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before weight loss

Sandy lost 65 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Sandy lost 65 pounds. We are so happy that one of our monthly challenges provided the wake up call she needed and was a turning point for her progress. This proud mom has embraced regular exercise, cut out highly processed foods and committed to changing her health.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

Sandy's success story

After a two back injuries and a year and a half on steroids, my blood pressure had crept up to the point where I began to have palpitations. I am a mother of one and my ex husband has health issues himself. My thought was, who will raise my son if I succumb to my family history of heart related, kidney related deaths? I started working out half heartedly on Jan 1 at 303 pounds and a size 20 (pic in Red) and lost 19 lbs by March (green). I got your email about May’s challenge of no bread, no sugar and that was my turning point. By June, I was down 50 lbs (blue) and I have currently lost 65 lbs and am in a size 14. I began by walking using the Map My Walk app, then started the Circuit Trainer Pro App.  I also used weight training with 8 lb and 15 lb weights, plus body weight workouts. I am currently doing week four of the Couch 2 5K program (a running program). I never ever would have thought of running. I would always worry about cars seeing me. Then I thought, “they are IN CARS, I am getting it on foot” and I kept it moving. I follow a low carb diet, with lots of lean meats and veggies. I take a B12 shot and a lipoden shot (both from a doctor) once a week. I still have 40 pounds left to my initial goal, but I keep praying, getting outside (gyms do me no good). I will get there. Your Facebook page totally jump started me into a new life!

Instagram: @sandy_danielle9

Sandy's story

Britney lost 70 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Britney lost 70 pounds. After having 3 children, she experienced the weight gain that plagues many moms.  She found a way of eating that has allowed her to lose the weight, a low carb, high fat lifestyle.  Here is what she shared with us about how she dropped the pounds over the last year and a half.

Britney weight loss success story

After having 3 children, all by Caesarean section, the weight kept piling on and after the last baby. It was no question that things had to change. I’ve been through different changes of healthy eating habits however, I’ve settled on a low carb, high fat lifestyle and I’m happy. So far I’ve lost 70 lbs. with a goal of 100 lbs lost.

I’ve struggled with weight issues most of my life, but a bulb clicked on after having 3 babies in three years (in 2010, 2011 and 2012). I was basically preggo for 3 years! I not only wanted my body back but I wanted to be better, stronger and comfortable in my skin, which I’m learning is psychological as well as physical.

When I first began, I simply cut my meal portions and sugary drinks and snacks. Currently I live a ketogenic/ lchf (low carb/high fat) eating lifestyle which requires giving up carbs that are sugar. However, because I eat no (starchy) carbs, I lose weight.  I also consume lots of healthy fats, thus I’m never hungry. I workout 5-6 days a week doing cardio and weight training. I started my journey At 240 pounds. I currently weigh 170 lbs! (Yay! Lol) I’m 5′ 1.34″ tall. I’ve been at it for a year and a half now. The advicd I can pass on to others is to Visualize your goals and never lose sight of them. Mentally look at them every single day.

Instagram: @iamfitbrit

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

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Angela lost 66 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Angela lost 66 pounds.  This proud mom of two was motivated to lose weight after trying to enlist. She set a goal to get healthy and there was no stopping her.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

Angela weight loss story

My name is Angela and I’m a single mother of 2. A couple of years ago I decided I want to try enlisting in the Army, when I walked in the recruiters office and stepped on the scale weighing in at 260 pounds I became very driven. At that moment, I decided to take my life back. I began my journey back in 2012. It took me about 6 months. Once I set my mind on a goal, there is no stopping. I’ve always been so solid that I never realized exactly how big I had gotten over the years. I totally changed everything about my eating and began walking in the beginning. It was a slow walk that changed to a brisk walk and now it’s a jog/run. By the time I knew it, I had gotten down to 194 lbs.  Once I really got serious, I started baking not frying and staying away from too many sweets. I drink nothing but water now and eat lots of fruits & veggies. I actually don’t like many veggies so to make things a little easier on me I juice them lol.

Now I’m working towards my personal training certification, hosting fit camps, and even train a few clients. I’ve gone from this really thick stallion to a fit stallion.  My goal is 170 pounds and I will reach my goal. My advice would be to set a small goal/challenge first something like no bread or sweets for 2 weeks or even a gallon of water a day… After that goal is met set new ones push yourself to the limit if you have someone like a teammate that’ll help to encourage you both.  Patience is everything. JUST KEEP GOING…

Instagram: @richcutfitness

Angela before and after pictures

Update: Janet is down 98 pounds

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Update: Janet lost a total of 98 pounds.  We shared her full story back in March and she let us know this week that she lost even more weight in the last few months.  Here is what she shared with us:

Janet weight loss

Janet after photoGood Morning! I wanted to share my update with you. Since my story feature back in March I’m down 8 more pounds (I was 160 lbs then, down from 250 pounds). I now weight 152 lbs and I’m down to a size 8 . I have started a group page “I can, you can for weight loss”. This group page has allowed me to reach men and women encouraging them about getting their weight under control. This page is about daily prayer, daily motivation and encouragement. I continue to workout on my home I have incorporate weights lifting to tone my body. I have been working out during commercials breaks which has encouraged my whole family!! My goal is to reach people and encourage them that they too can achieved weight loss! I’m currently in process of starting Nonprofit Organization to reach men and women around the world. Thank you for this opportunity to share.

Read our post about Janet’s weight loss journey and find out how she lost the weight.

FB: Janet Harrison
I can, you can for weight loss FB group page
Twitter @pd2md
Instagram @pd2md

Janet before and after photos

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Danni lost 77 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Danni lost 77 pounds.  She set a goal for herself to lose weight over the course of a year and she succeeded.  Interestingly enough, her food allergies that had been limiting for her ended up helping her to lose the weight quickly.  It’s amazing what the body will do when we listen to it and give it the foods that it needs and remove the foods that can hurt us. Read her story to find out more:

Danni before and after

I started the Insanity program last year on April 8, 2013 and promised to share my success the following year. From April 2013 to April 2014, I went from 230 lbs to 160 lbs (height: 5’7″). My goal from April to now was 7 lbs and I have succeeded and went beyond the 7 lbs. I am now below what they call the overweight line for my age and height. I am now toning my body to the desired look I want.

My routine for the year was based on Insanity (modified to the fullest) every few months and a lot of workouts I did on my own.  I did T25 (modified as well) and gym gym gym.  In the gym, I did some cardio and lots of weight training to build fat to eat away at the fat even at rest.  I ate more protein, no processed foods, and only natural sugars like from fruit. With that, I was able to drop 70 lbs in the year.  With all the encouragement, motivation and an allergy to corn, ground nuts, wheat (causing me to cut out a lot of foods), I lost the weight very fast. I had  an accident that messed up my knees, but I didn’t let that deter me.  I decided to work on the body parts I could move without further injuring myself. That’s dedication.

Mind you, I do have over 10 food allergies.  A lot of these foods I still eat, even with the side affects, but my severe anaphylactic reaction comes from corn.  Unfortunately, you’ll find that almost everything you eat and drink/alcohol has corn syrup, corn starch, corn meal, maltodextrin, dextrose and the million other food ingredient names no one knows but scientists that is basically corn based.  My allergies actually are what helped me to shed the pounds even faster. NO, I counted no calories because I am limited as it is. I didn’t want more on me then I can bear, especially with my passion for food.

Instagram: @theworldami

Danni weight loss