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Crystal lost 72 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Author Crystal lost 72 pounds. In the process of writing her new book she was able to confront  past issues that led her to emotional eating and depression.  She was able to embrace healthy eating and regular exercise to lose the pounds, but the emotional work she did was key to her victory.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

Crystal overcomer author

I have successfully lost 72 pounds and counting!!!! My weight loss motivation came from writing the book Memoirs of an Overcomer which pushed me to the point of finding myself. The book began when I enrolled in a prophetic class that goes in depth into your purpose in life, etc (at Ruwach Church).  Memoirs of an Overcomer has a lot to do with finding who you are.  Through the writing of this book I was able to find out who I really was and confront past issues that had me bound to eating and being depressed. This included childhood issues that were still hindering me as an adult. The more I wrote and let go of all the negative things, the more motivation I had.  Now, I’m a true overcomer of obesity!

I already was known as the Zumba Queen at my local gym, so I took it up a notch with more cardio and weight training. I cut out all fast food and prepared my meals the day before which consist of plenty vegetables. I stopped eating junk food like candy, chips, cookies, etc. I began to eat a lot of cucumber, tomatoes and spinach (fresh cut). Also, I stopped drinking fruit drinks or Coke, just water or the crystal light flavor additives with 5 calories. Rice was my weakness at one time. Now, I can go a week without it.  I think that it is better to eat six small meals a day because that keeps me more active.

My weight loss journey was over a course of 10 months. I am 5’4″ in height and at my last weigh in was 182 pounds. That was about 5 weeks ago. I stay away from the scale as much as possible.  My advice: build a very strong support system of people who will motivate you. Always, yes surround yourself with positive people. Sometimes we cling to people and lose focus on who we are so I encourage you to get rid of negativity. Drink plenty of water, stay positive, and MOST OF ALL LOVE YOURSELF. It’s not about the size you have on its about your health and being comfortable in your own skin. Follow me on instagram: @mrs_overcomer_

Crystal after weight loss

Stephanie lost 80 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Stephanie lost 80 pounds. After a major health scare where the doctors told her husband to prepare to lose her, she knew that it was time for a change.  After some starting and stopping she committed to investing in herself and wants to inspire other ladies to do the same.  Here is more info on her weight loss journey:

stephanie weight loss story

Hello, my name is Stephanie and I’m 26 years old. I wanted to share with you not because I have completed my weight loss journey, because I’m still going. I want to help keep black women encouraged and to let them know that it’s never too late to get started. In 2010 and at 22 years old, I was diagnosed with pancreatitis and type 2 diabetes. I spent 4 months in the hospital. The doctors where telling my husband to prepare to start living without me. After that experience, I knew something had to change. So, I changed my eating habits, but then got bored and went back to my old habits. Even knowing my family history of high blood pressure and diabetes, I continued on this path of destruction. I blew up to 330 pounds.

In 2013, I started my new group #NoMoreExcuses because if I can spend money on other things, I can invest in my health. I knew I had to change over time through research and by trying new things I slowly transitioned to cleaner eating, eating more fresh veggies and fruits, eating very low carb and low fat. My eating habits before included fried, high fat foods and sweets. I love chocolate and pizza!!  I’m very strict on portion control now. I no longer crave greasy fatty fried foods anymore. Today, I eat cleaner, drink lots of water and I hit the gym 5 times a week with cardio 3 of the 5 days. IT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED LADIES!! I am currently 250 pounds and still going.

My advice to others is to keep going. It is never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle. Be consistent and know that you have to be patient with seeing results. You didn’t gain the weight overnight, so don’t expect to lose it overnight.

Instagram: @mzz_marie2u

 

Hannah lost 63 pounds

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Update May 2016 – Check out Hannah’s awesome update photo. We featured her story back in 2014.

hannah before and after

July 2014 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Hannah lost 63 pounds. This sista from the UK wrote in and shared her weight loss success story in great detail. She transformed her body and her health with consistent exercise and a very clean eating plan. Her story shows that you have to come out of your comfort zone to change your lifestyle.  Here is her story…

Hannah weight loss story

My name is Hannah Davies and I’m 24 years old. My weight has always fluctuated with my emotions and my relationships, never to empower myself until now. I must admit I was never really happy. I was a teenage mom, living in shared housing when I met my partner and felt complete and comfortable.  A mixture of depression and unemployment after university was a recipe for disaster. I grew from being 150 lbs in 2010 to 210 lbs in 2012. From a size 10 to a size 18, I gained 3 dress sizes! I believe that a combination of poor diet, exercise and lack of knowledge and self worth was my greatest downfall.

In June 2012 my family and I went to Poland to celebrate the marriage of my Uncle. The BEFORE picture you see was taken whilst in Poland. This picture was my looking glass, my realization that if I didn’t change my lifestyle now my weight would just increase.  I lost 5 lbs whilst away due to the amount of exercise the family did. This was the start. Upon returning to England I tried fad diets where all you had were meal replacements but found these were short term effects and no example to be setting my son. From there I joined my local gym and took the exercise classes. I found great enjoyment in yoga and Pilates. Although joining the classes was hard as I felt like the biggest person in the class, I drew strength from my partner at the time (who is a bodybuilder). He reminded me that “everyone starts somewhere” and that “Nothing in life comes free”. I started to surround myself with like minded people, enjoyed my classes more and Googled for healthier ways of living. I ate six small meals a day which were weighed on a food scale.

  • Meal one spinach omelette 2 egg whites and one yoke
  • Meal two chicken or turkey and asparagus or broccoli
  • Meal three protein shake, small amount of almonds or natural almond butter (like peanut butter but found in health stores)
  • Meal four fish with broccoli or sweet potato
  • Meal five almond butter
  • Meal six protein shake.

I had a cheat meal/day once a week but this did lead to a yoyo effect of loosing weight in the week and gaining on the cheat day. I find now that if I want a treat I will have it as this is now a lifestyle not a diet. I’ll be honest I found it incredibly difficult to eat so much and of a such limited types of food. I always ensured there was at least a gap of an hour between eating and going to the gym which usually happened after meal four. Always had meal five and six straight after the gym to ensure my muscles got the protein they needed to repair and replenish for the next day.

Although the optimum time to exercise is the morning being a mother this was not possible. I would always warm up with 5 minutes on a cardio machine, then train the group of muscle for that day whether it be arms, back, shoulders, chest or legs and then finish with 20-25 minutes of fast walking on a incline. Although the optimum duration to burn fat is when your heart rate is high (40-45 minutes) I felt bored staying in the gym for that long. I found that by December 2013 I had gone down to 165 lbs but then stopped loosing weight and felt as hard as I tried I couldn’t loose anymore! My job as much as I love it, is predominantly stationary this was also a contributing factor.

I split from my partner of four years in 2014 and decided it was time to do something for myself. Since July 2014 I have gone back to a diet similar to this, gained a training partner and started running, something I haven’t attempted since i was a teenager. I completed the Race for Life in 24 minutes and entered a half marathon. My goal is to run the London marathon and be on stage in a body building completion September 2015. My goal in the next few years is to start kickboxing and dancing again. That is something that I always enjoyed but never felt confident to participate in when I was my larger self. I want to go on stage not to win, but to stand there feeling empowered and proud knowing that anyone can do anything no matter where they started, if they believe, chase the knowledge and have the courage to change their outlook on life.

As of today 07/24/14, I am proud to say I weigh 147 lbs and recently bought my first 8/10 dress. I’m not skinny and wouldn’t want to be. I’m muscular and healthy, which is all I ever wanted. I walk away from my journey knowing that true strength and happiness comes from within and not reliant on others. I would wish you luck in your journey but instead I shall wish you strength and happiness.

Instagram: @Papaya_Mittoo

Isis lost 80 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Isis lost 80 pounds.  This young lady decided to stop living an unhealthy life and is now inspiring others to loss the weight.  She has transformed her body and is still working toward her goals. Here is what she shared with us:

Isis weight loss success story

My name is Isis Shannon. I have ALWAYS had a problem with my weight. When my grandmother died, I gained 50 pounds! When I was 12, I had gotten up to 290 pounds. I was depressed about it, but instead of taking care of the issue I still continued to eat ! When I turned 16, I was 352 pounds which was in October 2013. When I started my fitness page, I was 356 pounds and I was tired of living a unhealthy lifestyle! I am now 80 pounds down with healthy eating and exercise. I turned my can’ts into CANS. Now I’m on my way to being a healthy teenager. With the help from God, my family and friends I know I can continue my journey!

My highest weight was 364 pounds. My starting weight was 356 pounds. My current weight is 276 pounds (I’m 5’11”).  I count my calories every single day. I don’t go over 1800 and I don’t go under 1400 calories. I cut out all fried foods, no fast foods, no pork and no junk food. I also drink a gallon of water a day. I workout 5~6 times a week for 45 minutes or more! I started my journey in March and I’m still going. I have learned I can do this if I put my mine to it!

Instagram: @_100poundsjourney

Isis before and after

LaTonya lost 51 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: LaTonya lost 51 pounds.  Watching weight related illness affect her family members, she decided that she was in control of her health and made up her mind to change her life.  This proud nurse is an inspiration. Check out her story.

LaTonya weight loss

My name is LaTonya Glaze. I decided to lose weight because I want to be healthy. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity run in my family. My Maternal Grandmother died from complications related to diabetes when she was 61 years old; that was 11 years ago. She also had high blood pressure. All of my father’s aunts & uncles were very obese. They all weigh 300+ pounds. I want more out of life than trying to manage ailments that we have so much control over by the decisions we make.

The first thing I did was make up my mind and allow the change to take place in my heart. What was May 2013 and I was 220 pounds. I started keeping a food diary so that I could become more aware of what I was eating. I also started drinking water like it was going out of style. In fact, that’s about the only thing I drink. If I feel like I need something with flavor, I add Crystal Light to my water or drink a diet soda, but that’s not often. I do not eat anything fried, I do not eat pork, and I do not eat sweets. I eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and grilled/baked/broiled lean meats. If I feel like I need a snack, I eat healthy popcorn, almonds (dry roasted), rice cake, or something low calorie. As far as working out, I get a great work out 5 days per week at work. I am a nurse and I literally hit the door running once I get to work, and it’s like that until I leave. We had a Health & Wellness Coach come to our job and determined that our activity level is considered moderate to fast paced based on the work we do. I am currently down to 169 pounds and I would like to lose 9 more pounds.

For those trying to lose: the change definitely starts in your heart and mind. Do it for no other reason than yourself. It takes discipline, dedication, and determination. While it is not easy, it certainly is possible & attainable. There are no “cheats” with weight loss. It truly is a life style change and adjustments will need to be made to your diet and exercise regimen. These changes will put you on the path to a healthier you and you’ll absolutely feel a lot better not carrying extra weight around or feeling weighed down by eating the wrong foods! I pray each of you will have strength on this life long journey!

Jaymee lost 123 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Jaymee lost 123 pounds.  Wanting to be healthier and have more energy, she decided that it was time to start making gradual lifestyle changes.  She knows that slow and steady wins the race!  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

Jaymee weight loss

This before and after pictures represent a difference of six years. I have loss a total of 123 pounds as of today. I currently weigh 180 pounds, but my lowest I weighed 170 pounds. I am 5’8″ tall. With small changes, I have been able to learn how to cook healthy meals for myself. I also think lifting weights has helped me shape my body in the way that I like.

My motivation to lose the weight was to be healthy and have more energy to do day-to-day activities. I was also motivated by wanting to be happy. My weight limited my energy level. I was always tired and fun activities became a task. I started by  making small changes gradually. Not drinking my calories, walking most places, always taking the stairs, no processed carbs, smaller portions. I made a small change every month. Some of these healthy habits I still do today. I did tons of walking and cardio when initially losing the weight, but as I got under 209 pounds I began lifting weights and have little to no sagging skin. I worked out about 4 times a week and did all types of workouts just to stay active and interested . My advice to others is to take it a step at a time. Build small good habits to create great ones. Taking your time to adjust to a healthy lifestyle will help you stay on track rather than jumping in head first.

Instagram: @jay_meal

Jaymee before and after

Lakeisha lost 64 pounds

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Update September 2017: Check out this update from Lakeisha. She’s kept the weight off for more than 2 years.

lakeisha before and after

What has worked in terms of eating habits?
Before I knew anything about nutrition, I gave up fried foods, sodas and watched my portions. When I’m hungry, I drink black coffee or eat a slice of pickle. I also drink plenty of water. I love alkaline water (I encourage people to do their research on alkaline water).

I gained some of the weight back while dealing a death and stress. Meal prepping helped me out a lot this time. Now, I’m back stronger than ever.

What have you been doing to maintain your success in terms of exercise? 
I started doing 2 hours of cardio. After two weeks of this, I’ll stop and go back into my normal routine… leg day, arms etc. I workout 6 to 7 days a week.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
I don’t care how much you workout, you cannot eat whatever you want… lol.

At this point, would you offer any new or different advice to women who want to lose weight?
Stay focused and don’t compare your success to others. Also, sometimes you have to switch up your routine when you don’t see results. Never give up on your journey. We all get off track but that’s what makes us fight harder.

lakeisha before and after

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Lakeisha lost 64 pounds and went from a size 24 to a size 14. This proud mom of 2 is now a fitness fanatic.  Here is what she shared with us about losing the pounds: KeishaJuly3blog My name is Lakeisha Thomas and I’m from Mississippi.  I’m a 34 year old mother of 2 (Tia 14 yrs old and CJ 6 years old). I’m also a nurse aid and a production tech at Nissan. When I first started my weight lost journey I weighted 254 pounds. I was shocked. I never cared about my weight until one day when my doctor told me I was obese. So, I started working out at home in my bedroom. I went from a size 24 to a size 14. I want to enjoy my kids and see them grow up.  Now, fitness is my life, my passion, my everything. This is why I love what I do, why I’m so passionate and why I share with others everything I do to stay fitt. I’m a #fitmom and I love my 2 children with all my heart.  Instagram: @KeishaaBeast

How did you change your eating habits? Chewing gum and drinking coffee has helped me out a lot on my journey. I started drinking plenty of water and cut out the sodas. I continue to eat what I always ate but in smaller portions. I work the night shift so that was a struggle as well. I’m not gonna lie, I fail daily but I never gave up. If I ate chips, ice cream, etc, I didn’t quit. I just went harder in the gym.

What did your workout routines look like? I started doing the Black Girls Workout Too & Billy Blank Exercise DVDs. I did a thousand sit up a day and started going to the gym 6 or 7 days a week. I also did HIIT workout that I found online (just do a Google search…there are tons of workouts). I did like a thousand ab exercises every night and every morning. Now, I’m doing like 500 abs exercises, 3 days out of a week.

What is your height? What is your current weight? I’m 5’7 and I weight 190 pounds. My goal weight is 175 pounds.

How long did your transformation take? I started in 2003 when I weighted 254.  I dropped down 54 pounds in one month (no lie). I just worked out that whole month. However, it was very unhealthy because I stopped eating as well. I was drinking one soda a day and eating cabbage greens. Since then, I have been on and off my journey.  So in 2012, I decided that I wanted to tone so I went harder and changed my lifestyle.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight? If you mess up along the way, don’t quit. Just keep going.  I’ve basically been tsame size since 2003 I just drop inches phuck yo scale…it didn’t take you 5 days to gain the weight so it’s not gonna take you 14 days to lose it. Keisha weight loss story

Update: Besha lost 74 pounds

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Update 12/15 – Besha just celebrated her 2 year weight loss journey anniversary. She’s lost 74 pounds, down from 267 pounds. (read the original post below for more information on how she lost the weight)

 74lbs lost! I’ve been maintaining the weight for a year. I do weight training 4 days a week and cardio once a week. I’ve also been meal prepping, eating mostly grilled chicken and veggies. I’ve stayed motivated by the comments I hear and inspiration that others get by watching my journey. My 2 year anniversary is January 2nd.

besha weight loss story

10/14 – Besha is now down a total of 61 pounds. That’s 24 more pounds since July! Amazing!

besha before and after

July 2014 – Proud mom Besha lost 37 pounds since the beginning of the year. She was motivated by her daughter and by wanting to avoid chronic health issues. She shared with us how she lost the weight:

Besha before and after

I have lost 37 pounds since January 2nd. I am giving myself until January 2, 2015 to see what my complete transformation will look like. I work out with a personal trainer 3 times a week, doing weights, cardio and I’m eating health.

Motivation: I just kept looking at myself saying that I don’t want to end up with health problems like people in my family.  They are dealing with high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Also my daughter was my motivation.  I wanted to be able to run with her and play basketball with her.

Eating habits: I changed them cold turkey.  I went 40 days without eating any meats. I was hard on myself. Once I started back eating meat, it was chicken and seafood only. I’m a Pesco-pollo vegetarian (a vegetarian who eats chicken and fish only).

Starting weight was 267 pounds and my current weight is 230 pounds. My height is 5’6″ tall.

My advice: Your body will not go where your mind doesn’t let it. Discipline yourself. Be hard on yourself and put your mind to it

Thank you! I been looking for a group like this.

Instagram: @Besha_TheBoss

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Jazz lost 217 pounds

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Update: We shared Jazz’s story of losing 217 pounds back in 2014. She sent us an update to say that she’s kept the weight off and lost 7 more pounds. Check out her story below.

Hello! I currently weigh 243 and my goal is to be 200 pounds. My height is 6’3″. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea few years back and I decided to take action. I’m still a work in progress.”
Instagram: @kiss_of_death90

jazz before and after

July 2014 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Jazz lost 217 pounds.  This 6’3″ beauty decided that she would work to avoid diabetes and high blood pressure that run in her family’s health history.  At 467 pounds, she knew to she had to make changes to her lifestyle to improve her health.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

jazz weight loss success story

I’ve lost over 200 pounds and counting. How did I do it? Hard work motivation and dedication. I drink half of my body weight in ounces of water each day. I stopped eating junk and processed food. My goal for each week is to lose 2-5 pounds. I workout every other day and sometimes twice a day. I’m not where I want to be but I’m determined enough to not throw in the towel and give up that’s easy to easy. Diabetes and high blood pressure runs in my family and I’ve motivated myself to not join the team. I was on the edge of having diabetes if I didn’t do anything about my health.

I changed my eating habits by cutting down on the junk, fried and process foods by having smaller portions.  Then I gradually worked my way over to not craving it at all. Everything is a process. Always remember that a slow process is better than no process. My workout routines went from 10 of everything i.e. (jumping jacks, lunges, sit ups, push ups and even long walks) to doing 200 of everything every other day. My starting weight was 467 pounds and my current weight is 250 pounds.  Im 6’2″ tall. My transformation took 2 years. My advise to others goes back to what I said in the beginning: a slow process is better than no process. Nothing happens overnight. You must have willpower. Before eating those donuts or fried foods think about how many calories and fats are in those choices. Think about how hard you would have to work to get it off.

Jazz before and after

Update: Denna lost 90 pounds

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Update: Denna sent us an inbox message on Facebook to let us know that she lost 13 more pounds since we featured her story back in Dec 2013.  She is now down a total of 90 pounds and has gone from a size 22/24 to a size 6/8.  Find out how she did it below:

Denna before and after

I’ve been a yoyo dieter more years than not. I think it where most of the trouble lies. I can’t be on a diet, it must be a lifestyle. A diet is temporary and only yields temporary results. I’m in this for the long haul so it has become a lifestyle for me. What I THOUGHT was my wake up call really wasn’t. My kids had lost one parent to cancer, something that could not be helped or stopped. In my mind I said this is something you can control, so don’t eat yourself to death. Fix it! So at over 240 lbs I embarked on a journey to save myself…for them. Wrong! Although I lost weight and a lot of weight, I quickly discovered I could not be about someone else, not even my kids. I had to be for me. When we do things for others there’s ALWAYS an unspoken contingency, that the other party is not even aware of most of the time. At least it’s true for me. Therefore, when that contingency falls through so does your desire and motivation (That along with some other things). I fell off the wagon and watched it roll almost completely out of site. However, just as “The Wagon” was almost out of site it hit me like never before, Fool WHAT are you doing? You put in ALL that hard work and you are flushing it down the toilet! Get a grip. Forget your kids. (Giggles but yeah) They don’t even now they had anything to do with your weight loss. So, I decided this time it’s all about ME. I’m doing it for me for the very first time. Every other time I have done this for someone else, my husband, my parents, my kids, worried about what other people thought about me and my weight. That’s the biggest difference this time. It’s for me and my desire to look and feel better.

Denna weight loss photosI hired a great trainer that I have been working with during my journey. I’ve got a better yet not perfect grip on my nutrition. I’ve learned how to make fitness a part of my everyday life. My workout time is my “me” time. I need that DAILY (I’m the mom of 3 teens lol). I’ve identified emotional triggers and when I feel buttons being pushed I immediately begin tell myself you can’t eat it away! I say, “You are going to feel guilty if you turn to food” or “At least make yourself proud of the good choice you made and go burn off some calories”. No that won’t make the problem go away but it certainly won’t add to it. This fitness life is mostly a head game and you have to be able to strategize so you can win.

I workout 5, 6 or 7 days a week. I do a WIDE variety of things to keep myself interested; everything from pole dancing to CrossFit. However, the backbone of my fitness plan is working out with my trainer. My nutrition is my hiccup. I do eat clean but sometimes not enough (quantity or frequency). I don’t drink sodas or eat processed foods. I drink lots of water. So far I’m down a total of 90 pounds. I’ve gone from a size 22/24 to a 6/8. My confidence is soaring, I feel alive and sexy. I can’t wait to see what things will look like when I reach my goal. This is me sharing my progress, the end result is yet to be seen. Like I always say, my journey is mine, yours is yours and hers is hers. Don’t judge yourself by someone else’s success or failure. Someone is going to lose faster and slower. Someone is going to have a smaller waist, a bigger butt you name it. It’s ok just work hard to become the best you, you can be.

Facebook page: Get Right, Get Tight – The Journey

For more info, check out the original post about her journey