Black Weight Loss Success

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Ajima Jackson

Angelique lost 50 pounds

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Angelique who lost 50 pounds.  This 5’1″ wife and mom was able to improve her health and weight by changing her eating habits, using MyFitnessPal and exercising with workout DVDs.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey:

My name is Angelique and I am a mother and a wife. Back in February 2011, I looked at myself in the mirror and had an “ah ha” moment. I cried so long and so hard. I decided at the weight of 215 pounds, my heightest ever, that it was time for a change. I am only 5’1 tall and that much weight on my frame was not flattering. I went to see my doctor and she advised me that I was prediabetic, had high cholesterol, and was at risk for other chronic illnesses. I decided enough was enough! I did my research and on July 27,2011, I decided to embark on my journey to wellness. I cut out all sweets, fried foods, minimized my pork and beef intake.  I also stopped eating processed foods, got rid of the sodas, started eating more fruit, increased my water and got moving! I started juicing and drinking smoothies. I am happy to say, as of now, I am down 50 pounds and I have a goal to lose 30 more. My children and my husband are my big motivators. They push me when I feel like I want to stop. I use My fitness pal, C25K, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, and I love Jillian Michaels DVD’s. I try to get in at least 30 minutes of cardio everyday. I eat as clean as possible. You can do it, I have, never give up! My dream is to be a runner and it’s going to happen!

Angelique weight loss story

Hidden Sugars – The Many Names of Processed Sugar

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Processed, refined sugars go by different names – names you might not recognize as being processed sugar. It’s very easy for someone who is not familiar with all the hidden names of sugar to erroneously consume large amounts of the stuff. So, if you’re trying to eliminate processed sugars from your diet – or at least limit the amount you eat – you need to learn all the names sugar goes by.

sugarWhat’s in a Name? The Hidden Names of Processed Sugar

There are literally dozens of names for sugar. Some are quite obvious such as corn syrup, brown sugar, date sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, or anything else that ends in “sugar.” However, spotting other sources of hidden sugar can be quite tricky. A good rule of thumb is to eliminate anything that has sugar and syrup in the title as well as anything ending in “ose” like glucose, dextrose, fructose, and sucrose. Following are some of the ones that aren’t so apparent:

  • Diastatic Malt
  • Ethyl Maltol
  • Fruit Juice
  • Corn Sweetner
  • Maltose
  • Mannitol
  • Molasses
  • Sorbitol
  • Cane Juice
  • Evaporated Cane Juice
  • Fruit Juice Concentrate
  • Barley Malt
  • Maltodextrin
  • Caramel
  • Treacle
  • Sucanat
  • Rapadura
  • Jaggery
  • Panela
  • Monk Fruit
  • Rice Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup

Why Processed Sugars are Bad

A diet high in processed sugars can lead to weight gain and other health issues. Not only is sugar nothing more than empty calories it can cause fat deposits to form in the liver, raise blood cholesterol, contribute to insulin resistance, increases your risk for diseases – and it’s addictive. Consuming sugar can also cause spikes in blood sugar, which can cause you to feel hungry and crave more sugary foods.

Tips for Avoiding Processed Sugars

While it is difficult to avoid all processed sugars, there are things you can do to greatly reduce the amount of sugar you eat. In addition to making wise, healthy choices, you can eliminate much of the sugar in your diet by doing the following:

  • Read Labels – Now that you’re armed with the knowledge of all the hidden names of sugar, you can properly read ingredient labels, spot hidden sugars, and avoid purchasing foods that contain them. Become a label-reading junkie. Do not put anything in your cart that you have not properly vetted for processed sugar.
  • Don’t Eat Packaged Foods – It’s as simple as that. If it’s in a package, avoid it. You can bet there are processed sugars in any packaged convenience food that you might pick up. Instead, eat fresh foods. Hint: most fresh foods are found along the four outside walls of the grocery store.
  • No Sugary Drinks – Much of the sugar that Americans consume comes in the form of sodas and other sugary drinks. Replace your sugar-filled drinks with water to avoid eating excess sugar.

As you can see, avoiding processed sugars can be tricky. However, you can do it with a little knowledge, pre-planning, and will power. Once you reduce the amount of sugar you eat, you will start to crave it less, which will make the task of avoiding sugar easier than you ever thought possible.

5 Benefits of Eating Dark, Leafy Greens

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I love green smoothies and they wouldn’t truly be green without dark leafy greens.  Boasting numerous health benefits, vitamins, minerals, and weight-loss properties, dark, leafy greens are among the healthiest foods you can eat. In fact, if you eat them regularly, you will improve your overall health and have less chance of developing certain diseases. Health-infusing greens include kale, turnip greens, collards, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, certain types of lettuce, and cabbage.

kale dark leafy greensIn addition to eating a balanced diet, you should strive to consume dark, leafy greens whenever possible to enjoy the following benefits:

  1. Weight Management – High in fiber, low in carbohydrates, leafy greens are among the most filling foods you can eat. Due to their high fiber content, greens digest slowly, causing you to feel fuller longer. Bottom line: Eating more greens will cause you to eat smaller amounts of other types of foods, which will help you lose weight or maintain your current weight.
  2. Cuts Health Risks – Leafy greens lower the risk of some diseases including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and cancer. Since they are rich in calcium, leafy greens are also credited with reducing the occurrence of osteoporosis. There is evidence that skin problems might also benefit from dark, leafy green consumption as greens are full of water and antioxidants.
  3. Health Benefits – Eating leafy greens also poses many health benefits. Health benefits include blood clotting regulation, reducing calcium in arterial plaques, reduce inflammation, and improved memory and eye sight. The fiber content in leafy greens also keeps the colon healthy and in proper working order.
  4. Nutrition – Greens are rich in the vitamins and minerals your body needs to remain healthy. For example, many leafy greens contain beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Greens also contain folate, vitamin C, calcium, fiber, vitamin K, B vitamins, lutein, and small amounts of Omega-3 fats depending on the green.
  5. Natural Antioxidant – Antioxidants help fight aging by preventing cell damage and improving cell renewal processes. All of this helps the body repair itself, renew itself, and grow older more gracefully. Antioxidants and vitamin C also help improve the appearance of the skin and ward off signs of aging such as sun spots, wrinkles, and sallow complexion.

So, how many greens should you eat? While the USDA recommends eating at least 3 cups of dark, leafy greens per week, this represents the minimum amount of greens you should be eating. Most nutrition experts recommend eating ½-cup of green leafy vegetables daily.

Since leafy greens are low-calorie and chock full of nutrition, you should strive to include them into your diet daily (green smoothies are a great way to do this). To cut the monotony, try to eat a variety of greens. You will be surprised by how often you can work leafy greens into your meal planning while maintaining a varied diet.

6 Reasons You Should Avoid Non-Prescription Diet Pills

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Losing weight is hard work it’s no surprise that people turn to diet pills. Creating menus, counting calories, and exercising all take a great deal of effort and require a lifestyle change – something that’s not easy to accomplish. To make matters worse, the weight comes off very slowly even when you’re doing everything right.

diet drugsIt’s no wonder that most people dream and search for a magic pill that will either require them to do less work or make the weight come off faster. You can’t really blame them for trying, but are over-the-counter diet pills the answer? Hardly! In fact, some non-prescription pills can be quite dangerous. Look at the following 6 reasons to avoid diet pills:

  1. Not Proven Safe – Most over-the-counter diet products have not been tested adequately and are not regulated by the FDA. Basically, you’re taking a gamble each time you ingest a non-prescription diet pill. At best, you will have no adverse reaction to the supplement. However, the worst-case scenarios can be quite devastating; some people have died as the direct result of taking diet pills.
  2. Most Are Not Effective – Diet pill manufacturers always seem to slip under the radar. They make exaggerated claims as to the effectiveness of their products with little or no evidence to back it up. You can liken it to the peddlers that sold elixirs, potions, and magic tonics during the post Civil War era – A lot of diet pills amount to nothing more than a bunch of hocus pocus.
  3. Dangerous Ingredients – Many diet pills contain copious amounts of caffeine and diuretics. While these ingredients are usually safe in small amounts, they can cause dehydration, heart palpitations, and electrolyte imbalances when taken in large amounts. In some cases, people have suffered from heart-related complications due to diet-pill ingredients.
  4. Encourage Unhealthy Weight-Loss Tactics – Most diet pills come with a diet plan. Some encourage unhealthy behaviors such as dramatically cutting calories. For example, I’ve seen directions for some hCG diets that encourage women to drop to a meager 500 calories which is well below the starvation threshold.
  5. Side Effects – Many pills have appetite-suppression properties. These pills have been linked to serious health conditions such as heart attack and stroke, high blood pressure, anxiety, and nervous behavior. Other side effects associated with diet pills include gastrointestinal symptoms, dehydration, and possible addiction.
  6. All-Natural Does Not Mean Safe – A lot of people think that a product is safe if it’s considered all natural. However, there’s no evidence to suggest that all-natural products are any safer than manmade products. Additionally, many pills that are advertised as being all natural contain chemicals in addition to natural ingredients.

In light of the problems and risks associated with over-the-counter weight-loss supplements, they are hardly a healthy option for dieters. When you combine the risks with the fact that most of them do not provide any benefits or enhance weight loss, it becomes clear that the best way to lose weight is through proper diet and exercise.

Jacquelyn lost 76 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Jacquelyn lost 76 pounds in 7 months by following the Weight Watchers plan and exercising hard.  Here is what she shared with us:

I’ve lost 76 pounds since Jan 1st, 2013.  My motivation is my mom,my son and my best friend. Weight watchers and exercising are the only things I used during my transformation.  I still have 40 more pounds to go.  I walk 4 miles a day and do Zumba 4 times a week.  I lift weights 2 times a week.

My motivation for losing weight was my family.   When I joined Weight Watchers, I loss 8 pounds in the first week and another 6 pounds the next week.My family cheered me on so that I didn’t want to stop. My eating habits were bad because I didnt have portion control.  My husband made me a man sized plate and I ate until it was gone and wanted more. I often went to bed full and miserable. Weight Watchers gave me the control I needed and helped me to not only understand food but underatand how it affected my body and weight loss. My starting weight was 285 on Jan 1st, 2013 and as of July 26th, I weigh 209.  I have loss 76 pounds. My workouts are continuous. At each moment of the day, I think about what I could be doing to help my journey.  I excercise about two and a half hours a day and most of that time is taken up by my daily walk/run regimen. I do zumba 4 times a week and I lift weights 2 times a week for toning purposes. My transformation took 7 months  I still want to loose avout 40 more pounds before I go into maintenance mode and I hope to do that by December of this year. My mom and my best friend are great supporters becauae we work out together everyday.

Jacquelyn weight loss story

Extreme Weight Loss: Congrats to Chantell Johnson for Dropping 159 pounds

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Last night, the BWLW Sisterhood chatted on Facebook while watching Chantell Johnson lose 159 pounds on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.  Her starting weight was 327.  We cried.  We got mad at her relatives.  We cheered.  We were so happy for her.

chantell extreme weight loss
Image: www.facebook.com/chantell.johnson

On her blog, she says…

Your lifestyle must change. You can never “go back to” the life you are living now. That series of actions and decisions led you to unhappiness: Why would you ever return? Sure,  I still love pizza, cookies and Chinese. That will NEVER go away. The difference between the Chantell 12 months ago and the Chantell today is moderation and planning. I’m far from being the epitome of health. There is a lot of room for growth. I take steps to achieve a lifestyle that I envision for myself in the future. I also acknowledge that I am MUCH closer to that goal then I was 1 year ago.

I was so glad to see some of the body image issues that we deal with in the Black Community dealt with on the show.  Chantell’s relatives felt that she was going to get “too skinny” and that she didn’t need to lose weight.  I hear all the time from ladies that are told by relatives, friends and lovers that they better not “lose their curves” or lose the booty.  While I agree that our unique and wonderful curves are to be celebrated, I believe that we have to encourage one another to be healthy because it’s not about looking voluptuous.  There are a lot of curvy, healthy people.  However, carrying too much weight can be bad for your health as well.  We all have to make that determination for ourselves and when we do, we need the support of our loved ones.  In the end, Chantell inspired her mother, who had been critical of her weight loss efforts, to lose 24 pounds.  I was so happy for both of them.  OH…I just have to mention that she is my Sigma Gamma Rho soRhor!  Love you sista!

www.facebook.com/chantell.johnson
twitter.com/chantelljohnson

Want to know how she did it?  Watch the whole episode for free on Hulu.

Here is the video (from TheDailyMail):

Felice lost 60 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Felice lost 60 pounds after dealing with divorce, finding new love and having her first child.  I think her story is one that a lot of ladies will relate to.  Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Felice and my journey started in 2007. To make a long story short, I was trapped inside a marriage surrounded in jealousy and gaining the weight was my way of warding off some of that jealousy and making it better. So, 5 years into the marriage and I was no closer to any happiness than when I started out. I looked into the mirror at the woman who could go to a mall and shop in any more than 3 stores because my back hurt.  A woman who ordered all take-out thru the drive-thru and played like the 2nd meal was for someone else when in fact it was for me. I didn’t like the woman I had become. Where was the woman who smiled and laughed and loved life? I asked myself if I could go through another 5 years like the last 5 I had gone through. Answer…no.

I bought an elliptical with my Christmas bonus December of 2007. That helped a bit, but I fell off again. February of 2008, I joined a gym. I went 5 days a week without fail. I counted calories and ate 1200-1500 calories a day depending on if it was a gym day or not. I counted fat and sodium as well. It took me until July of 2008 to lose 67 pounds. I was 3 pounds away from the 300 pound mark. I wanted a new life, a new beginning, a new everything. The marriage was over as of Feb. of 2008 when I started working out.  I moved to a new state in July 2008. I lost those 67 pounds and must have kicked my fertility into high gear because November of 2008 – I got pregnant with my first child. My newly found relationship provided me with everything I didn’t get from my marriage and this time I knew my net and total worth. Now my son is almost 4 years old (born in August of 2009). I gained 40 plus of the weight back when I was pregnant and from “happy weight.”

In January of this year (2013) my department at my job decided to do a Fitness Challenge. Since January I have lost those 40 plus pounds again and I’m now almost 7 pounds within that original loss of 67 pounds. I’m going to surpass that and keep going so that I am under 200 pounds. The middle and right photos are my before pics and the one on the left is my now pic. I like to say…”I am not where I want to be, but I’m a long ways from where I’ve been.” Starting weight: 297 pounds, Current weight: 237 pounds, 1st Goal Weight: 199 pounds, Ultimate Goal Weight: 170-175 pounds, Height: 5”3 and ½ – I will definitely be doing an update come December of 2013 to let you all know how much more I have accomplished. BWLW has inspired me to reach for those goals. The women who share their story are inspirational so I wanted to be what they have inspired me to be.

Felice weight loss before and after

Rachelle lost 27 pounds

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Breast Cancer Survivor Rachelle lost 27 pounds and 2 dress sizes by cutting calories, eating fat burning foods, using MyFitnessPal and walking.  Let’s show her some BWLW Love.  Here is what she shared with us:

First, I would like to say that I love your site and you are, in part, the reason I decided to start my weight loss journey. I am a Breast Cancer survivor.  After chemotherapy, I gained a lot of weight. This was mostly due to poor eating habits, but I also struggled with my self image. A week before my 36th birthday, I decided I was going to lose the 30 pounds I had put on once and for all. Everything was starting to fit tight and I refused to buy bigger clothes. I knew that dieting was not going to work.  I would have to make some life style changes if I wanted to shed the pounds and keep them off.  So, I said good bye to fast food, fried foods, sweets and soda. I did some research online and found 15 fat burning foods on Women’s Health Magazine’s site and incorporated them into my diet. I tried to include as many as possible in every meal and snack. I found that preparing my own food worked best for me because I knew exactly what I was eating. I cut my calorie intake to 1200 a day and started drinking 64 oz of water every day. I tracked my progress with the app MyFitnessPal. I did that for the first month and lost on average about 2 lbs. per week! I couldn’t believe it was really this simple. At the beginning of the 2nd month, I started walking twice a day on my 15 minute breaks at work. I walked a little under 2 miles per day. In 3 months I went from 220 lbs. to 193 lbs, down 27 lbs. and 2 pants sizes!

Rachelle weight loss story

Bri lost 73 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Bri lost 73 pounds.  She was able to lose weight in a healthy way, eat right during pregnancy and deal with a diagnosis of Lupus.  Here is what she shared with us:

My weight loss story! I went from 216 pounds to now 143 pounds in less than a year, after giving birth to 3 children!  After getting pregnant with my second child and giving birth in 2010, I found myself weighing 216 pounds and wearing a size 14/16 in clothes. I struggled with my self esteem and my weight for the next 3 years. Was never quite able to lose it, no matter what I tried! Pills, shakes, bars they wouldnt work! Finally in 2012, I said enough is enough!  I changed my diet and started avidly exercising. I went from eating EVERYTHING I wanted and snacks galore to eating smaller meals and less carbs. I did 75 crunches a night and 110 squats. I walked 2 miles a day and drank A LOT of Water and 100% juice.  I also cut down my sugar intake and No snacks! Fruits! After losing 20 lbs in February, I found out that I was 5 months pregnant with my now 1 year old daughter. I still ate right, exercised and everything throughout my pregnancy. Then, I became very ill and bed ridden around May 2012. I still perservered through my eating. I was then diagnosed with Lupus and told that I could no longer exercise. However, I prayed and asked God to get me through it and he did. I gave birth to my daughter July 3rd 2012 and was 180 pounds. I got a personal trainer and kept on my diet.  Here I stand a year later at 143 pounds and healthy! I battle my Lupus like a good soldier and continue to eat right and exercise!

Bri weight loss story

Nikki lost 50 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Nikki lost 50 pounds, down from 250+.  She lost weight by eating clean, running and she will be doing her first 5k in Sept. 2013.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hi my name is Nikki. I wanted to share my weight loss journey and hopefully encourage someone else deciding to change their life. I started my journey in Dec. 2011. However, before I get to the event that was the last straw, lets back up one month to Nov. 2011. A friend innocently tagged me in a picture on Facebook (picture in purple sweater) and when I saw it I was mortified at what I looked like. Dec. 2011, I took a beach trip with my husband and son and we decided to take a helicopter ride that required I sit in the front because I was to large for the back because I may hinder take off. (last straw). Who was this fat chick I kept seeing and hearing about? I couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to get out of control to the tune of 250+ pounds. I started exercising and dieting in March of 2012 after I lost my job. After almost a year of exercising and dieting, I lost a disappointing 14lbs (oh yeah, I was on diet pills as well). In January of 2013, I stepped it up, I began to ramp up my exercising to jogging and training for a Black Girls Run 5k event. I began to eat clean; only lean meats, no dairy, no sugar, no carbs, only leafy veggies and protein shakes. I began to eat 4-5 small meals daily. I couldn’t believe this 40 year old body could do what it has done in a course of 5 months. I feel great, look great and I’m not even done yet. I replaced my obsession with fatty foods with jogging and eating well! This girl who could hinder take off will be doing her first 5k in Sept. 2013.  I’m 50 pounds lighter and healthier than ever. Thank God for perfect peace! Follow my progress on Facebook (nikmac).

Nikki weight loss success story