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before weight loss

Kevela lost 63 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Kevela lost 63 pounds.  After an embarrassing incident at an amusement park, (something that is common for many overweight ladies, unfortunately) she knew that it was time to take action and change her lifestyle.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey…

kevela before and after

I just wanted to say that I am so grateful to what God has done in my life and I wanted to share my testimony with others. Maxing out at 305 lbs, I was in my biggest state of depression ever. But God…I’ve lost over 60 lbs and I am NOT finished yet. To everyone that is starting their journey…start with realizing your “Why” and go from there!.

It honestly all started when I was asked get off of a ride at Six Flags because I could not fit. I was so embarrassed and it ruined my whole trip. During the summer of 2012, the basketball coach at my job began working out with me and one of my co-workers. I remember barely being able to be on the elliptical for 10 minutes. I told myself then that it was time to change. Grant it, people threw the option of surgery at me daily, but I told myself that I could do it on my own. I had a support system, a trainer and a strong mental focus.

I began eating grilled food and plenty vegetables! I have never loved vegetables so much =) I love my water and I make sure to have it with me all of the time. I basically stopped eating a lot of fried foods too. Grant it, I do slip up, just not nearly as much as I used to.

I love cardio! I know it sounds weird, but I love running and I love the stair master. I also love going to fitness classes that incorporate weights and cardio, because I am having a skin loose issue due to the weight loss. I am hoping it will go away without having to get it removed. My current weight is 242 pounds and I am 5’6″. I started my journey at 305 pounds and I am finally to the point of keeping the weight off.

I would say that I did not become “addicted” to the healthy lifestyle until last summer. My advice for anyone starting their journey would be to NOT give up! The change will come in time. Don’t be embarrassed to be that “big person” running down the street or lifting weights. You’re being inspirational! I PROMISE!

My instagram is taubeta_07. It is private but I will follow and accept you all! I have it set private so I don’t have students all on it =)

– Kevela

KaTarra lost 160 pounds with weight loss surgery

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Weight Loss Success Story of the Day: KaTarra lost 160 pounds with weight loss surgery.  Post-surgery this proud mom is very happy with her choice and has lots of energy to be active with her son.  Read more about her journey…

Katarra weight loss

 

 

I’m KaTarra and my motivation to become healthy came in 2011 when I gave birth to my son. I knew at that point that being overweight was not am option anymore. I was 5’5″ and topping the scales at 335 pounds!! My last option for losing the weight turned out to be the best decision I’ve made in my life besides having my son. I chose to have the Gastric Sleeve Weight Loss Surgery to help me, not to do it for me.

My eating habits had to change dramatically because of my surgery, and I just keep that post-surgery frame of mind when it comes to my eating now. I only do small portions and I do a lot of protein with my meals because that’s what helps me. My cardio workouts are 45 minutes to an hour on the treadmill. My strength training is doing squats with a 45 lb bar with one 45 lb plate on each side for 10 reps per set. I do crunches as well.

I now have the energy I never had before to workout & be active with my son! 160lbs down & still going! I continue to watch what I eat, I work out at least 3 times a week and I actively use the MyFitnessPal app. I wore my very 1st 2pc swimsuit ever (though it was a tankini, mind you) for the 1st time in my life in September on my 1st vacation out of the country!! I’m making major accomplishments & it feels great!

Instagram: @tiniki80

Katarra before and after

 

Cherdrina lost 120 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Cherdrina lost 120 pounds.  Going vegetarian, taking spinning classes, running and changing her eating habits have lead her to an awesome weight loss transformation.  Check out what she shared with us about her journey…

cherdrina before and after

 

My name is Cherdrina and I have lost 100+ pounds. I was well over 270 pounds when I knew it was time to make a change. I never really had weight issues until after having my last child and dealing the stressors of life. I began to eat my life away in response. I was always tired and never could find the energy to do much of anything. It was not until December of 2012 that I made weight loss goals and began eating healthy. I made my New Years Resolution on January 1 of 2013, threw my old eating habits out of the door and did a total 180. I was determined to be a healthier me, so I cut out meat cold turkey and went straight vegetarian. I also started exercising daily. Spinning became my favorite form of cardio. I also added strength training to my regimen. Eventually, I started to run with the local Black Girls Run group and fell in love with it.

I made sure, and still do now, to read all labels on foods that I buy or consume! The vegetarian lifestyle helped me to make better eating choices, but still I must be careful not to consume too many starchy foods. I had to cut out sweets which were my favorite, now I still treat myself occasionally, but just not as much as I was before losing the weight. I also had to cut out my love for breads and pastas. I had the habit of consuming bread with every meal, which was my biggest problem. I have the healthy eating down now, so I’m always looking for healthier alternatives and options even when eating out  It makes a huge difference!

I started at 279 pounds and now I’m here at 159 pounds. As of now, I lead a much healthier lifestyle, I feel awesome and look awesome. It was indeed a lifestyle change and I’ve made sure to stick to it. Healthy feels so good. I encourage everyone to embark on this journey of healthy living !

Instagram: @mrschocolate_persuasion

Blog: www.burstthephat.blogspot.com

Cherdrina before and after weight loss

Nadine lost 81 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Nadine lost 81 pounds.  This proud mom and hair stylist has the full support of her husband and children and that has equaled major motivation for her.  She shared with us about her weight loss journey…
nadineoct14blog
After having 3 C-sections and working constantly, I looked at myself one day and decided to get on the scale. What I saw next embarrassed me and then quickly turned from embarrassment to me being intensely scared. I saw 307 pounds looking at me in the mirror. I cried about it for days to be honest, until one day when my husband told me enough was enough. He told me that I had to do this for not only my children but for myself. I work out 5 days a week sometimes 2x a day and I eat mostly fruits, veggies and lean meats.  My best advice would be have fun along your journey and keep God really close.
What inspired me: Honestly what inspired me first was my children and my husband. Watching them go outside to throw the football or go swimming. I did not want to go with them because I had no energy. Then one day my husband forced me to go with them. When I did I was so tired and so overwhelmed. To be brutally honest, I was disgusted with myself. I was missing out on so much of what life had to offer me including a life with my family.  What has kept me motivated has been my Husband and my sons. They are my biggest fans. Then comes my coworkers and my clients at the salon where I am a stylist. I also motivate myself because I know that my story can motivate other women to know that they can do it. It’s simple, just start.
Changing my eating habits: I had to change everything as far as my eating habits were concerned. No more sodas, sweet teas or sugary drinks. I replaced all those drinks with water or unsweetened tea or coffee. I replaced chips or candy with healthier snacks. Instead of a snicker bar, I had a fiber one bar. Instead of ice cream, I have frozen yogurt. Instead of chips, I had a natures valley bar. I bring my lunch everyday with all healthy snacks. For me, unhealthy snacks are not an option. Sunday is my cheat day where I pick 1 meal and replace it with whatever I want. It is all about portion control.
Working out: I work out 5 days a week in the morning after I take my sons to school and before my first appointment. I do 30 minutes of heavy cardio with jogging/walking intervals or stair climbers. In the evening, my husband and I work out doing a lot of core exercises. As a matter a fact, I am training to do a 5k on October 18th for breast cancer. Never would have thought that would be the case for me.
My journey started in June of 2014. I have lost a total of 81 lbs and counting. I still have about 35 more pounds to go but I am geared up and ready to go. (height: 5’7″) Life will be great in a size 10. Now I wear about a size 14 in jeans but my dress size ranges from a 14 to a 10. I can’t wait to get to a size 10 in jeans. I see it coming and I am so grateful for the button that switched in my head.
 Instagram: @ohsooojazzy

Vanessa lost 69 pounds

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Update Aug 2015: “I’m at my first major goal of 100 lbs and have about 80 more to go. I started working with a personal trainer 2x a week and on 3 other days on my own. At the beginning of this year, I decided to go off on my own to continue my journey. I continue to incorporate strength training and cardio in my fitness routine. I try to have lots of variety to keep myself motivated. It is a tough road, but it’s so life changing and worth every struggle! I’m now working with Allen Conditioning and I’m in the process of obtaining certification to be a group fitness instructor and health/nutrition specialist. You can come join me on my journey, I’m on Instagram @nessisgettingfit and @allenconditioning_”

vanessa before and after

Oct 2014: Weight Loss Story of the Day: Vanessa lost 69 pounds and is still going strong towards her goal of losing 100 pounds. This proud mom of 2 found a weight loss plan that worked for her and she is Working It!!  Check out what she shared with us about her journey…

vanessa before and after

My name is Vanessa, single mom of 2 beautiful girls. I have lost 69 lbs going from a size 30w to a size 18-20w I’m still a work in progress, but I’m only 31 pounds from my first major goal of 100 pounds gone. I love seeing all the success stories your page posts on Facebook, and thought I might as well share mine also.

I have been overweight for most of my life, always the chunky kid or the plus size girl. I’m 34 years old and at the beginning of this year something snapped in me and just I said that’s it. This is going to be my year.

I started doing Weight Watchers for the 3rd or 4th time to get my eating habits in order.  At the same time, my friend who was seeing a personal trainer at the time, said I should meet him. So, I joined one of their sessions, and he kicked my butt! He gave me another session for free and I was hooked from that day forward. I now work out 5 days a week, sometimes more, for at least 1 hr. Two of those days are personal training sessions, the other 3 are cardio days.

After one month of training, I left Weight Watchers and gave my trainer control of my diet. I am mostly on a low carb, high protein plan now. Any carbs I do eat are whole grains only. I started with my trainer in March 2014 and was 354 pounds at 5’6″, my highest weight ever, I am now down 69 lbs and counting. My goal is to no longer be in plus sizes, I’m not sure how much more weight I’ll need to lose to get there.  However, I’m well on my way and loving every minute of it.

My advice to others is DONT QUIT! Sometimes you will have one or two or even three weeks with nothing lost on the scale, but JUST KEEP GOING! You will see your results eventually! Track your inches also, because sometimes when the scale isn’t changing the measurements will. Stay tuned! This mama of 2 is currently in progress to become a fit bada**!  Good luck to you all on your journey!

vanessa weight loss story

Star lost 41 pounds

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Success Story of the Day: Star lost 41 pounds, going from a size 16 to a size 10.  She used a time tested online weight loss program to help her get on track and found ways to get active as well.  Here is what this proud mom of 2 shared with us about her journey…

star weight loss

My name Star. I am 35 and a mother of two. I decided to start my weight loss and lifestyle change in February 2014 for life. I have always been on a roller coaster ride with my weight since adulthood. Up and down was my middle name.

What really motivated me to lose weight was my unhappiness with myself. I have always been into fashion and I could not wear some of the clothes I love. I also was very tired and lazy. I went from being a very social and outgoing person being a hermit crab. I also was very active growing up, with cheerleading, tennis and track. I realized this just isn’t Star, so I changed my life.

I got back on Weight Watchers for the umpteenth time but this time online only. I started to research and become more open minded about my food choices. I started making my own smoothies with fresh fruit. I put down the chips, stated eating nuts and stopped drinking soda. I will have sparkling water if I crave some fizz, but I drink a lot of water too.

I also started working out and fell in love with Zumba and lifting weights. I also do spin classes to “Turn Up” my work outs. I go for leisure swims on my off days. So, about 5 days a week I’m very active.

My advice for others is to take it one day at a time. Set a goal but don’t set a time limit because you will be more likely to become discouraged. Start off looking for group exercise because you will meet new friends with a common goal and be held accountable for showing up. If you can’t join a gym, ask someone in your community that walks or rides a bike if you can tag a long sometimes.

I started at 226 lbs. and a size 16 at 5’7″. Now I’m 185 lbs and a size 10. I have lost a total of 41 pounds. I still have more weight to lose, but I thought I’d share for those who could use my story as a motivation tool to start losing!

star's weight loss journey

Kim lost 115 pounds

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Update: Kim lost 170 pounds over the course of 7 years.

Featured Weight Loss Success Story: Kim lost 115 pounds.  After being told that she had to lose weight in order to survive a much needed knee surgery, Kim made the decision to change her life. She did her research to find a way of eating that worked for her and took her fitness to a new level. As a result, her diabetes improved. Check out what she shared with us…

kim sugarfreeoreo weight loss

A year ago my doctor told me my knee was beyond repair and that I needed an artificial one if I was ever going to walk without pain again. He also told me that due to my morbid obesity he wouldn’t operate on me unless I lost weight, because I might die on the operating table if he did. I made a decision at that moment to change my life and take back control of it. I changed the way I ate and started to exercise. In the beginning I could barely finish a Richard Simmons video or bike one mile without being in pain and out of breath, but I kept at it. Over the course of the last year, not only have I increased my fitness level (per the surgery) but I’ve also lost 115 pounds (I am 5’10”). It took a lot of hard work, self control, trial and error, patting myself on the back and being my own cheerleader to accomplish this. I’ve since been able to get my new knee and am quickly rehabbing it and getting back into shape. I’ve gotten my diabetes under control and only take one third of the insulin I was taking a year ago. My blood sugar levels read as if I’m not a diabetic. I’m not done on my weightloss journey, but I am reflecting on how far I’ve come. I changed my life, I feel a new, I took control, and I am committed.

To change my eating habits I did a lot of research online about what a good caloric intake would be good for me and help me meet my goals. I also read a lot about differnt types of eating plans and tried to find one that would work for my busy lifestyle and diabetic limitations. Once I settled on a low carb, 1200 calorie diet, I picked a date that I would start my program. To get ready, I food shopped and got everything I would need for the week in order to stick to my plan. Then I looked around for recipes and the like. That Monday, I committed myself to my new way of eating and have stuck to it ever since. I also gave up soda, lattes, and alcohol, figuring the extra calories were not doing me any good. This was 13 months ago.

When I first started my program, for exercise I did Richard Simmons videos in my garage. I was not confident enough yet to go to the gym, and my activity level was so low that even finishing one of his videos was a challenge. After I’d lost about 40 pounds, I added in bike riding. This was huge for me because in the past everytime I’d tried to ride a bike, I couldnt even make it a mile. After losing some of the weight and getting my fitness level up with the videos, my first ride I did seven miles. The next one I did 15. After that I did 25 miles and was able to sustain doing rides of that length. After about 65 pounds gone, I started going to the gym and working out with a trainer. I was preparing for my knee surgery and needed to get my leg muscles as strong as possible for the recovery. We worked out together once a week for three months. After my surgery, I had to stop exercising for three months. I just recently started back up again and did a month of nothing but the exercise bike. Two weeks ago, I added in riding a real bike and this week I added strength training back.

My best advice for others is just sharing the things that worked for me. Accountability and positive reenforcement have been critical to my success. I use an app (My Fitness Pal) to log my food and exercise. This way I know how to plan out my day so that I don’t go over my calories. It also helps me make better food choices by seeing caloric values and being able to pick the lesser calorie foods. The app was probably the most important tool I had. I also told all my friends I was going to work on changing my life. I told them my goals and asked them to make sure when we did social things that they were not centered around food. Lastly, because I have a lot of weight to lose, I made smaller reachable goals to track my progress. Instead of saying I have to lose 150 pounds, I said my first goal is 1o pounds, my second is 20, my third is 35 and so on. At each goal I treated myself to things like a mani/pedi, a new piece of exercise equipment, or new clothes. I also celebrated non scale goals, like being able to fit in seats I couldn’t fit into before, being able to buy clothes in the straight size section instead of plus size and every time I tightened my belt up a notch. All these things were victories and I made sure to share them and pat myself on the back for them. I’ve lost 115 pounds so far, and want to lose another 45-50. I feel very confident I can make it happen.

Instagram: @sugarfreeoreo

Tamara lost 107 pounds

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Today’s Weight Loss Success Story: Tamara lost 107 pounds. After facing the reality that she hadn’t prioritized her health and was dealing with the consequences, Tamara took steps to change her life and her health. Not only has she reached her goals, but she now works with others as a weight loss and fitness expert. I think you will really get a lot out of what she has shared with us.

fitnesstamara

What was your motivation? What inspired you?

I wish I could say that I made the decision to become healthy and fit all on my own, but the reality is I needed a little help. My wakeup call came when I went to the doctor in Dec. 2007 for a physical. My blood pressure was up…again. My doctor warned me that deprioritizing my health could have grave consequences. I was 100 pounds overweight, working 50-60 hours a week and had the nerve to be applying for grad school. He made it clear that blood pressure medication or worse was in my future if I didn’t change. It was painful to hear but I knew he was right and in January of 2008 I began my transformation.

How did you change your eating habits? What did you stop or start eating?

I learned about the importance of good nutrition the hard way. I took my doctor’s advice and began exercising. After working out hard for 4 weeks, I stepped on the scale and was horrified to see that I lost zero pounds! The “see I told you this wouldn’t work” voice kicked in and I considered quitting, but then my mind flashed back to that day in the doctor’s office. I had to figure out a way to make this work, my future was at risk. I decided to go back to the drawing board to figure out what that was missing.

Tamara weight lossI did some research and learned that I didn’t lose any weight because I was still eating poorly. I decided to eat 5 small meals a day, increase my fruit and vegetable intake, and drink 64 oz. of water per day. There was just one problem – I was addicted to sugar! Cookies, cakes, sodas – you name it, I loved it! I decided going cold turkey was too much and allowed myself one 12 oz. soda and one 100-150 calorie treat per day and one “treat day” per week. Eventually my taste buds changed; now soda and sweets are occasional indulgences. I am a witness, you CAN change and you don’t have to give up everything. You just have to know your number – how much you can eat and reach your goal – and stick to it.

What did your workout routines look like?

Initially, I hated exercise and was intimidated by the gym. I decided to start out with a dance based workout that I could do at home – Hip Hops Abs. I worked out 5-6 days a week and my workouts averaged about 30 minutes. I eventually started craving the endorphin rush and began to look forward to my workouts. I incorporated a new workout routine every 60-90 days to keep from getting bored and to continue to raise my level of fitness. Six years later, I have over 25 different at home workout programs in my collection and I rotate them frequently. I also became a certified fitness instructor in 2012 and now create workouts for myself and my clients.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?

My highest weight was 265 pounds. Today my weight fluctuates between 155-158 pounds.

What is your height?             

5’9”

How long did your transformation take?

I love it when I am asked this question because it allows me to share a reality of life: You don’t always get it right the first time. I weighed in at 265 pounds in 2006 after trying unsuccessfully to lose weight for 6 years. I lost 40 pounds in 2006 but gained 10 lbs. of it back. I decided that a size 18/20 was the smallest I could ever hope to be until that fateful day in the doctor’s office. After losing nothing in my first month, I lost 70 pounds in 10 months and have kept it off since.

The key for me was getting clear on my why. In the past, my motivation to lose weight was superficial – I wanted to look good for a wedding or fit back into a certain size. This time it was about preserving my quality of life. My mom and her siblings were on blood pressure medication and my grandfather (RIP) had a pacemaker. I didn’t want that to be my story and every time I thought about quitting, that is what snapped me out of it. Now I tell my clients that one of the major keys to success is defining a compelling and emotionally charged why. My mantra: “if it isn’t strong enough to make you cry, you haven’t gone deep enough.”

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?

Take it one day at a time. Change takes time. Don’t burn yourself out by demanding too much too soon. Show yourself love and be patient. Realize this journey will have ups and downs. Get back up when you fall. Remember that God is concerned with everything that concerns you. Inviting Him into this journey will make all the difference. Lastly, get the right tools, resources and support. Purchase a heart rate monitor to see how many calories you’re really burning in that work out. Use an app like MyFitnessPal or Lose It! to track your food intake. Find people – in person or online – that share your interest in health & fitness and will be there to support you and hold you accountable. The 4 P’s – Patience, Persistence, People and Prayer – are the keys to success.

If you have trouble staying motivated, follow me on Twitter @FitnessTamara or like ‘Tamara Jackson Fitness Expert’ on Facebook for daily tips and inspiration, then check out my book 265 Point at Amazon.com. I am blessed because others have found healing in my story and learned from my mistakes. If you prefer a personal touch, go to my website at www.265point.com and fill out the ‘Connect with Tamara’ tab to set up your free consultation. You don’t have to take this journey alone. I am here to help.

Tamara fitness and weight loss expert

Natalie went from a size 18/20 to a 10/12

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Update Dec 2015: More than a year later Coach Natalie is still going strong, despite a recent car accident that hindered her from working out while she recovered. A testimony to healthy eating habits, she didn’t gain a single pound.  We asked this amazing mom of 5 to update us on her progress. (You can also read more about how she lost the weight below)

“To be perfectly honest, I haven’t lost a single pound since that feature in 2014. I did however lose an additional pant size and it was awesome. I completely let go of the thought of a “magic number” and how that would bring me a sense of accomplishment. Forget the scale! My body was moving and looking fantastic.

I say “was” because I am now recovering for a car accident and I am not able to workout just yet. I am however excited to report that even though I am not as firm, I have not put on a single pound. Nutrition is king, and I see that now even more than I already did. This car accident was a blessing. I got to be put in the same position of a lot of my clients. Not at their physical best but desperately needing a start they can stick with. This accident has grown my passion and creativity for nutrition. I’m able to serve my clients better. I feel more than confident that my consistency with nutrition is helping me heal and keep my size down despite not exercising.”

Check out her blog for more about her inspirational story: http://teamwitnessfitness.blogspot.com

coach natalie update

Sept 2014 – Weight Loss Success Story of the Day: Coach Natalie went from a size 18/20 to a 10/12.  This proud mom focused on fat loss and getting healthy instead of just pounds.  She has shared a lot about her journey and her mindset about losing weight.  I really love her perspective.  Check out what she shared…

Coach Natalie

What was your motivation? What inspired you?
What motivates me changes as I change. I started this journey motivated by the thought that I needed to do my best to be healthy for my children. I want to be in their photos as they grow, for them to have memories of us playing together and to just feel good. You have to take care of mama so that mama can take care of baby.  I continue to keep motivating myself with non-scale victories (like getting into jeans that don’t fit). As of right now my major motivation is my missions trip to Guatemala. I’m going with my oldest set of twins to help build a home for a widow and work with orphans. I want to be an asset on this trip. I want to have the strength to do whatever is needed in that home. The thought of serving in that capacity is what currently motivates me.

How did you change your eating habits? What did you stop or start eating?
I started this fat-loss journey with the thought that I could workout enough to cancel out my food choices. I refused, I mean I REFUSED to change my eating. When I first started, I was in group fitness classes 4 hrs out of the day and at first I saw results but that was short lived. You really can not out work a bad diet. I tried, oh I tried that method for a while without success. I didn’t really start focusing on my nutrition until a year and a half into my journey, and I wish I would have started sooner. It took a friend making herself available as an accountability partner and placing me in a small online group to start that gradual change. It was then that I stopped having my meals handed to me through a window. That’s when I stopped buying faux food that belonged on a shelf and started buying real food that didn’t last longer than a week in the fridge.


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I use a great eating guide that helps me get in my healthy fats, carbs, proteins, veggies, and fruits. I REFUSE to diet, I rather maintain a healthy diet regularly.  If eating is something you struggle with I suggest you pick up Taste For Truth by Barb Raveling. It’s a great 30 day bible study that I have dove into more than once.

What did your workout routines look like?
I now workout once a day. My workouts range from 15mins to an hour and a half long it really just depends on what I am doing that day. 70% of my workouts are at home dvd series. I use Turbofire, Insanity, T25, 21 Day Fix, PiYo, Body Pump, Body Combat and so on. I have collected quite a few in the last 3 years but I use them, enjoy them and share them with others. I also enjoy lifting heavy and when machines are involved I do that at a gym.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
Weight can be a lot of things so while I have lost weight I focus on my journey being a fat loss journey. I encourage my clients to think of their journey that way too. The last time I unhappily weighed myself was 237lbs amd wore a size 18/20 pant. I have two sets of twins and a singleton, and even while I was pregnant with my big healthy babies I didn’t weigh that much. I am just 2 months shy of hitting 3 years since I started this lifestyle change. I’m 5’9″ and have lost 23% of my body fat since I started, I now where a size 10-12 pant but depending on the brand that can go up (we women know how that goes). I recognize weight as a method to measure success in this journey but I don’t make a HUGE fuss about it. I celebrate my growing strength, power, endurance, speed, flexibility, mobility, health… the list goes on. I say screw a 3 digit number. All that number does is aid me in fueling this machine of a body. Seriously though, I track my weight for the sole purpose of adjusting my eating to meet my body’s growing needs.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
My advice is to focus on losing the right weight, which is fat. There is no need to do hours and hours of cardio. You may burn some fat that way but, you can also burn through your muscle. Burning through muscle makes for loose skin, and we don’t want that. Build muscles that burn fat and then properly fuel those muscles you are building with real food. Eat big, clean but big.

Take lots of pictures. I along with my clients take the same 3 photos either weekly or bi-weekly as well as our measurements. The scale tends to lie about the progress you made and sometimes the mirror lies to us as well. Photos don’t lie, all of your progress will reflect in your pictures. I can’t tell you how many time I was surprised when putting two photos side by side, it’s so rewarding. The more your cover up in your photos the less results you see, so I suggest using the same swimsuit or sports bra and shorts every time you take photos.

Earlier this year I was featured in the awesome women’s fitness magazine Gorgo. Here is the link so that you can dive in a little deeper on getting to know me personally.

If you need any help with your eating, figuring out what exercise program works for you, are in need of prayer, or want to be informed when my new blog goes live please reach out via email MyCoachNatalie@gmail.com and use the subject line “BWLW”. I’m a virtual coach and would love to help you in anyway that I can. Feel free to follow me on FB: LikeMyCoachNatalie. My handles for Twitter & IG are @MyCoachNatalie

Natalie weight loss success

 

Paula lost 110 pounds

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Success Story of the Day: Paula lost 110 pounds. She lost the weight and has kept it off for a few years with consistent exercise, portion control and low carb eating.  Check out the details that she shared with us about her journey.

Paula weight loss story

I’ve lost 110 lbs (5’5″), going from a size 18/2X down to a size 4/XS. I started working out of 1-2 hours Mon-Fri and completely changed my eating habits, using diets here and there strictly as motivation. I’m 27 years old, but I started my journey as a Junior in college in 2009. It took me almost a year to lose the weight and so far I’ve managed to keep it off. I don’t have any kids and was heavy my entire life. I just finally got serious about my life.

The advice I would give to others is to look at it as a lifestyle change and not a diet. Also, what works for me is to simply eat more protein and less of everything else! I have better portion control now and I eat on smaller plates to make me visually feel as if I’m eating a large meal.When I feel hungry, I first drink 2 glasses of water and if I’m still hungry, then I’ll eat. This is a way I “test” myself to see if I’m truly hungry, or not. I did try several diets, and some worked…but I only did that as motivation because seeing the scale move made me feel accomplished!! I also would get rid of the clothes that were too big, because saving them was really a way of saying that one day I would gain the weight back and wear them again. Diet wise, I did SlimFast, Atkins, Weight Watchers and the Grapefruit Diet just to name a few.

Currently, I mainly watch my portions and I eat 5 small meals per day. I also don’t deprive myself when I have a craving. If I’m craving cookies, for example, I will grab a few (1-3) and break it into small pieces. Usually after eating a few pieces, I feel bad for eating unhealthy and I won’t even finish them. I’m a big snacker, so I snack on healthier foods like cheese strings, almonds, fresh fruit and etc.

Protein can cause you to gain weight, if you aren’t cutting back on everything else. Sometimes, I replace an entire meal with a protein shake. I use a medical grade protein made by Unjury because it has less sugar, calories and carbs. My breakfast is normally all protein (eggs and a breakfast meat). My lunch and dinner are normally about 6oz of a lean meat, 2 green leafy vegetables and if I have room I’ll have a starch. I don’t count carbs/calories but if an item has a sugar free or low sodium version, I’ll get it because that normally means less carbs/calories.

I used to do at least 5 days at the gym with 1 hour of cardio (treadmill, elliptical, bike, stairclimber, Zumba, hip hop dance etc) and 1 hour of weights. With the weights, I’ll do squats, arm curls, leg press, chest press, and etc. I now try to workout 5  days a week for 30-45 min (cardio and weights still) because I don’t want to keep losing weight.

My Instagram name is @ReeziRee. I never show my old photos because it’s a hard reminder of a place I never want to revisit.  However, I just posted my picture on Instagram because I was inspired by someone you follow. Thanks for sharing my story and I hope to inspire more black women.

Paula before and after