The Official Blog of the Black Women Losing Weight Community. Tips, articles and weight loss resources for African American Women.
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
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.
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.”
Today’s Success Story: We want to thank BWLW member and deployed Soldier Paqueshia for her service to our country and for sharing her 33 pound weight loss success story with us!! You are an inspiration to other African American service women who may be dealing with weight and health issues.
She says,
I am a deployed Soldier. I was 154 in Jan of 2011 after being put on the Mirena. I started to gain more weight. By Oct 2011 I was up to 163 which is the heaviest I have ever been in my life (including 2 pregnancies and due to gallbladder removal and the birth control Mirena that they put me on after I had my son.). Late October 2011, I deployed to Afghanistan where I began to work out 6 days a week. I also changed my eating habits. No fried foods, no sodas and no salt. I also incorporated some type of cardio everyday. At first I plateaued after losing only 10 pounds but, once I changed my diet (cut out fried foods and sugar) I was able to lose the rest of the weight. I believe the key thing for me was cardio, cardio and cardio. Different forms of cardio, running, ellipitcal and sprinting up hill (which also increased my run time). You have to set a goal, create a routine and stick to it! Also a good playlist plays a part.
I just weighed myself 2 days ago and I am now 130. I have lost a total of 33 pounds. I feel so much healthier. I post my workouts everyday to encourage others. I am so thankful and I feel great!!! Thanking God that the pounds continue to drop. Be encouraged and be blessed 🙂
Today’s Feature: Fit Momma has lost 65 pounds! Her Facebook page notes that she has gone from a size 22W to a size 10/12 and is currently training for her very first marathon.
She says,
May 2011 – 246 lbs
October 2012 – 181 lbs
65 lbs GONE!! Almost there! 😀
I never thought in a MILLION years that I could lose weight without dieting but that’s exactly what I did. I realized that dieting is NOT for me. Every time I would go on a diet I would eat everything under the sun before Monday, the day when I would start my diet…only problem…Monday never came. Or when it did I would start and stop because my diet consisted of way to many restrictions. The moment I stopped restricting myself and starting eating what I wanted, in moderation..that’s when I saw results!
When I first started working out I started with a combination of c25k (3 days a week) and an ifit live program on my treadmill (2-3 days a week. I was working out 5-6 days a week.
Thank you for sharing with us, Fit Momma. Great Job!
Let’s show some love to Nicole who has lost 112 pounds! Check out Nicole’s story below.
She says,
I love this website!! In this pic I was at my heaviest approximately 267 pounds. I always worked out, but was not seeing results partially because I was not taking my diet seriously, but later I find out that I had polycystic ovarian syndrome which causes an embalance in the hormones and makes it difficult to lose weight. It was recommended by my OBGYN that I have weight loss surgery. Four years later after relocating to Miami I had the sleeve weight loss surgery. To date I have lost a total of 112 pounds by working out five to six days per a week, switching up my workouts, and portion control. If I can do it, anyone can!!
2. You will commit to check-in with your fellow BWLW sisters on our online community each Saturday in November to let us know how the challenge is going for you. You will let everyone know your workout totals in terms of days and hours worked out. You will also note what challenges and successes you’ve had while trying to avoid sugar and white flour. Of course, you’ll also note how your weight is affected by the challenge goals. Check-in with a status message, photo, blog post…it’s your choice. We just want to hold each other accountable. BWLW members will also be posting on our Facebook page.
Bonus Challenge – Juicing at least once per day!
Do you want to step up the complexity of this month’s challenge? Interested in adding juicing to your daily eating goals? Me too. I’ve decided to add at least one 20 oz glass of juice to eating regime each day. There are a lot of free recipe resources online that you can check out. I’ll be using a great collection of 101 recipes I found: “101 Juice Fast Recipes“. I bought it after I saw the juice fasting documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead“. Just $1.01! for 101 recipes from African American Juicing Diva, Carla of Raw Raw Life. Check it out!
Leave a comment below and let me know what your goals for November are and what you’d like to get out of this month’s challenge.
Our book of the month will be “Ada’s Rules” and I’ll be posting book club questions on the blog for discussion for those who are interested.
Ada’s Rules: A Sexy Skinny Novel
Black Women ARE Losing Weight with our monthly challenges! Let’s keep the momentum going in November.
Today’s Success Story: Parish has lost 47 pounds from April 2012 to Oct 2012. You can connect with her on our online community to see more photos of her transformation.
She says,
“When I went to the doctor in March 2012, I was at my heaviest weight ever and I couldn’t believe that I completely let myself go. I was 223lbs, my pressure was high, my self-esteem was low and I was headed to an early grave. I was headed to see Oprah on April 4th in New York and decided to that once I got back I would start a lifestyle change. On April 8th I started counting calories and working out. The picture you see is from the MS walk April 14, 2012. I’m not proud of it by no means but that was a reality check for me. I had no idea I looked so out of shape, but with hard work and determination I’ve loss 47lbs in 6 months. I’ve gone from a size 16/18 to a size 12. I still have 26lbs to go to reach my goal of 150lbs but i’m well on my way. I’m feeling the 3 F’s (Fine, Fit and Fabulous) using the 3D’s(Dedication, Determination and Drive). No diets, No surgery, No weight loss pills…just eating healthy, drinking plenty water and circuit training, walking and jogging. I enjoy the skin I’m in.”
Thank you so much for sharing with us, Parish!!
Much love to Sholonda who has gone from a size 28/30 to 21/20 since Aug! Like many of us, she has tried a number of different things including weight loss surgery and B-12 injections to lose weight and now she’s found a regime that works for her.
She says,
Hello Everyone, My name is Sholonda P. and I am 39 years old and I live in Chicago, IL. I was recommended by a friend to come to this page and tell my story. I have always been heavy since a child. I have been up and down on yo-yo diets all the time as well as even going as far as getting a lap band and then having it removed. Just recently I had made up my mind that I wanted to lose weight and do it the right way, naturally. On July 26, 2012 I started my new goal of losing weight and as of today I have lost a total of 47lbs. I started drinking more water than I usually did. I started getting B-12 injections weekly or bi-weekly to help with my energy and boost my metabolism and help break down the fat cells. Even if I don’t get the injections I buy the B-12 pills at the store. I also do water aerobics 4-5 times a week. Because the water aerobics work all parts of your body and muscles that you have not used in a longtime and makes you feel good also, especially if you are not a person that likes to walk or exercise, the water aerobics really work. I just really made a decision to change so I changed my diet, I stopped eating bread, potatoes & junk food, pop, fried foods and some beef meat and no pork. I now eat baked foods without the skin. It was hard at first, but I am doing it and everyday it gets a little easier, as long as you have determination and want to do it. I eat what I want, but I have cut my portions down and eat more salads and fruits. I also watch my calorie intake. It is true you should eat breakfast because it helps you out a lot and helps you to not over eat later, so if I don’t cook breakfast I will drink a protein drink and eat some fruit and that holds you over until lunch. I really like eating salads with a grilled chicken breast and the fat free dressing, so far this is what I have been doing. Just take your time and DON’T GET FRUSTRATED & DON’T GIVE UP, if you mess up one day, just go back after it until you get it right. Make it one of your short term goals and give it a certain time when you want to complete it by and that works too. I have went from a 28-30 to a 21-22 and I feel great and most importantly, I LOVE ME, NO MATTER HOW I AM. I still have some ways to go to where i want to be by June 2013 for my 10th year Renewing of my Wedding Vows.
This free, informative Fall Detox Guide explains why periodic cleanses are good for you, as well as containing a complete 3-day seasonal menu for naturally cleansing foods that are as delicious as they are nutritious.
This special meal plan will support your body’s own detox systems without leaving you feeling deprived. It comes from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition where I’m currently a student in the health coach program. I’m learning so much and I just wanted to share this great guide with you. Enjoy!
Let’s show some love to Shuronda! She has lost 43 pounds in 6 months!
She says,
I started my weight loss journey in April 2012. I noticed my weight getting out of control big time and mind you I’m only 4’10. I was at my highest weight of 210 and I said GOD you gotta help me. The doctor put me on a BP pill and I prayed to God to help me, as of today I now weight 167 and it only took 6 months. Now I’m trying to lose 25 more. I started drinking water ONLY and I cut out the sodas, I ride my bike outside anytime the weather permits and I also work out on my fitness flyer or ellipitical..I count my calories & I don’t eat pass 6pm, this has been a rough struggle for me but with God & prayer I’ve come along ways! Thank you and please keep me in your prayers!
