Black Weight Loss Success

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Ajima Jackson

Lauren lost 105 pounds

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Lauren lost 105 pounds and is fighting diabetes with healthy living.

“Here’s some inspiration directly aimed for women 40+.  I just had to make some basic lifetstyle changes; cut out junk, processed and fried foods, all refined foods (bread, rice, pasta, etc.).  I eat more plant based foods (fruit, plenty of veggies and whole grains, seeds & nuts).  Also part of my transformation is juicing and smoothies; whole lot of exercise (mainly walking and cardio), drinking lots of water (alkaline whenever possible) and my faith in God to get me through it all! #fightingtype2diabetes

I also cut out dairy and replaced it with almond and coconut milk, replaced butter with coconut oil.  I limited all meat & poultry, but eat more fish and seafood.  I do indulge every once in a while with foods I enjoy (bacon and chocolate for example) #Ihatediets #enjoyyourfood”

Lauren

Maretta lost 82 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: My Sigma Gamma Rho soror Maretta lost 82 pounds!  Check out the awesome video of her transformation below.

“I’ve lost 82 lbs… My diet still needs work but I’ve been watching my portion sizes. The biggest thing that has helped me is persistence. I go to the gym every day at 5am for at least one hour of cardio. I’ve also increased my water intake to 3 water jugs a day.”

maretta weight loss

What is the difference between being curvy and being fat in the Black Community?

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Question: In the black community, what is the difference between being curvy and being fat? Is it about body size, attractiveness, health…what do you think?  I hear people refer to themselves as curvy or thick a lot, but I don’t hear a lot of agreement on what that is in terms of weight or too much weight?

Oh, and the men who visit our Facebook page…many of them are quite anti-weight loss for black women.  They claim they love curves, but I think that has a lot to do with WHERE the curves are.  I don’t see too much large tummy love out there.  Are they putting women with large stomachs in rap videos now?   Yeah…ask the brothers about that.

My main concern is that I hear from people all the time who say that they don’t want to lose weight because they don’t want to lose their curves. My response is that you will likely not lose such a significant amount of weight that you will have no curves if your are curvy to begin with. You will just be curvy in a new way. The need to be curvy should not stop you from losing weight if you know that weight loss would improve your health.

What do you think?  What is your opinion?  I’ve gotten 172 responses so far on Facebook today.

logosmbwlw

 

Shekeena lost over 100 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Shekeena lost over 100 pounds by working out, eating clean and drinking WATER!

“Here’s my weight loss story: I’ve been over weight ALL my life. I’ve also tried every diet you can think of, but nothing worked. So I gave up on trying to lose the weight. One day I was sitting watching tv and my heart started beating really fast. That was the day I knew I had to do something, either get the weight off or die young. I go to the gym 6 days a week and twice a day Monday thru Friday. I eat clean meats ONLY, no sweets, fried foods, nor fast foods. It’s been a year since I’ve had pork and soda..WATER WATER WATER. Now I’ve lost OVER 100 pounds.  I don’t get on the scale I let my clothing do the talking.  Oh and I still have some more weight to get off, but I’m close.  NEVER give up if I can do it YOU can do it. GOD will help you see it thru.”

Shekeena

Updated: Trayce lost 137 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story:  Trayce lost 100 pounds with clean eating and exercise.  This mom of 3 has been inspired to become a fitness instructor and wants to help other moms get healthy. (See her update below.  She is now down 137 pounds)

“I’ve lost 100 lbs through clean eating and exercise. Im a Celebrity Hairstylist who is now studying to be a fitness instructor. I love my new life! Im also a mom of 3 and a wife.

I totally changed my eating. I hired a nutritionist to teach me how to read labels and understand food better. I worked out 3 times a week in the beginning. Then, after 50 lbs off, I started going twice a day sometimes. My transformation has taken 2 years and I’m still going. My motivation has been wanting to be the best me I could. I lost the excuse of “its baby weight”. I’m 34.  At age 29-30 my husband use to have to push me out of bed and help me up the stairs because my back hurt so bad. I was in and out of the hospital with anxiety attacks. I was just too young to be that miserable. I was an athlete and model prior to my 3 kids (12,9,7).  I wanted my life back and I got it. Now I’m training to be a fitness instructor to help overweight moms. I love how GOD has used my journey to help others.”

Check out her Facebook page.

Trayce Madre weight loss story

Updated (Nov 2013) – Trayce is now down 137 pounds: “I did it again!!! People still cant believe that I’m doing it the real way! I’m now done. I’ve been on tv and my photos circulated everywhere. I need the right platform to help others which is why I keep coming back but I’m not half my weight. Praise god it can be done!”

Trayce weight loss story

Trayce Madre weight loss photos

Bridgette lost 72 pounds

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Bridgette lost 72 pounds and is today’s featured weight loss success story.  She says:

“These photos are from Valentine’s Day 2011 and Valentine’s Day 2013. What a difference it makes when you take some time to love yourself first! I’ve lost a total of 72 pounds over the past year by working out (Curves, Zumba, Turbo Kick, and more), and eating healthier meals.

I started out by limiting my carb intake to only those in fruits and vegetables. I included a lean protein with each meal and ate 5 small meals a day. After a few months, I gradually began to add back in whole grains. I used MyFitnessPal and SparkPeople to track my calorie intake and exercise calories burned. I worked out 5-6 days a week, by starting with fitness games on my Wii at home and a free month trial at Curves. Then I then joined Curves, started doing Zumba and also started taking Turbo Kick classes. What also helped me was joining a weight loss contest sponsored by a local hospital. The program offered a lot of free support through lectures, cooking demonstrations, a weekly exercise bootcamp class, and an online community forum. Now I workout out 3-4 days a week and I’m mainly concentrating on toning.”

Bridgette weight loss

Jacque lost 80 pounds in 7 months

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Update Oct 2015 – We featured Jacque’s story back in 2013.  This Zeta Phi Beta soror lost 80 pounds in 7 months.  She recently sent in an update to let us know that she’s not only maintained her weight loss, but also lost another 20 pounds for a total of 100 pounds gone. Check out her updated before and after.

jacque before and after

I have lost 100 pounds! I continue to workout by teaching Zumba and reducing my food intake. I stay motivated through my students. The biggest lesson I have learned is staying healthy is a way of life. If you eat everyday, you should workout everyday. Some days more than others. Whether you do a Zumba class or you take the stairs instead of taking the elevator, you should have some form of exercise daily.

I’m hosting a $1 Zumba class in Raleigh, North Carolina, hoping to help people in my area. The class is every Monday from 6pm to 7:15pm. My business, Z-Fitness with Jacque Inc., is all about helping women meet their fitness goals.

March 2013 – Featured weight loss success story of the day: Zeta Phi Beta Soror Jacque lost 80 pounds in 7 months.  She did it by working out and eating smaller portions.  She is now a Zumba instructor.

“Here is my weight loss picture. I did it in 7 months with mostly Zumba, treadmill and smaller portions of food. I am now a Zumba instructor and impacting many other people.  When I started this journey, I just knew I had to loose weight. I started out walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes twice a day. I didn’t diet.  What I did was used portion control. I ate my meals on a smaller plate. For lunch I had Progresso soup daily and didn’t eat after 6pm. I did cut out two of the foods I consumed the most of which was any type of bread and Pepsi’s. I also stopped eating at fast food windows. I started at 255 and now 7 months later I weigh 175. It was hard work but I feel like anything you put your mind and heart to you can do it!  Thank you for sharing and hope it inspires someone else.”

Update 9/25/2013: “Hi I’m coming to you again. I was featured on your page in March 2013. I want to show people how I’m still loosing weight as a Zumba instructor and personal trainer. Being featured on your page has let me inspire a lot of people. As I continue to loose weight, eat healthy and eat in moderation, I want others to know that you can do whatever you put your mind to. I went from weighing 255 at a size 22 and now weighing 169 at a size 8 (86 pounds lost). To God be the glory! I hope this inspires someone else.”

Facebook page: Z-Fitness-with-Jacque-Inc

Original photo

Jacque weight loss story

Updated photo

Jacque updated weight loss story

 

March Challenge Check-in – Week 1 – March 1-8, 2013

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Hi Ladies,

It’s check-in time for BWLW’s March Challenge.  Please take the time to let us know how March 1-8 has gone for you.

We want to know about your successes, your challenges and how your weight and health has been impacted.

March 2013 challenge

Blessings,

Ebony Ajima

Jamila lost 100 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Jamila lost 100 pounds.  She joined the non-surgical weight loss program at a bariatric clinic for obesity.

“It’s official…I’ve lost 100lbs!!! I started this journey August 2011, once I weighed 244lbs. I started with P90x and lost 35lbs after the 90 days. I gained some of the weight back. I was able to maintain 215lbs for about 6 months with a lot of work. Once I started inching back up to 220lbs…I decided enough was enough so in July/August 2012, I went to a bariatric clinic for obesity and joined their non-surgical weight loss program, at that time I was 217lbs. Following their suggestions for exercise (move at least 45 minuter a day and do strength training 2-3 times a week) and for lifestyle changes, i.e. diet (1000 calories a day, 50 grams of carbs, 60-90 grams of protein, 8 cups of water, and serving size of 1 cup per meal), I lost 10lbs the first week. I was down 50lbs within 5 months. As of today, 20 months after starting my journey and after 7 months after joining the weight loss program, I have lost over 100lbs, 13% body fat, and gained 1 million percent self esteem, energy, and a renewed look on life.”

Jamila weight loss

Question: Is Soul Food Making Black Folks Fat?

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soul foodHappy Day 8 of our March Challenge!!   Ladies, I’d love for your to weigh-in on what I know is a serious discussion in our community.  “Soul Food Junkies” recently aired on PBS and it has definitely spurred some conversation (video below) on this topic.

  • Is Soul Food a main component of our weight gain equation?
  • Why is soul food so important to us and is that a reason to defend it without question?
  • Should black people stop eating soul food?
  • Should we just cook our soul food in heathier ways?  What would those ways be?
  • Has soul food been demonized?
  • How can we both celebrate our food heritage and eat healthy?

 

I would love to know what the Black Women Losing Weight sisterhood thinks about these questions.

A note about the film:

“At least, this is the theory that drove Hurt’s documentary. His father, Jackie Hurt, was a soul food lover, and he was obese.  He died of pancreatic cancer in 2004 at the age of 63. His father’s death led the filmmaker to examine the significance of this black culinary tradition—and the consequences of it on our health. (Diet-related health statistics for black folks are frightening: 4 in 5 African-American women are overweight or obese, and African Americans in general are more than twice as likely as whites to die of diabetes.)” – blackhealthmatters.com