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Ajima Jackson

Renee lost 28 pounds

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Zumba Instructor Renee lost 28 pounds and has kept the weight off for 2 1/2 years.  Here is what she shared with us:

I’m Renee and married with 3 girls. I’m a Zumba instructor and took a look back at my photos from a decade ago and couldn’t believe the size I was. I lost 28 pounds and been maintaining for 2.5 years. It was important to be at a healthy weight because of the current diseases that are actively on the rise such as Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Cancer due to the type of foods we eat. Diabetes also runs in my family with age. I had to take a stand to break that cycle.

McDonalds was banned from our household for over 8 years. I teach my children to incorporate vegetables with every meal (including breakfast – except cold/hot cereals…lol).

A little more detail about me: rallen.zumba.com/

Renee weight loss before and after

Fanta lost 165 pounds

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Update: Fanta is now down a total of 165 pounds.  Check out her updated photo below.

Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Fanta lost 118 pounds with daily exercise and planning meals.  She is now off diabetes medication. Here is what she shared with us:

Hello!! My name is Fanta. I use to weigh around 400 pounds.  I would like to share my story. My lifestyle change started about 1 1/2 years ago.  Refusing NOT to die, my Lifestyle change started 1/2011. My weight was 398 pounds. I was a type 2 Diabetic and on medication for High Blood Pressure .Refusing NOT to die, I joined an awesome group called Savannah Biggest Losers!! This group changed my life (tears)! With daily exerise (walking, jogging and working out at the gym) and a meal plan that consists of 3 small meals( baked, grilled, broiled or boiled) and 3 healthy 100 cal snacks daily. Refusing NOT to die, I’ve lost 118 pounds in 2 years. I NO longer have to take medicine for diabetes!! I love this new LIFESTLYE change.  It saved my life:)

My motivation came from my one and only son (9 years old) who is also on a weight loss journey. He was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure at 7 years old. What kind of Mother would I be if I kept on living an unhealthy lifestyle.  I had to make this change. He also lost 19 pounds :).  He always tells me to keep pushing at times when i  wanna give up. He is truely my Motivator:)

fight 4 fitness Fanta

fanta weight loss story before & after

Beverly lost 110 pounds

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Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight Love to Beverly.  She lost 110 pounds with low carb eating and exercise.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hi, My name is Beverly and I started my journey a Year ago. I have lost 110 pounds and counting. I weighed 250 pounds and now I am down to 140 pounds.  I cannot believe it myself.  I have to pinch myself to see if it is me!  No weight loss surgery. My diet consists of a low carb diet, Naked smoothies and no sodas. I went from 4 or 5 diet Pepsi’s a day to no Sodas at all. I am a Social Worker here in New York and to get my exercise I go up and down Subway-stairs and do a lot of walking. I have not reached my ideal weight but I am pressing forward. I have battled my weight since my High School years and now I have entered into a Lifestyle change. I am loosing weight  to be totally free from all medicines. My inspiration came from My SIS Laura Whitaker (Teamfit page), and most of all checking out the stories and tips from Black Women Losing Weight! Thank You for The Page and Inspiration!

Beverly weight loss before and after

Kimberly lost 40 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Blogger Kimberly lost 40 pounds and is Ms. Washington Plus America 2013.   She did it by working out, eating clean, journaling and using Weight Watcher’s new monitoring device.  Here is what she shared with us:

Kimberly weight lossI decided to enter a pageant this year which caused me to finally focus on me. I felt good and looked good! Since November 2012, I have lost 40 pounds and I have been crowned Ms. Washington Plus America 2013! I am not where I want to be, but truly not where I used to be. I work out 5 days a week, eat as clean as possible, take healthy supplements, laugh, sing, read blogs and check pages like Black Women Lose Weight.  I also keep my goal in front of me, which is to lose 128 pounds. Slow and Steady! I struggle but I always get back up!

I eat in moderation and as much broiled/baked chicken, fish, and shrimp as possible, unless I am dying for a steak. Lots of salads, fruits and water and I plan ahead by preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner so I have no excuse. I do at minimum 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, with altering upper and lower body weight training, 5 times a week. My motivation is that I want to be healthy, embrace healthier curves and model self care. My platform is kinship care: helping grandparents who are raising the children in their family to prevent the children from entering into the foster care system. I tell the caregivers all the time to take care of themselves so they will be around longer in life.  Frankly, I needed to take my own advice.

…Almost forgot! I wear an active link device provided by Weight Watchers. It monitors all my movement and gives me a report weekly. I can’t say I follow their program because counting points doesn’t work for me but knowing my activity level and journaling does.  Check out her blog: biggirlcurves.blogspot.com

kimberly weight loss

Tenisha lost 50 pounds

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Let’s show some love to Tenisha who lost 50 pounds by cutting out carbs.  Here is what she shared with us:

I lost 50 pounds cutting back on carbs.  I have tried everything in the world to lose weight and I finally found something that works. I have been counting carbs and I really haven’t had time to exercise because of school, work and maintaining a family! I just wanted to share my story with other busy women who want to be healthier but do not have time to exercise. My motivation: My health and my self esteem.  My weight loss journey has taken about six months.

Tenisha weight loss before and after

Lauren lost 94 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Lauren lost 94 pounds.  She was scheduled for weight loss surgery but lost 50 pounds before her surgery date with Weight Watchers and changing her eating habits.  She went on to lose more after adding exercise.  Here is what she shared with us:

My journey of ACTUAL weight loss started Labor Day weekend 2011 on a whim. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired AND fat. I, on that whim, joined Weight Watchers Online.

My journey mentally started before I joined Weight Watchers. I was all primed to have weight loss surgery. I had gone to all the initial appointments. I had been to the all of the pre surgery appointments (psychiatrist, sleep study, primary care to get a letter of medical necessity, blood work, cardiology, gastroenterology, nutritionist and radiology). In my mind, I was going to have gastric sleeve surgery January 2012.

I had no idea how I was going to make Weight Watchers and weight loss happen but I was going to try. I have always given everything 100%, even eating so I was going to give losing 100%, too. I slowly explored the website. By slowly, continuing to make the same food AND measuring WWs taught me to make better food choices. I began to see the weight come off. I ate more fresh fruits and vegetables, even making them fresh myself.

I had done all the pre surgery work for my gastric sleeve surgeon and gone back to set a date. He said you are doing well, let push your next appointment with me out 6 weeks which I did. By the time, that 6 weeks rolled around I cancelled that appointment, too. By January 2012, I had dropped 50lbs and was ready to start exercising. I joined LA Fitness and started with a personal trainer 1x weekly.

It is now April 2013; 17 months later; 94 lbs down. I have gone from a size 22/24 to a 12/14. My shoe size has even gone from a 9 ½-10 to an 8 ½-9. I have lost at least 25 inches as of December 2012. And I am not finished yet. I am 12 lbs from my original goal and may tack another 20lbs on to that. And I am doing the C25K program with Black Girls Run starting this spring and hope to run my first 5k in June. I am also trying to quit smoking. And the thing that I am most proud of is that I am an inspiration to others!!!! I move more than I ever thought I would!!!! I work out at work. I go to the gym. I go to a group workout session on Saturdays in Camden, NJ with a GREAT trainer called Team Poke. I have done Zumba. All I want to do is move!!!!! My next “moving” is paint balling and rock wall climbing!!!!! This has been such an adventure. I have learned so much about myself and I continue to learn!!!!!

So the developments since I originally wrote this. I have, as of June 1st , have given up meat. I am learning to cook without meat. It is very interesting and exciting. I am now on the ecigarette. I’m closer to 100 lbs but I have more energy. My skin is clearer (switched to all natural products)!!!! I’m enjoying this experience and it is soooo empowering.

Lauren weight loss before and after

Juice 28: 28 Day Juicing Detox Plan

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In the past, I’ve shared with you great juicing resources from African-American Juicing Diva, Carla Douglin.  She is the author of “101 Juice Fast Recipes”, which I know many of you use and love.  Now, she has a guided 28 day juice detox plan that you really should check out.  I asked her to tell us all about it.  Here is the message from Carla:

Have YOU ever considered doing a juice fast? Maybe you’ve been hearing all the hype about juicing (Chaka Khan credits her recent 75-pound weight loss to the glory of juicing fruits and veggies) and want to try it out! The problem, though, is that it seems so complicated…AND expensive…AND just plain ol’ hard to do.

Trust me when I say that the claims of scrumptious skin, amazing energy, a happy, healthy body and effortless weight loss are TRUE! I’m Carla Douglin of Raw Raw Life!, and have already shed 20 pounds since June 1, 2013 on my post-pregnancy juice cleanse…all from simply drinking vegetable and fruit juice combinations. I have led thousands of people through a detox juice fast, and I’m here to help you jump on the juice train!

What would help you feel ready to do a juice fast?  How about:

  • Step-by-step instructions for each stage along the way.  (It’s important to get set up for success!)
  • ALL the advice you need to take on any issues that might come up.  (I’ve learned a LOT and I’m gonna share what I know with you in bit-sized chunks.)
  • Grocery lists, daily meal plans, tips, frequently asked questions, and MORE.  (Success happens when you have the proper tools, am I right?)

Basically, whatever you need, I’ve got it right here for you!

I’ve created Juice28! to make it easy for you to shed pounds and kick off a healthy new lifestyle!  Many of you have asked me how to get ready for a juice fast, so I put all my best tips, tricks, techniques, and tools in one place.

EVERYTHING’s included!

  • A 7-day transition menu to prepare your mind AND body for the fast.
  • 28 days of easy shopping lists and yumlicious juice recipes.  I’ve even got them grouped into 4-day increments so it feels more manageable — that’s a little secret that’s helped me a LOT on my fasts.
  • The FULL text from my “How to Break a Juice Fast” eBook so you’re smart about your transition back to solid foods.  This is something that is RARELY included in other programs I see out there…and it’s CRITICAL to having you feel healthy AND good during this phase.
  • Answers to your most-asked questions and tips to overcome what gets in the way of your success.
  • …AND MORE!

My goal is to get you the support you need to succeed and to also make it affordable so everyone can jump right in and get started.  So, for $35 I’m sharing everything I believe you need to jump into juicing and loving your body back to health.

So let’s get you started!  To begin, simply choose, below, between our 2 versions of Juice28!:  One is a “fruit and veggie combo” meal plan.  The other is more “green” and provides recipes that are all vegetable-based  (with a little fruit mixed in).  Once you make that choice and sign up, you’ll be ready to rock-and-roll!

So are you ready to experience Juice28’s magic? Let me show you how easy it is to feel fantastic AND be healthy!

See you on the inside…

Note: Pregnant and nursing mothers should never embark on a juice fast, and diabetics or those with blood sugar issues, people with liver or kidney diseases, or other chronic conditions should discuss any dietary changes with their doctor before starting.

How Is Your Weight and Heart Disease Connected?

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For the past several years, the news media, health publications and the CDC have heavily publicized the topic of weight in this country and the fact that Americans are getting heavier. In fact, more than 60-percent of people are considered overweight or obese. What’s the difference? An adult with a BMI (body mass index) of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. Anything over that is considered obese.  BMI is of course disputed in terms of it being a good model for every one, regardless of race, bone density, etc…but it is on of measures that the medical field uses.

Heart disease weightUntil recently, many people – even medical professionals – didn’t consider weight alone as a risk factor for heart disease. It was the other things like high-blood pressure, high-cholesterol and diabetes that caused heart disease the commonly agreed on thought. Therefore, it was thought that weight and heart disease were merely linked indirectly. However, recent studies have now shown that being overweight can lead to heart disease even in the absence of other risk factors.

Did you know…

“African-American women are 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have high blood pressure, putting them ahead of the pack when it comes to heart disease risk.”- Source

Heart Disease: Prevalence and Risk Factors

As the number one cause of death in the United States, heart disease accounts for approximately 30-percent of all deaths annually. In addition to excess weight, there are numerous other risk factors for heart disease. When combined with obesity, these risk factors become even more worrisome. Risk factors include;

  • High Cholesterol
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Poor Diet
  • Sedentary Lifestyle
  • Alcohol Consumption
  • Heredity

How Excess Weight Influences Heart Disease

As mentioned before, excess weight can cause certain risk factors that increase the risk of heart disease. However, obesity can cause heart disease in some people even in the absence of other risk factors. The simple act of carrying around extra weight day in and day out can burden your heart, weakening its ability to pump blood efficiently. In many cases, this can lead to congestive heart failure. Additionally, fat cells themselves can release chemicals and inflammatory substances that can lead to heart disease. Excess weight also compromises circulation and can cause blood clots.

Weight Distribution and Heart Disease

All fat is not created equal. Depending on where your body stores fat, your risk for heart disease might be lower or higher than someone with a different body shape. Those who carry weight around the middle – apple body shape – are at higher risk for heart disease than those who carry excess weight in their hips and lower body. For men, a waist larger than 40 inches in diameter is considered a risk factor for heart disease. In women, anything over a 35-inch waist is considered a risk factor.

The link between weight and heart disease is now clearly defined in medical research. Even if you’re perfectly healthy otherwise, you could still be at risk for heart disease so this is not just an issue for overweight people. Fortunately, you can significantly reduce your risk for heart disease by reducing your weight by even 10-percent. If you’re overweight, you should also have regular screenings with your doctor for other risk factors such as cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure.  It’s important to seek medical advise on health disease if you have any of the risk factors.  Be proactive.

Candida Symptoms and How to Cleanse It from the Body

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candidaCandida, the medical term for yeast overgrowth, can occur anywhere on the body – both internally and externally. Rather than something you catch, Candida (yeast) is present in the body at all times. In fact, it plays a vital role in bodily functions, aids in digestion and keeps certain types of bacteria from overpopulating. Most of the time, yeast causes very little problems – you don’t even know it’s there. However, when yeast multiplies, you will know it.

Candida can also affect weight loss and weight gain.

“How does yeast overgrowth prevent weight loss? If yeast causes cravings for sugary, starchy foods, these empty calories get stored as fat. Yeast releases toxins, so the more yeast inside, the more toxins released. These toxins can affect many systems in the body, including those that aid in weight loss.

Lowered metabolism can be a result of yeast toxins on the thyroid. You may become bloated and retain fluid. The toxins released from yeast can create hormonal imbalances that affect your ability to lose weight. Yeast toxins may increase cortisol levels and belly fat if the toxins put enough stress on your body.” – Source

Talk to your doctor for a diagnosis.  Find out their recommendations for how you can help your body to eliminate candida and what medicines are available.  Here is some general info:

Candida Symptoms

As mentioned before, yeast infections can occur just about anywhere including the skin, genitals, throat, mouth, gastrointestinal tract and even the blood. Symptoms vary according to where the infection is located, but generally include:

  • Redness or irritation at the location
  • Itching
  • Pain and soreness in the affected area

As long as they remain localized, yeast infections only cause local discomfort. If they enter the bloodstream, however, they can be responsible for a host of symptoms and secondary illnesses including:

  • Digestive issues
  • Skin and nail fungus
  • Fatigue
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Mood swings, depression and anxiety
  • Allergies
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Recurrent vaginal and urinary tract infections

Candida Treatment: Medical Options

Local yeast infections are normally treated with creams, powders or oral medications. For common infections such as vaginal yeast infections, athletes foot and diaper rash, you can purchase antifungal creams and powders at any drug or department store. For infections of the mouth (thrush) or more severe infections, your doctor may prescribe the appropriate medications. Sometimes, it’s necessary to take anti-fungal medications orally over the course of several days.

Candida Treatment: Treating and Preventing Yeast Overgrowth with Nutrition

Recurring infections, especially those of the gut and bloodstream, call for a change in diet. When the infections just keep coming back or when they never go away, it’s usually due to a food allergy or an abundance of certain types of foods in the digestive system, which kills off the healthy bacteria your body needs to reduce and maintain normal levels of yeast in your body. The following nutritional tips will help you stop yeast overgrowth:

  1. Follow a low carbohydrate diet. Yeast feeds off of simple carbohydrates, so try your best to eliminate these from your diet. Simple carbohydrates include breads, alcohol and virtually anything made with flour.
  2. Say no to sugar. This is one of the most important things you can do to deal with candida.  Candy, cake, pie, ice cream, soda – you name it – all contain some kind of sugar. Again, sugar is a simple carbohydrate. Eliminate all sugary foods from your diet.  This includes diet products with fake sugars.
  3. Cut back, but don’t eliminate complex carbohydrates. Eating one cup a day of complex carbohydrates can help eliminate yeast from your system.  You don’t want to cut out all carb because you need the fiber, but you need to cut back and give you body a chance to repopulate good bacteria and starve the yeast. Complex carbohydrates include grains, beans, fruit, pasta, potatoes and whole-grain breads.
  4. Eliminate foods that contain yeast. This includes all fermented foods or those that have natural mold, including cheese, dried fruit and beverages.

It’s a the best idea to treat any yeast infection medically and follow up with a change in diet. A combination of medical treatment and diet change will not only treat any current yeast infections, it may prevent future ones from occurring.

Ashley lost 40 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story:  Blogger Ashley lost 40 pounds with MyFitnessPal, clean eating, exercise and the Couch to 5K running program.  She says that she decided that if she made healthy choices for her body the weight loss would come naturally.  Here are the details of her weight loss journey that she shared with us:

I began my most recent weight loss attempt last September when the scale hit 184.6 pounds, but I have been trying to lose weight since I was little girl. My highest weight ever was 216.4 pounds when I was in middle school. I was obese and miserable.  the summer before high school I started going to Weight Watchers and got down to the 160s. My weight started to yo-yo after that. I would let my weight get up into the 180’s then decide I needed to go on a diet again and get back somewhere between 150 and 160. I never managed to make it to my goal weight, but I also never let myself leave Onederland again (the 100s).

Fast forward to my first year of law school. I was stressed out and eating badly but I let myself believe I hadn’t gained that much weight. I kept telling myself that fiction right up until I was too big for all my favorite dresses and I had to buy size 18 jeans because none of my old ones fit anymore. In late August I decided to find out how much damage I had done during my first year of law school so I ordered a bathroom scale for my apartment. When I stepped on it for the first time I was horrified. I was dangerously close to 190 pounds. I decided it was time to get to work and reach a healthy weight once and for all.

What was your motivation?
The first time I lost a large amount of weight, I did it because I wanted to be thin like the other girls in my school. This time when I decided to lose the weight, I did it for myself. I decided that I wanted to be healthy and fit. I wanted to live a better life than I had been living. I wanted to be happy.

How did you change your eating habits?
I started by counting calories and tracking what I ate in MyFitnessPal. At first I ate a lot of Lean Cuisine and other diet foods, but as I started doing more research about weight loss and eating healthy.  I realized that eating primarily frozen and processed meals wasn’t a healthy way to lose weight even if I was staying within my calorie budget. I slowly started to ease into clean eating. First, I gave up soda and learned to like water. I started trying new fruits and vegetables. I started cooking more. Eventually, I found clean replacements for the processed foods I loved. I started eating Peanut Butter Cookie Larabars instead of the peanut butter cookies I used to get at Subway as a treat. I started making my own pizzas with healthy ingredients instead of buying Lean Cuisine ones. I started doing most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s where I could find healthier, less processed foods than I could get at a regular store. As I made these changes, I started to feel better. I started focusing more on getting healthy than losing weight. Somewhere along the way I decided that if I made healthy choices for my body the weight loss would come naturally. So far, that approach has worked fairly well.

What did your workout routines look like?
When I started losing weight, I was really out of shape. My first forays into the gym involved setting the treadmill at an incline and walking for an hour at a time five or six times per week. I would see the other gym-goers running on the treadmills next to me and wish I could be like them, but at that point I didn’t think I would ever be able to run. Sometime in October, I came across the Couch to 5k program online. It was supposed to help you ease into running with interval training where you run for a minute or so then recover by walking for a couple of minutes. Eventually the running intervals get longer and the walking intervals get shorter until you are either running thirty minutes at a time or 5k (3.1 miles). I didn’t follow the program exactly, but I was able to run for twenty to thirty minutes at a time by the end of December and was running 3 miles several times a week by the end of January. The more active I became, the more active I wanted to be.  I started venturing to local parks and greenways and found that I love hiking.

What is your current weight? How long did your transformation take?
At my last weigh-in my weight was 145.4, but I’m not done losing weight. My current goal is to weigh between 130 and 135, but I mainly want to get toned up. My transformation up to this point has taken 10 months. I am still a work in progress, so you will have to read the rest of my journey on my blog: downsizingashley.blogspot.com/.

ashley weight loss before and after