I could do it as well.  My advice is don’t give up! Have faith and keep going the results will be wonderful. I have more more confidence.  I feel sexy again. I enjoy dressing again and I just feel good period.”