Black Weight Loss Success

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Ajima Jackson

Laydee lost 35 pounds

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Laydee lost 35 pounds.  She says, “I lost 35lbs by reducing my carbs intake and with plenty of walking.  My starting weight was 258 pounds. My present weight is 223 pounds. I started my weight loss in aug 2012. For breakfast I would have homemade juice, 3 veggies and 1 fruit.  A yogurt. Then, lunch would be my heaviest meal of the day. I would eat my carbs for lunch…plenty of salad.  No soda or store bought juices.  Just water with lemon.  Dinner would consist of chicken, fish or turkey with steamed veggies or salad!! I walked a lot.  Now I’m considering joining a gym.  I need to lose 25 more.”

Laydee weight loss

Curvy Confident & Fit: Trina lost 52 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Trina lost over 52 pounds and has abs for days!  She is the founder of Curvy, Confident and Fit, a great Facebook community for fitness and weight loss.

Trina lost 52 pounds

I asked her to share her weight loss journey with us:

“Hello everyone!! I wanted to share my weight loss story and more with you ladies!!

This before picture is of me two weeks after giving birth to my son by c-section four years ago and my after picture is me after changing my eating habits and working out for the lasts 13 months!!  I started Jan 2012 weighing 230 and reached my goal of 180 Jun 2012. Lost a couple more since but focusing more on inches and toning:-).

I began my journey On January 2, 2012 by the grace of God with a new mind and determination!! I had always been somewhat into fitness but I could never control my eating habits!! Through prayer and God’s strength, He gave me the self-control that I needed and I immeditaley was easily able to cut out all the chips, cake, cookies, sodas, fried and sugary foods, etc and started eating more lean meats only baked, fruits, veggies, whole-grains, legumes, and also I cut out the sodas and juices! I was able to loose 50 pounds and go from my starting weight of 230 to my goal weight of 180 in the first 6 months! Once the weight came off I focus more on the toning. I cut out all the long cardio session and started doing more short intensifed workouts and focus more on toning and shaping my body. I basically use anywhere from 10-30 lbs dumbbells and do exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, should pressess, dips, etc. Nothing fancy:-) My cardio consist of running and spinning most of the time but always at a high intensity level as well:-) I work my core three days a week and do a variety of exercises like front and side planks, bridges, jackknives, flutter kicks, reverse crunches and the supermans to target the lower back, etc. I can tell you ladies to maintain yor midsection you MUST get your eating habits right at least 90% of the time. There are times when I notice a difference in my midsection, I don’t care how hard I worked for that week, if my eating was really off my stomach was off 🙂 Anyway ladies just wanted to share and let you all know it is possible to get your body back!!

Fabiola lost 93 pounds

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Fabiola lost 93 pounds with the help of weight loss surgery.  Check out her story and a video of her transformation below.Fabiola weight loss

Here are the details of her story:

Im only here to speak the truth and nothing but the truth! In 2009, I started my weight loss journey at 288 pounds. I had the lap band and at the time, had lost 60 pounds in a year. I ended up gaining all the weight back.  It was a struggle everyday.  It was hard to eat dense protein like chicken or turkey bc I would get “stuck”. I found myself eating cookies and starch all the time cause those “slider” foods went down well. I knew that surgery could NEVER fix my food addiction. Before surgery I vowed to give up junk if I could be satisfied with small healthy portions. Unfortunately with the band, I was never truly satisfied with small portions and that’s the truth. I commend those who reached their goals with the band because its NOT easy.

Weight loss surgery is not the easy way out, if it were then real people like me would have never failed the first time around..It is a tool that if used correctly and if it is effective, can help you lose weight!

Luckily for me, I was able to get the band revised to the gastric sleeve in June 2012.. This tool is more effective for ME. My stomach is smaller now and I’m finally able to eat dense protein and stay satisfied like I always wanted! This is the ONLY thing that has worked for ME and I could not have accomplished so much without this tool. I had to make drastic changes such as eliminating carbs sodas and junk from my diet…I concentrate on eating a lot of proteins like chicken, fish, eggs etc. Premiere protein shake from Costco is great! 160cal and 30g protein! Chocolate flavor is the best, had to throw that in! Lol..I work out 6 days a week and do a lot of strength training to avoid sagging skin. I love every minute of my journey and will continue to put an end to obesity.

If you are against weight loss surgery then I truly wish u the best on losing it the natural way, hopefully you will get there soon..But to everybody else who has tried doing it the natural way for years on end and are tired of being in denial and are interested in weight loss surgery, I say live your life for you! Cause at the end of the day, when the lights go off and your buried 6 feet deep, ain’t nobody gonna be there but you. So stop worrying about what others think and live your life the way you want to before it too late. If weight loss surgery is your last option then at least your making a last effort instead of just sitting there and packing on more pounds…Plus If everybody else can be happy, why can’t you?  Be blessed always, Fabiola Apollon”

Day 6 – First Check-in Weekend for the February Challenge

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I just wanted to remind you that this is our first check-in weekend for the February Challenge – “Eat Clean/Food Diary/5 Days of Exercise”.

How is this month’s challenge going for you?  

Have you been on track with clean eating this week?  

Have you been consistent with regular exercise 5 days per week and keeping a food journal?  

Check-in on our online community (as a blog post or status message on your profile) or on our Facbook page and let your BWLW know.  Every weekend (Saturday thru Sunday) we will be checking in so that we can encourage one another and stay accountable to our February Goals.

This month is all about really looking at the food we are putting in our mouths and being able to make food choices that work in favor of our weight loss and health goals, not against them.  This month we are working to clean up our eating habits and make sure that our exercise efforts are not hindered by our diet.

If you haven’t committed to the Feb challenge yet, there is still 2 weeks left to commit to clean eating, exercise and accountability.  We are all in this together!

february goals

Kimberly lost 60 pounds

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Today’s featured success story: Kimberly lost 60 pounds post-baby with juicing, Zumba and the Daniel Fast.  Her story is another example that adding more fruits and veggies and cleaning up your diet can lead to rapid results.

Kimberly weight loss feb

Here is what she had to say about her weight loss journey:
“I have lost 60lbs so far. I started out juicing for 3 weeks then began eating salads, fish and fruit. No sugar or starches, only whole grains.  I’m currently on a 21 day fast called the Daniel Fast which is basically  just fruits and veggies. As far as my workout I do Zumba for cardio and resistance workouts with resistance bands.  I also do pushups crunches for my abs.  My journey took about 6 months.
A lot of people have had negative things to say the 1st time I lost weight, well guess what Im doing again!!! The SAME way ..Clean healthy eating and exercising & In That Order. Theses pix are embarrassing but I can care less because I know where God has brought me from.  I only hope to be motivation to someone else! #thatisall #motivated #blessed”

Renate lost 41 pounds

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Another Zumba success story!  Renate lost 41 pounds.  She says:

“Hi BWLW, I’m proud of my accomplishment of losing 41 lbs! I have 70 lbs to go and I’m well on my way! Zumba and protein shakes are helping me a great deal. I struggle with fast food but I’m not as bad as I use to be. The first pic I took in June 2012.  I started my journey on 8/13/12. It has been work and I love it!! Just wanted to share my story because I’m proud of me.”

renate weight loss

Toccaro lost 248 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Toccaro lost 248 pounds with the help of weight loss surgery (gastric bypass).  She is now a certified spin instructor and is prepping for a bodybuilding competition.

Toccaro weight loss

Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

“After reaching 435 pounds, I had gastric bypass in 2008. I been working hard every since. I have lost 248lbs, and I am currently a certified spin instructor teaching at three different gyms. I work with a personal trainer two days a week and I am currently training to prepare for my first female body building competition. In terms of eating I have a balanced diet of lean protein, veggies, and I juice 4 days a week. I restrict processed sugars, high fat, and heavy carbs!”

Toccaro’s workouts are no joke.  Check out her video.

Niesha lost 80 pounds

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We are keeping food journals for our February Challenge and I know that a lot of us are using My Fitness Pal to do so.  I wanted to share Niesha’s story with you.  She lost 80 pounds with the help of MFP.

Niesha weight loss

Here is what she wrote us about her journey:

“After having my son in March of 2009 and having to take care of my father, I didn’t have much of a social life. I never realized how big I’d gotten and everyone else did notice but never said anything. So after the passing of my father in 2011, I decided to get fit and healthy. I downloaded this app called My Fitness Pal and began to eat healthier.  I drank plenty of water and I exercised 5-7 days per week (up to 3 hrs per day). I even have a gym membership.  I barely go due to work and my son, but I exercise at home. With these few things, I’d lost 80lbs within a year. I still have more to go but with a page like this, the Great Lord above and my wonderful son I was able to achieve this goal. I wanna say Thank You for posting pics and giving tips because it has helped me alot.”

Shelia lost 35 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Shelia lost 35 pounds.

Shelia weight loss

Here is what Shelia had to say about her weight loss journey:

“I’d like to share my story. I have lost 35lbs. I workout at least 2 hours a day. I love Taebo, kickboxing, and cardio. I stay away from a lot of fried foods. I started this journey a about a year ago on January 1, 2012. I started at 206 lbs.  Today, I weigh 173 lbs.  My goal was to be healthier. I eat a lot vegetables, very little bread, drink plenty of water, no sodas.  I substitute turkey for ground beef.  I also eat alot of chicken and fish.  Thank you and this page is such an inspiration.”

Do you know what Really makes that meat look red?

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Today’s Inspiration:  Another reason to consider a plant-based diet. – Did you know that some of meat we purchase has been treated with a “harmless” dose carbon-monoxide to make it look fresher. It give the meat a bright red color.  This treatment was approved by the FDA in 2004.  The worry is not only the carbon monoxide itself, but the fact that meat continues to look fresh long after it may have started to spoil fooling the consumer into buying a sub-standard product.  I think that the worst thing about this, is that meat is not labeled to let you know if your meat has been treated with carbon-monoxide.  We consumers don’t have a choice, unless we ask the meat department staff to disclose.  Just another reason, why I’ve chosen to switch to a plant-based diet.

Here is some info from About.com/Chemistry

“Have you ever wondered why some meat starts looking brown after a few days in the meat case at the grocery store, while other meat stays fresh-looking longer? Some meat is packaged in an atmosphere high in carbon monoxide, as opposed to normal air. The carbon monoxide binds to the myoglobin (a protein) in the meat to cause it to look the pink color most of us associate with fresh meat. The chemical reaction that causes the color fixation doesn’t present a health hazard, but there are concerns about consumer safety because people buy meat according to how it looks. Meat that has been packaged in a carbon monoxide-rich atmosphere will continue to look pink past the point when it should be sold. Untreated meat gets darker in color as it stays on the shelf. Of course, there are other indicators of freshness. A slimy appearance is a giveaway of decay, as is bulging packaging from the gases produced by bacteria. If you could smell the meat, you’d know whether or not it’s good, too.”