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Ajima Jackson

Jacqueline lost 74 pounds

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Today’s Weight Loss Success Story: Jacqueline lost 74 pounds by eating 6 small meals per day and getting her cardio on!

She says,
“The pic on the left is at my heaviest 330. The pic on the right I am 256…that’s a total of 74 pounds..i am also 5″11…I am 26lbs away from my first goal weight. I will be in the 100lbs lost club. It has taken me almost 4 yrs to lose the weight. I had to relearn the way to eat, which has been the hardest part. I use portion control by eating six small meals a day and exercising 5-6 days a week for an hour to hour and a half. I do lots of cardio (Zumba, elliptical, spinning and jogging on the treadmill) and now I am putting strength training in my routine. I also drink 2 liters of water a day. I went from a size 26-28 to a 14-16…I have more energy and endurance than ever before. Not bad for a 40 year old woman :)”

What is the #1 food ingredient your should avoid for weight loss?

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As you know, I’m a big fan of eating natural foods and avoiding processed junk. So today I want to talk about some important information from Dr. Charles of Fat Loss Factor. On his website he goes into detail about the #1 food ingredient secretly making us fat.

I’ve chosen to share some info on this program because I’ve been getting a lot of messages from sisters who want a step by step plan that they can follow to lose the pounds.

What’s this dangerous ingredient? High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is a man made sweetener that is cheaper to produce and actually sweeter than sugar. During our November Challenge, Avoiding white sugar is one of our goals, so we definitely are avoiding HFCS.

Here’s what makes it so harmful: When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the tasty, sugary liquid into FAT. HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin. As a result, our bodies are “tricked” into a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full. It is associated with blood sugar problems, ADD/ADHD, depression, fatigue, B vitamin deficiency, indigestion, tooth decay, and most importantly… WEIGHT GAIN.

So what’s the solution? Just avoid HFCS? Unfortunately it’s not that easy. You see, HFCS is added to so many foods that historically have not contained sugar, like peanut butter, bread, yogurt and juices. So it’s very difficult to avoid completely. Also, even if you eliminated HFCS from your diet, it wouldn’t repair the damage that has already been done. There’s another step you have to take first. This is exactly why Dr. Charles created his Fat Loss Factor program… to help your body repair the damage from toxins like HFCS… and lose a lot of weight in the process.

The video on his website will give you more details and has a lot of awesome free info about weight loss in it. The food industry is well aware that HFCS is a problem. But instead of eliminating HFCS, the corn lobby in Washington, DC has asked the FDA to change the name of HFCS to “corn sugar.” They think that just changing the name will fool us into thinking it’s healthier. So you can’t rely on the food industry to help you eat healthier foods and lose weight. You need to take action on your own. Fat Loss Factor is a great, flexible weight loss plan that is not strict or confining and there’s a money back guarantee. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Note: This program suggests the Master Cleanse (also known as the Lemonade cleanse) as part of their detox for rapid, extreme weight loss.  I think that the master cleanse can be a good cleanse for the liver, but you could very well do a juice fast for 3 days as well.  This is the only part of the program that I question.

Breakfast without Refined Sugar and White Flour

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Hey Ladies,

One of the questions I’ve been getting as we begin our November Challenge is “What can I eat for breakfast as I try to avoid refined sugar and white flour?”.  I know that it’s a challenge because so many breakfast foods have these ingredients in them.

My main suggestion is that you eat more fruits and veggies at breakfast.  You can make juice or smoothies.  You can add veggies to your scrambled eggs or omelets for more nutrition.  Tomatos, onion, asparagus, shallots, mushrooms, and other veggies can be added to lean breakfast meats on whole wheat pita bread for a great breakfast sandwich.  Also, don’t forget that fruit alone makes a great breakfast.  Bananas, cut up fruit or unsweetened applesauce are 3 examples of things you can grab quickly.

You can also eat…

  • Oatmeal with no sugar added.  If you’re used to a lot of flavor in your oatmeal, you can just add it from more natural sources.  Add fresh fruit, cinnamon, honey, etc.  Steel cut oats are a better selection than instant, but do what you can.
  • Egg whites are your friend. – Eggs are still on the menu for this challenge and a great source of protein.  Use egg whites to cut the fat and cholesterol.
  • Plain yogurt with fresh fruit.  Many flavored yogurts have added sugar. To skip the sugar without sacrificing flavor, opt for plain yogurt (plain Greek yogurt have a great creamy texture) and add fresh fruit and/or honey or agave nectar sweetness.
  • Whole wheat for breakfast. There are some great whole wheat breads out there that truly have no refined flour in them.  There are also some great whole grain, no sugar added cereals out there.
    – Ezekiel Bread and Nature’s Own Sugar-Free 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat are 2 brands to try.
    – All Bran Extra Fiber Cereal, Puffed Kashi and Post Bran Flakes are all whole grain options for cereal.  I’d add natural sweeteners or fruit to improve the taste.
  • Lean Meat or Fish for Breakfast.  Chose meats like tuna, prosciutto, smoked salmon or turkey bacon.   Did you know that pork bacon has about 70 calories and 6 grams of fat for two slices but prosciutto has just 30 calories and 4 grams per equal sample.

Your best weapon as you strive to keep on track with our November challenge goals is education.  Be an educated consumer who reads labels and do your research on what foods are refined sugar and white flour free.

Ada’s Rules – Online Bookclub Meeting #1

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Ada's RulesHi Ladies, I hope that you are enjoying Ada’s Rules.  I loved the book and now I’m re-reading it along with you.  I believe that any woman who was ever on a diet or is a chronic dieter should love this book.  As a black women, I could see myself as well as women in my family and my friends in this book.  I really connected to Ada’s self sacrifice and being too busy to take time for yourself.  From an age standpoint, I really could relate to the plight of her unmarried daughters as well.

So, here is our first set of book club questions from the official Ada’s Army website.  Please discuss below.

Ada has a lot of things on her plate: running a daycare center; keeping in touch with young adult twin daughters; cooking for the vestry and other responsibilities of a Preacher’s wife; as well as cooking and cleaning for her parents who are battling both hoarding and depression. We might say she has way too much on her plate—except everything she does needs doing and there’s no one else around stepping up.

1. Does Ada find any kind of joy or satisfaction in performing mundane daily tasks and simply doing her duty?

2. Which of her “jobs” seems to bring her the most pleasure?

3. Which of her “jobs” presents the greatest challenge to her sanity and self-esteem?

4. How is being overworked detrimental to Ada’s health?

5. The first rule is “Don’t keep doing what you’ve always been doing.”  Is that a rule you can apply to your weight loss efforts?

6. The second rule is “Make a plan: set clear, multiple and changing goals”.  What did that mean to you?  What are your goals and your plan?

Updated: Rochelle lost 85 pounds with gastric bypass

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Check out Rochelle’s weight loss story.

She says, “I had gastric bypass in April 2012. I was weighing 345 now I’m down to 260. I have a long way to go I maintain by not eating slider foods & waiting an hour after I eat to drink.  Everyday is a struggle but I look @ where I was & I don’t want to go back there I love me some me.  This was the best thing I could have done for myself.  I feel good.  I was a size 28. I’m down to a 18. I maintain by eating right & exercise”

Update June 2013 –  It’s been a year and I’ve lost a total of 125 pounds through weight loss surgery. I started out at 350 pounds and now I’m 215 pounds. It has been a long journey. I had to have my mind made up that I wanted a lifestyle change. I have seen so many people have the surgery and gain all the weight back (and sometimes even more of their weight back than when they started). Before the surgery, I started to exercise, cut out fried foods, cut out pork & drink lots of water.  Now, after the surgery, I continue to do the same thing. Some days are better than others but I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF!

Rochelle weight loss surgery
Updated Photo

Romans 12 Transformation: Cynthia Lost 100 pounds

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Today’s Weight Loss Success Story: Cynthia lost 100 pounds!  She has graciously given us a lot of detail about her transformation (see below).

Cynthia romans 12 transformation

Transformation: Romans 12

My name is Cynthia and I want to tell you about my Journey of Transformation. I have entitled it as such, because truly that is what it has been for me and God has blessed me on so many levels and in so many areas of my life that I cannot share them all right here. I will attempt to give a summary on my weight loss journey. I have struggled with being overweight, then obese for most of my life. From early childhood, as early as I can remember, I was always chubby or chunky, bigger than all my cousins, friends and classmates. Not necessarily the fat girl, but not average weight. Then when I married my husband in 1992 I was 185lbs and we started having children, after each child (6 kids) I put on more weight until 2007, I reached obesity, even what doctors called “morbidly obese”. When I look back with 20/20 hindsight, I see how the enemy crept in and kept me at bay, because at that point in my life, depression set in and different physical elements began creeping in. I went to the doctor because everything seemed to hurt, my back, my legs all the time, my stomach was always on fire, my head hurt, I would wake up with monster headaches, my husband said I snored like a bear and I walked (kind of hobbled along) like my grandma, I was miserable. During the doctor’s visit, it was revealed that I had reached an all time highest weight of 313 lbs, which only made me more depressed. The doctor put me on high blood pressure pills, she said I was on the borderline for possible diabetes and she prescribed Zoloft for depression. I was in a terrible place and wanted out very bad. I began to ask the Lord to help me, I can see where He was sending the message my way but I wasn’t receiving it, thus I struggled.

I remember in 2010 attending a women’s conference, where I was a speaker and I spoke from Romans 12 concerning finances and how we are not to be conformed to way the world views finances and we needed to unplug from this Babylonian system and be transformed to God’s views of finances, have our minds renewed and walk in the blessings of God establishing His kingdom here on the earth. Well, the very next day another speaker used all of the same scriptures in reference to health, how we eat, exercise and become soldiers in Christ, laying aside weights that prevent us from being all God created us to be. WOW!!! What an eye opener for me! From that day the seed of the Word was planted in my heart and I was ready for change but I just needed the tools to make it reality in my life.

I began little changes, which resulted in about a 30lb loss, but it wasn’t until October of 2011 when everything came together. Our church took on the Divine Fitness challenge at JSU, to become the church that lost the most weight over a 6 wk period and I had joined the team. I was so excited because all I can say was “Thank You Jesus” for sending the tools. My mind was made up and I had already received the Word, I just didn’t know completely altogether how to make it happen and here it was right before my face. Everything our trainer asked us to do, I tried with everything in me and I lost about 13lbs in that 6 wk period. Our church won the challenge, then the Medical Mall called and offered the church to join a 10-month challenge. I was super excited at this point and truly wanted to make this weight loss a reality. Our church joined the challenge and weighing in at 271.6 lbs, I went to work, every challenge that was proposed I accepted and I just did my best, then I would work to beat my own personal best, each day I would do a little more than I did the day before or the week before. I joined the gym at JSU and eventually enrolled in Boot Camp and what an experience! I have been challenged to physically do things I have never done before in my life, but I accepted and did my best, never making excuses, nor cheating myself. I said within myself, that as long as the Lord is my helper and gives me strength, I can do anything and anything was what we were doing. I could not do one sit up, nor push up, and it took me 28 minutes to complete my 1st mile walking, huffing and puffing long the way and about to pass out. I went home hurting and in tears, but refused to let defeat camp at my doorstep. I was working on the new me and transformation was being manifested. So each day I went back determined to at least try to do everything requested of me.

I can now do at least 60 sit ups and push ups, I can now run 3 miles in just under 45 minutes and I have lost about 60 lbs in this year of 2012. I also accomplished a few other challenges, like during the month of July and August I took on the challenge of completing 100 miles (walking, jogging, running, elliptical, etc.), and back in April of this year our boot camp class walked/ran every stair in JSU’s AAC and it took me 55 min just to go half way around one time, on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, I completed 21⁄2 rounds in that same time frame. Oh yeah, 7 minutes on the elliptical has turned into 45 minutes easy. So yes, I see major progress and I am truly becoming the creation God intended for me to be. I have been cleaning this temple with healthy clean eating, being mindful of what I eat and how much I eat, applying all the scriptures to my life, making them reality and not just words on the pages of the bible. I use temperance and moderation and I see nothing as impossible, because He said all things are possible to him that believes. My biggest struggle throughout this process has been the battle in my own mind, voices telling me that I can’t do it, but I choose to listen and believe the voice of God telling me that I can do all things. I believe God is holding my hand and guiding me every step of the way through this process and I’m so excited with a great spirit of expectation of where He’s going to lead me to. Many have asked, “what’s your goal weight” or “how much do you want to lose”, at this point in my life, I want to go wherever the Lord leads me and my goal is to reach size healthy, fit and not overweight. I’m not sure what that size is on the scale or clothing numbers just yet, because I have never been there, but I intend, with everything within me, to reach that destination, with the help of the Lord. 

Tiffany lost 70+ pounds

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Today’s Success Story: Let’s show some love to Tiffany on her 70+ pound weight loss!

Tiffany weight loss

She sent us her story via our Facebook page:
I love love love this page! So positive, inspiring, and motivating! Keep up the great work. I would love to share my personal journey. I just recently posted/uploaded a pic on my personal page that reflects me at the October 2010 Breast Cancer Walk VS. the October 2012 Breast Cancer Walk. I stopped counting after I lost 70lbs. I am NOT a slave to the scale. I witnesses my success by mostly non scale successes such as the way my clothes fit, under clothes fit (LOL), if I have to add extra holes in my belt, heavier weights I can lift, and as always PICTURES!!! Pictures never lie! I attribute my weight loss success to many things which include Jillian Micheals at home dvds which is where I started, zumba fitness(I am now a licensed zumba fitness instructor), Black Girls Run Augusta group, and my wonderful personal trainer by the name of Suprina Henley, owner of SBH Fitness in Augusta, Ga. Throughout my weight loss journey I have found a deep love and respect for health and fitness, I am now on the road of studying/preparing to become a certified personal trainer as well as a Certified Nutritionist myself so that I can accurately educate the individuals in my community and possibly even reach individuals outside my local community. I had to make a decision to become healthy for myself and my son. My family has a long history of diabetes, high blood pressure, and several cancers on my mother and father. Anyway, keep up the GREAT work and uplifting women from state to state around the globe! May God continue to bless u my sista! 🙂:)

Tiffany after photo

Our First Saturday Check-in: BWLW November Challenge

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Ladies, it’s time to login to www.blackwomenlosingweight.com and post your weekly check-in for the November challenge!  Please take some time on Saturday or Sunday to let us know.  Post your check-in as a status message or blog post.

  • How are you doing with our exercise goal of 5 days per week?  This was not a full week of course, so how did you make out for the first 3 days?
  • Are you having any problems avoiding sugar?  Have you cut out sugar completely or just reduced your intake?  What is helping you to avoid the sweet stuff?  Do you have any tips of other BWLW Sistas?
  • Have you avoided white flour products?  What victories or challenges have you faced trying to avoid white flour and eat real whole wheat products?
  • Bonus Challenge:  How is your goal of juicing going so far?  What are you experiencing as you add nutrient rich juice to your diet?

It’s only Day 3, but many times it’s in the first few days of a challenge that people give up.  Don’t give up so soon, Ladies.  Stay accountable to the group and share with us.

Also, please take the time to encourage a few sisters as you would like to be encouraged

  • Comment on blog posts
  • Comment on status messages
  • Use the Advanced Search on the Members page of our online community to search for and connect to other women in your area.
  • Look at our groups page to find groups of women from your area or of similar interest.

Resources you should check out:

Steer Clear of Refined Sugar and White Flour – Huffington Post

Cancer Feeds on Sugar – The consumption of white sugar in the Western diet has increased significantly in the last 100 years (from 11 lbs a year in 1830 to 150 lbs a year at the end of the 20th century). It seems that the increased sugar consumption could be a contributing factor to the cancer epidemic. It is documented that people with diabetes have a higher incidence of cancer.  It was discovered by Otto Warburg in Germany that the metabolism of malignant tumors is largely dependent on glucose consumption. When we eat white sugar or white flour (high glycemic index foods) the body releases insulin accompanied by the release of IGF (Insulin-like growth factor) to allow the glucose to enter the cells to stimulate cell growth. Insulin and IGF promote cell growth as well as trigger inflammation in the system. This acts as a fertilizer for tumors.

 Truth About White Foods – WebMd.com

What Is White Food? – White food generally refers to foods that are white in color and that have been processed and refined, like flour, rice, pasta, bread, crackers, cereal, and simple sugars like table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Natural, unprocessed white foods, such as onions, cauliflower, turnips, white beans, and white potatoes don’t fall into the same category.  (Of course, health goes out the window when you deep-fry these or any other vegetables, or slather them with butter, sour cream, or cheese.) The difference between refined white foods and their healthier counterparts is processing and fiber.  Most white carbs start with flour that has been ground and refined by stripping off the outer layer, where the fiber is located.  Vitamins and/or minerals are frequently added back to enrich the refined product.

Here is a HITT Workout you can try at home.

Kick Fat’s Butt!!

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Kick Fat's Ass

Today’s Inspiration | If someone was trying to take your life, you would fight them. If they were trying to rob you of your joy, you would resist. You have to take the same stance when it comes to defending your health and wellness agains

t a bad diet and lack of exercise. It’s Day 2 of our November challenge and I’m putting FAT on notice. It WILL be defeated. I claim the victory! – Ajima

N’Nako lost weight after baby #4

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Today’s Feature:  N’Nako is a great inspiration to women wanting to lose their baby weight.  In her video  you’ll see her with child, at a size 10/12 and now a size 4.  Check out her Facebook page where she is inspiring others. 

nnako weight loss

I asked how she lost the weight and she says,
“I lost it by doing many things like: Eating raw very often, lots of fruits & veggies for snack, I drink nothing but water, green tea, a cup of coffee a day & smoothies. I am big on smoothies so they easily serve me as a healthy snack or meal replacement or postworkouts drink. I started running outdoors with my husband to change my routine with the HIIT on the treadmill. Days when I don’t run I do some Youtube videos for at leat 30 minutes.10 minutes videos when I am short on times, make my own combination of videos. I also added some weight lifting at home with whatever I have available. I do at least one workout a day 5-6 days a week, somedays 2 work outs . I do the 2nd workout on evenings especially when I want to watch a special TV show because I don’t like to just sit down and waste time in front of the TV so I get my workouts when I want to watch a show. I also read a lot of health & sport magazines to stay inspired and learn a few new tips here and there.  I am currently @127.6 . I was over 155 right after pregnancy, and around 140-145lbs on 7/1/12.”