Featured before and after story: T’Ericka lost 50 pounds and found her true self. After struggling with weight loss and low self esteem since childhood, she was able to make lifestyle changes that are about more than just losing pounds. Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey: 
“Many people have been asking and inboxing me about my weight loss and the question that stood out to me most was ‘Why I did it and what motivated me to stay on track?’. So, here is my story: Growing up I’ve always been the chunky girl. I LOVED to eat (I still do lol) but then I didnt know how bad it was until I started started getting teased EVERYDAY for my weight. Tt bothered me but I always kept it in. I turned 12 and I was into modeling so my mom took me to a nearby agency, only to hear from the lady that I was very pretty but too big to be a model for her. That crushed me and from that point on I had the lowest self esteem. I ate myself into being unhealthy. I used to ask God to make me skinny (lol) so that people could like me (smh). In school I always wanted to do different things but instead I put myself in the background because I thought everyone would be judging me on my weight. I really disliked who I was!! I always thought the world only welcomed skinny people!! Then I got older and wanted to make changes so I lost weight the fast way. Then I started dating my guy and gained it all back, which put me in my lowest self esteem EVER!! (I tried not to show it but I truly gave up on myself) I didn’t go out much. I didn’t take some opportunities because I was really in a BATTLE with myself! I was unhealthy physically and mentally! However, last year I had enough. I wanted to be at my full potential. I wanted to start a journey that would be a lifestyle change for me. It wasn’t just about losing weight, it was also about gaining who I knew God wanted me to be! I ate better and really started getting my business together. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week for an hour. I do cardio (40 mins) and weight training(20 mins)! I’ve added lots of fruits and green vegetables to my plate and cut out a lot of red meat (I eat red meat occasionally). I rarely go to fast food restaurants because that once was my weakness! Im just really enjoying this lifestyle change. I feel great! I wanted to be the best T’Ericka Tifany-Joy Mullen There was!! I WANTED THIS FOR ME!!! That’s why this 50 pound weight loss means so much to me! It makes me feel accomplished! I feel like I graduated from who I was and walked across the stage to who I always knew I had the potential of being!! I not only burned away some pounds but I burned my past hurts, my low self esteem, etc. I am still a work in progress but I refuse to go back to who I was physically and MENTALLY. This Journey wasn’t just about weight loss it was about gaining me back!! God Bless!
Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #24: Create a Home Gym and Save Money
Tip #24: Create a Home Gym to Save Money. The number one way that a home gym can help you lose weight on a budget is that you won’t have to pay for a gym membership. This is the most obvious benefit, but let me share another 5 tips with you.
- Time is Money: When you can roll out of bed and workout or workout as soon as you get home it can be a huge time saver. Whether using less gas or having time for other things, you will see a savings on top of more convenience.
- World Class Personal Trainers in Your Living Room: Workout at home with workout DVDs and have some of the best trainers in the world as your exercise coaches. Bob Harper and Dolvet Quince in the Biggest Loser DVDs. Tony Horton in P90X. Jillian Michaels in her various workout DVDs. Chalene Johnson in the Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire series. Shaun T in the Insanity series. Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds series. These are just few titles that feature some of the best trainers in the world. In your home gym, you can workout with them on the cheap compared to what it might cost to workout regularly with a local personal trainer. Here is a list of top workout DVDs.
- No Drama – Save yourself from the drama of going to the gym. Yes, you can avoid feeling awkward, anxious or self conscious about your body. You can avoid the meat heads who are grunting and dropping weights. You can avoid the people who are just there to hit on women or be seen. At home, you can focus on getting your workout on, not on who’s in the gym and what they are doing. Less distractions, More focus!
- Low Cost Equiptment – You can start with workout DVDs, a yoga mat, dumbbells (3 different sizes), an exercise ball for around $75-150 dollars. You may be able to get second hand workout equipment from friends and family or at a discount on sites like Ebay. Put together your equipment list based on the exercises you like to do. In the future, You might even work up to buying an elliptical machine or spin bike if you are even more serious about working out at home vs. paying for a gym membership.
- Your Apartment/Condo’s Workout Room – If you have a free, well maintained workout room in your condo, apartment or community club house that can be your home gym. Many residents don’t take advantage of gyms on the premises where they live, and they can be basically empty during non peak hours (Most people workout right after work or in the morning.
Tanya lost 80 pounds with weight loss surgery
Let’s show some BWLW love to Tanya who has lost 80 pounds. This petite 5 foot tall lady was dealing with polycystic ovarian syndrome, insulin resistance and high blood pressure. Weight loss surgery worked for her. Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:
Hi my name is Tanya and I just wanted to share part of my weight loss journey. My highest recorded weight was 301 pounds at 5 feet tall. I suffered from pcos (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which causes one to be insulin resistant, along with a slew of other problems. I also was suffering from high blood pressure. While in school, preparing to be a medical assistant, I noticed I was eating more, moving less and tiring easy. I was opting for the elevator from the first floor to the second floor. Not liking this feeling or the way I looked, I was motivated to do something…but what? I had already failed at every diet under the sun so I decided to talk to the surgeon who had previously removed my gallbladder and have gastric bypass surgery.
On 12/18/12 my surgery was performed. Now, almost 10 months later, I’m down 80 pounds. I eat dramatically different now; low carb, low fat and very small portions. I also workout five times a week. Recently, I added strength training to my exercise program. It’s not a quick fix. Surgery is not a easy way out. There are plenty of days when I want to give up but I don’t want to go back to high blood pressure. My blood pressure has been great since the day after surgery. I also don’t want to trade my size 18 jeans back in for size 28. God has blessed me. I have none of the bad side affects associated with gastric bypass surgery. Even though I suffer from severe depression and bipolar disorder, for the most part I’m happy knowing that I’m on the right track to a healthier me.
6 Essential Habits for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off
Losing weight is really difficult to start with, but on top of that we all want to keep the weight off for good. There are healthy habits you can adopt NOW in order to increase your chances of keeping the weight off long term. Here are 6 tips that can help.
1. Don’t call what you’re doing a “diet.” This will set you up for failure immediately. Diets are quick, short term solutions for weight loss that usually are not permanent. If you are looking for permanent, long term weight loss, you need to think about it as a lifestyle change. Diets aren’t bad; they can help kick your metabolism into gear so that you can lose weight more easily. But a diet isn’t going to give you long-term success; changes in your lifestyle and food choices will.
2. Set weight loss goals. Goals are one of the most important parts of the weight loss process. The problem is, too many people say “I want to lose x number of pounds.” That is great but sometimes it’s not enough in terms of goal setting. Instead, start making your lifestyle changes gradually and make several mini-goals at a time. Sure, you can say that you want to lose 100 lbs, but it may be easier to stay motivated if you say you want to lose 10 pounds in the next 6 weeks or that you want to be able to walk a mile in addition to losing weight.
3. Reward yourself. …but please don’t make the mistake of rewarding yourself with food. If you can create rewards that are encouraging, but don’t involve messing up your lifestyle changes, they can be really good motivators. Effective rewards are desirable, timely, and contingent on meeting a particular goal. Use several smaller rewards for smaller goals, too. For example, if you went through a month of walking for 30 minutes every day, you can reward yourself with a haircut or a trip to the spa.
4. Figure out why you gained weight in the first place. Your Big WHY! – This is one of the hardest parts of maintaining long-term weight loss, but you do have to do some self evaluation. Why did you start overeating in the first place? What happened that made you want to overeat? Was there a life event/trauma? Were you struggling with a hormonal imbalance like PMS or a chemical imbalance that caused mood issues? Do you have a health issue? What happened to make you start neglecting your diet? Once you figure that out, you need to take steps that help you deal with those issues effectively later on. This will help you prevent similar issues in the future.
5. Understand portion sizes. If you understand how portion sizes are supposed to work, you’re going to be better off. We have an issue in the United States where we fill our plates to overflowing, and you really can’t do this. Even healthy foods can be bad if your portions are too big. A good rule to go by is the “fist rule.” A serving of healthy food is about the size of your fist; the smaller you are the smaller your fist is, and the smaller your portions will be. Keeping a food diary can help control your potions too.
6. Follow the 80/20 rule. You don’t have to be perfect all of the time, trust me. The key is balance and moderation. It’s going to take a lot of effort to maintain this lifestyle, so it’s okay to slack every once in awhile. If you live by healthy habits 80% of the time, slacking a little for the other 20% is okay (as long as you don’t go absolutely crazy and ruin what you did all week). Give yourself a treat on the weekend after being “good” all week.
Is Belly Fat Different Than Other Body Fat?
Many people don’t realize that belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is actually different than the rest of your body. The belly fat has been linked to risk for a number of different types of things, from insulin issues, metabolism issues, heart disease, increased cancer risk, and increased type 2 diabetes risk. Even if you’re not overweight, the fat that is in your abdomen can cause a lot of issues.
The body has three different types of fat in it. Check them out:
- Triglycerides circulate in your bloodstream. It makes up about 95 percent of the fat within your body.
- Subcutaneous fat, which is the layer that lies directly below the skin’s surface, between the skin and the abdominal wall.
- Visceral fat is the kind located deep within your belly.
It’s not so much what is in the visceral fat that causes the problem; it’s where the fat is located. It is actually found beneath your stomach muscles, which means that they’re the closest thing to your internal organs. Because of this placement, your internal organs start to use it for energy because it’s more efficient than getting energy from your skin fat. Your body acts much like you do; efficiency is key. If you have an option between two places to get the same exact thing, you’re going to go to the place that is closer.
So, why is this dangerous? In old times, people assumed that fat was just stored energy, but it’s actually much more active than that. All fat cells continually secrete hormones and chemicals; these hormones and chemicals are healthy if you’re at a normal weight, they actually do good things, like regulate insulin, help to regulate appetite by allowing you to feel satisfied after eating, and even help burn stored fat. Essentially, this fat acts how fat is supposed to act. The fat does standard metabolic functions and is absolutely nothing that you have to worry about. That’s why it’s unhealthy to be without fat; you can actually starve yourself or, at the very least, get ill, if you have no fat on your body at all.
Where the problem comes in is when you are overweight or obese. If you are overweight or obese, your body has more fat cells, and those cells are much larger than they should be. These larger cells, as you would expect, work harder and secrete more hormones and chemicals than you need. Essentially, you’re getting “too much of a good thing,” which is when it becomes a very bad thing. The chemicals that come out of your fat cells start to impact your health over time. These chemicals play a huge role in diseases like diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and even certain cancers.
Alright, so why does belly fat get the short end of the stick? Don’t all fats do this? Absolutely not! Visceral fat cells actually produce more of those chemicals to start with, so if you’ve got a lot of fat in your stomach region, those chemicals are actually being produced at toxic levels. As I mentioned above, those toxins are getting into your internal organs because the visceral fat is where your internal organs are getting their “energy” from. So basically, by having the excess stomach fat, you’re actually poisoning yourself in a way in terms of what the fat is leaching into your body. That is incredibly scary.
This is why good health is important. Exercise and diet are incredibly important parts of keeping you healthy. If you’ve noticed that you have an excess of belly fat, make sure to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. The great thing is that belly fat responds well to time tested weight loss methods of eating and exercise. You doctor or health care professional can help you to get on a eating and fitness plan that can help you lose weight in that region so that you don’t continue to cause damage to your body.
Lyncoya lost 60 pounds
Today’s weight loss success story: Lyncoya lost 60 pounds in about 10 months. This proud mom and grandmother of 1 found a weight loss program that worked for her and taught her how to change her eating habits. Here is what she shared with us:
“My name is Lyncoya Terrell. I’m a 38 year old married mother of 3 and grandmother of 1. I absolutely HATED seeing myself in the mirror. I hated the image. I’ve lost a total of 60lbs primarily using Weight Watchers™, in about a 10 month’s time. I have NEVER been that heavy in my life. I have a little ways to go, but I feel great about how far I’ve come. I’m also confident that I’ll keep the weight off this time because of HOW I lost it. It just feels good to be back to the old me.
As far as my eating habits are concerned, I used to fry EVERYTHING before I lost the weight. I’m not going to say that I don’t fry foods anymore, but I don’t fry them nearly as often. Maybe once every two weeks, versus 2-3 times a week. I began to stop eating subs and wings for lunch and began eatings salads, chicken, and fish for lunch. I stopped drinking soda. I don’t LOVE water, so I drink lots of Crystal Lite. Basically, more vegetables, less rice, potatoes and bread. I stopped drinking alcohol as much. Alcohol has a TON of hidden calories that we are not always aware of. I’ll only drink it socially now, which isn’t often.
When I began my journey, I joined a gym for the first time in my life! I was terrified, but it jumpstarted my weight loss. I did an hour a day 4 times a week. I will admit that I haven’t been to the gym in more than 8 months. I’m working on getting myself back though. In my absence from the gym, I’m still losing though thanks to Weight Watchers™ and the fact that I’ve learned to change my lifestyle! (the first three photos are “BEFORE” and the last photo is “AFTER”) Thanks so so so so much for your response! Your page has been an inspiration to me throughout my journey and to be featured on your page would be awesome.”
Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #23: You Can Save Money on Organic Food
Tip #23 of our Weight Loss on a Budget Tips: You Can Save Money on Organic Food. Here are 5 ways to make organic more affordable.
- Look for coupons on organic brands – You may not find many coupons for organics in your local paper, so you’ll need to visit the websites for the brands you like and look for coupons. Many companies offer coupons and special offers to their email list, so sign up for deals.
- Here is a listing of coupons from coupons.com
- Whole Foods Magazine has a coupons and contests section on their site
- Buy in Bulk – You can get all the benefits of organically grown food at a reduced cost when you buy in bulk. Focus on foods that are not prone to go bad quickly like cereal, nuts, beans, protein powder, grains and healthy snack foods. If you are a member of a club, like BJ’s or Costco, make sure you are taking advantage of specials and monthly store coupons for greater deals.
- Buy the Store Brand – As long as the product is certified organic (USDA) it doesn’t matter what the brand is. If you like the taste and it meets your nutritional needs, buy it instead of the name brand and save money. A lot of grocery stores now carry a house organic brand because of consumer demand.
- Grow Your Own – If you have enough space and an interest in gardening, consider getting a book and heading to your local home improvement store for what you need to get a garden started. There is actually a whole urban gardening movement going on where people use methods like square foot gardening to raise their own food in limited spaces.
- Clean 15 / Dirty Dozen – There are actually fruits and veggies that are not exposed to a lot of pesticides and don’t have a lot of pesticide residue. They are called the “Clean 15™”. You can save money buy NOT buying them organic.
- onions
- avocados
- sweet corn
- pineapples
- mango
- sweet peas
- asparagus
- kiwi fruit
- cabbage
- eggplant
- cantaloupe
- watermelon
- grapefruit
- sweet potatoes
- sweet onions
On the other side of the spectrum there is the “Dirty Dozen™” list of foods that most people recommend be purchased in organic form due to the amount of pesticide they are exposed to and what has been found in testing in terms of residue.
- celery
- peaches
- strawberries
- apples
- domestic blueberries
- nectarines
- sweet bell peppers
- spinach, kale and collard greens
- cherries
- potatoes
- imported grapes
- lettuce
Healthy Curves: Tomeria lost 23 pounds
Let’s show some BWLW love to Tomeria. She lost 23 pounds and is focused on keeping her curves in a healthy way. After struggling for years, she is now sharing her weight loss success story with us:
“My motivation for losing weight was a desire to be healthier and more confident. I’ve always struggled with my weight because no matter how I looked to others I wasn’t happy with myself. This caused added stress and my weight continually fluctuated because I wasn’t confident in who I was. With a smile on my face, I was secretly unhappy with my body image. I am more confident and I know that I don’t have to be a size 6 to be healthy. I am currently a 14/16 but I see and feel the difference in just a short period. This will keep me pushing towards my ultimate goal which is to weigh less than 200 lbs. Looks can be definitely be deceiving.
I recently relocated to a new state and I am now within walking distance of a Whole Foods and my job. This makes eating healthier a breeze because I cook more, eat out less and purchase more fresh foods versus processed foods. At my heaviest, I was working out but my poor food choices made it difficult to lose weight so I stayed in the 225-234 pound range. Since the scale didn’t reflect a significant change, I found comfort in food which was counter productive.
My workout routine consists of 3-4 days of cardio for a minimum of 30 minutes. My cardio choices include Zumba, Kickboxing and Walking. I also began to incorporate strength and weight training for at least 30 minutes two times a week. I’ve found that including my workouts in my daily plan make it easier to stick with it.
My starting weight was 234 pounds. I currently weigh 211 pounds. It has taken 3 months to witness a true transformation but I’m not stopping here. My goal is to keep my curves healthy.”
Amanda lost 90 pounds
Today’s weight loss success story: Amanda lost 90 pounds. After years of yo yo dieting, she found a way to lose the weight and stop comfort eating. She is very happy that her health has improved significantly. Here is her weight loss story and her advice to others:
“After the death of my father in August 2003, I started eating for comfort. I was 23 years old at the time, and I gained over 100 lbs throughout the next five years. Finally, On August 23, 2010, after years of yo-yo dieting, gym memberships and almost every weight loss trick known to man, I went to a personal trainer and said: “I’m ready.” The trainer weighed me in on that day at 297 pounds.
I began to work ou 6 days a week with the trainer, doing 1-hour sessions which included cardio and weight training. My trainer also put me on a specialized meal plan that consists of meal replacement bars and shakes and low carb dinner (meat and vegetable only.). I also took vitamins and nutritional supplements. After three months of training and the personal meal plan, I lost my first 30 pounds, which was terrific.
I felt better about myself. I didn’t have the lower back pain issues that I had when I was 300 lbs. I also didn’t have the shortness of breath. My blood pressure was high at the beginning of August 2010, but by November 2010 it had come down significantly. I have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. My blood pressure had decreased, and I was feeling amazing. I felt like I had received everything I needed from the personal trainer, so I continued the journey by myself.
For the next year, I worked out on my own at home in my living room. Yes, I did workout DVDs such as the Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels, Hip Hop Abs, and the most notable P90x. I continued to lose another 50 lbs in a year, all in the comfort of my home. Now, fast forward to the present 2013, and I’ve kept the weight off, and I still want to lose more. My total weight loss is 90 lbs. My current weight is 207 pounds.
I workout six days a week. I combine gym workouts and still do workout DVD’s as well. I use myfitnesspal.com to watch my calories. Most importantly I am committed to healthy living and feeling good. My primary motivation is to feel good. In the past, I hated not being able to walk for long periods of time and having lower back problems. I have to say to the readers, don’t give up! Again, I tried everything, but I believe when the time is right, the weight comes off. We have to hand in there and not give up!
I’m looking forward to reaching my next weight loss goal by December 2013. I am working towards losing another 40 pounds by March 2014.”
Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #22: Skip Diet Foods, Drinks & Pre-packed “Healthy” Snacks
It’s day 22 of our October Challenge and we are focused on how we can save some money while losing the weight at the same time. Today’s Weight Loss on a Budget Tip: #22 – Skip Diet Foods and Pre-packed “Healthy” Snacks.
That’s right! I’m talking about snack packs, frozen diet meals and powdered diet drinks. You just don’t need them to lose weight. Focus on eating REAL, unprocessed foods and drinking lots of water.
Diet Snack Packs – You save money by buying in larger quantities and breaking the food down. You can repackage your own snacks that you buy in bulk. Weight or divide out the food in small, low calorie portions and put it in sandwich bags. It’s all about portion control. You ALSO should not be fooled into thinking that just because you ate 3 100 calorie packages that it wasn’t as bad, because they are diet portions. 🙂 Most people don’t just have one portion of diet products, they have 2 or 3.
Diet Drinks – When it comes to diet drinks, sometimes the extreme sweetness just continues to keep your sweet tooth alive, super charging it. You never divorce yourself from the sugar rush with these drinks, thus your cravings continue to rage on. Drink more water and save your money. Drink tea with a little natural sweetener like honey or agave when your willpower is low.
Frozen Diet Meals – Do you research and really consider how much money you’re spending on frozen diet meals. Could you avoid things like sodium and preservatives by not eating those foods? How much money would you save if you made your own meals and ate leftovers as well? Are the foods too high in calories, hidden sugars or fats?
Other Diet Foods – If the diet products are being sold at a premium, avoid them. There are cheaper options. You don’t have to buy something because it’s labelled low-fat or diet. Buy the most health food you can afford. That should be your goal. Don’t let the marketing tactics suck you in.
