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before weight loss

Keya’s Emotional Weight Loss Story

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I had to share Keya‘s moving story that she posted to our Facebook page.  She didn’t note how much she lost (you can see it in the photos) but I think the details of her story are far more important and inspiring.  Here is what she shared (Update Oct 2013: See her updated photo and more info below the original post):

Many people don’t believe me when I tell them I got to 200 lbs. I was at a place of hopelessness and despair. My husband was in prison, I was raising 3 children as a single mother all while working 40+ hours a week and maintaining a 4.0 average in college. I had no time to take care of me and I had no time to love me.  All the love that I could muster each day was distributed evenly amongst my 3 children. A life of pain including suicide attempts, miscarriages, infidelity, not being wanted by your mother, finding out at 26 that your biological father is in fact your mother’s step dad and SO much more…was a building volcano waiting to erupt.  I am finally at a place where I am getting back to the basics! I found my voice and no longer allowed those things to hold me bondage. I use them to help others and that allowed the chains to break free.

We often time live life as though we are invincible, well, I had a mini stroke back in 2009.. It was one of the many times I had a brush with death and I just kept praying that God would help me to live because I was not ready to die. Finally, once again, I AM LIVING Y’ALL! Get your health right, you only got ONE life! I changed my eating habits and I workout with a trainer 4 times per week including electrifying cardio and Zumba classes. I also walk/run 5 miles on the 5th day. I hope to inspire someone, as I know what it feels like to have no inspiration or motivation in life.  I love y’all to PEACES! ♥~Keya

Keya weight loss pictures

Update – Keya has lost 40 pounds: “I just wanted to share a more updated picture, I’m still losing pounds and inches and wanted to reshare my story in hopes of helping another.”

Keya weight loss photos

Candyce lost 51 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Candyce lost 51 pounds with the help of the MyFitnessPal app, learning to eat her favorite foods in moderation and working out regularly. Here is what she shared with us:

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

In the before photo I’m at 206 pounds in August 2012.  In the after photo I’m at 155 pounds in July 2013.

What was your motivation?

My motivation was mostly my babies. When my then 2 year old told me “Mommy, you got a big fat belly!” I knew that it was time to make a change! Also, I was sick of not being able to run and play with the children.

How did you change your eating habits?

I didn’t cut out my favorite foods, I just ate them in moderation. I also changed the way I prepared things, such as using wheat flour instead of white flour and using whole wheat pasta. I wasn’t a bad eater to begin with, but like most of us, I tended to overindulge. I also started using the MyFitnessPal app to keep track of what I ate.

What did your workout routines look like?

When I first started, I was going to boot camp classes twice a day.  I had to cut that out when I sprained BOTH ankles. So then, I turned to YouTube for some low impact cardio, arms, leg and an workouts.

How long did your transformation take?

My transformation took 7 months and I have maintained it for four months so far! Thanks for keeping black women encouraged!

Candyce weight loss pictures

Courtney lost 186 pounds with weight loss surgery

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Let’s show some love to Courtney!  She is a long time member of BWLW and was one of the first people featured on our Facebook page (before we had a blog).  She lost 186 pounds after having vertical sleeve weight reduction surgery about 7 years ago.  She wrote to us to update her story:

“My name is Courtney and I have been big all my life.  At 21 years old, I changed my life by having weight loss surgery! I had the vertical sleeve procedure in 2007.  Then, I was wearing a size 28-30.  Now, I’m in a size 6-8 and I weigh 140 pounds, down from 326 pounds!!! I had a baby in December 2011 and I still maintained my weight.  I’m over joyed with the healthy me.  I had the surgery because that was my last hope after trying everything under sun and spending lots of money! So, if it works for you great!! Thanks so much for your time!”

courtney weight loss surgery

 

Brittney lost 40 pounds

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Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight love to Brittney who lost 40 pounds in the last year.  She started walking and then jogging.  She also started juicing and worked to change her eating habits. Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

Hi! I’ve been really serious about losing weight for the last year. After getting married, having 4 beautiful children receiving my Master’s of Education degree, I had gained 80 pounds. I got to the point where I got tired of buying clothes and having to return them because they were too small. I felt smaller on the inside, but it didn’t reflect on the outside? After setting my mind on being a better, healthier me I started to walk 3 miles, 3-4 times a week. Within 6 months, I started jogging a little, but increased my total workout to 4 miles. In the last 3 months, I have started jogging 3 miles and walking 1 of those miles. I even broke my treadmill from using it so much.

I have  cut back on my portion intake.  Instead of eating my entire meal when we dine out, I save half for lunch the next day or I choose healthier options of the menu. I juice regularly, drink a gallon of water a day and take full advantage of a fresh fruit salad everyday. I even participate in BWLW monthly exercise challenges. I have successfully lost 40+ pounds and I am working toward the next 40! Thank you for the motivation and encouragement.

Brittney weight loss pictures

Pebbles lost 54 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Pebbles lost 54 pounds.  Her weight loss and fitness journey was featured on the Dr. Oz Show (Dec 2012).  Now, she teaches others about mental as well as physical fitness.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hi, I’m Pebbles Armwood.  I am just a regular woman who at times gets busy, overwhelmed, and engulfed in everyday life. Around this time last year, I weighted 234 pounds and my doctor told me I was borderline diabetic. I knew at that very moment that I needed a change in my life. It’s one thing to be born with a health condition, because you’re not in control of that. However, to allow myself to become sick from something that I have control over is different. At any cost, if I can avoid, stop, and prevent any type of disease that’s what I will do. I knew that exercising was a must, so I had fun doing different fitness routines. I used dancing, walking, weight training, intervals, group workouts, etc. The key is that I had fun with my mental, emotional, and physical fitness. It took me 10 months to lose over 54 pounds.  Today, I am 180 pounds and still working on it. My message is simple, “It’s about mental fitness.. the physical part will follow.” I believe perception is reality which can make things hard, impossible, and unachievable for ourselves. Once I stopped playing the victim role, the sky was limitless. I soon realized that losing weight was a lifestyle change and not a fad. It’s all about small easy steps that will create big change. I had no idea losing weight would turn into purpose. I was a guest on The “Dr. Oz” Show after sharing my story. I now help others reach their goals thorough my blog, radio interviews, and one on one sessions. I also inform people about juicing for health. I now have a business called Pebbles Armwood Presents Mental Fitness. I do speaking events sharing my 3 Easy Steps To Mental Fitness.

“I love to dance, so I would go to the gym just do a lot of cardio because there was a lot of fat I needed to burn,” Armwood said. “I did cardio, I did elliptical, I did intervals, I did weight lifting. I love lifting weights. I could probably bench-press more than a lot of men. I would dance at home. I would go running, I would go jogging. I would do my own little made-up boot camp. Armwood also made changes to her diet, working in more parsley and lemongrass green tea into her diet, and into smoothies each morning before hitting the gym, both tips she learned from the show.” – Patch.com

Pebbles weight loss story

Chavone lost 37 pounds

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Chavone wrote to us to share her 37 pound weight loss success story.  She started in January 2013 and has lost weight by changing her diet and working out 4-5 times per week.  Let’s show her some love.  Here is what she shared:

My names is Chavone. I’ve gone from 186 pounds to 149 pounds, losing 37lbs. My weight transformation began January 21, 2013. My motivation was family. At that time, my grandmother recently had a triple bypass surgery and never quite recovered. I don’t want to be unhealthy. I cut all red meat out of my diet. I made the decision to not eat any sugar and to only drink water. Cleaning up my eating habits and getting healthy has been a great decision. I workout 4 to 5 times a week.  I do really high impact cardio and weight training for 45 minutes per day.

Chavone weight loss before and after

Sylvia lost 56 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Sylvia lost 56 pounds using My Fitness Pal as a calorie counter, running, aerobics and strength training.  Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Sylvia and I am from Atlanta, GA.  I have struggled with my weight for years. But during graduate school I was stressed and in an unhealthy relationship which started the weight gain spiral.  In 2009, my mother passed away and I lived across the country from my family. Needless to say getting and staying motivated was tough.

I had the goal of losing weight for years but this year something finally clicked. I weigh in every week and post my results on a door that I walk by everyday. I also created a “thinspiration” wall of quotes, pictures and weight count down chart; essentially its a vision board. I use the My Fitness Pal app to track my food and a calendar to track my workouts. In addition, once a month I post my weight loss progress on Facebook.  For me, all of these tools together have helped with my accountability.

Eating habits – I use a calorie counter (My Fitness Pal). I try to stick to a 1500 calorie diet. A food scale, measuring cups, sandwich and snack bags are your best friends. You will be amazed at what a “true portion” once you start using them. I did try juicing (one meal) for two weeks until I got to a point where I liked fruits and vegetables. I don’t believe in restricting foods because it makes you binge. Everything in moderation.

Exercise – I started running in 2010 but I became a runner in 2011. I joined Black Girls Run-Atlanta and they helped me train for races. I started with a 5k, got hooked, and now I run half marathons. I also like cardio kickboxing and step classes. Additionally, I lift weights at the gym. If you really want to see results, lift heavy weights and read body building articles. Strength training is what truly changes the shape of your body.

In 2009, I was 240 pounds. Now, I weigh 184 pound. A 56 pound weight loss over the course of four years. I try to encourage people not to worry about how long it takes. Just know that with time and hard work, you will achieve your goals.

Sylvia weight loss success

Jennifer lost 51 pounds

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Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight Love to Jennifer.  She has lost 51 pounds since April 2nd of this year and is striving to lose 49 pounds more!!  Here is what she shared with us: “I’d like to share my story.  I’ve lost 51 pounds since April 2, 2013.  How did I do it?  Just by stopping drinking soda, cutting out sweets and with an intense exercise regiment.  I also eat clean. I went from 386 pounds to 335 pounds.  My goal is to lose another 49 pounds and maintain my new lifestyle. My motivation was when my doctor told me that I could not have another child due to my weight.”

Jennifer weight loss before and after

Tai lost 105 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after: Tai lost 105 pounds by doing the work of working out hard and changing her eating habits to lose pounds.  She has provided a LOT of detail for us. Here is what she shared with us:

Tai weight loss

“Good morning, I just wanted to give my personal thanks to you for promoting wellness, especially in our community. I’ve been on a healthy journey myself the last 15 months going from 265 to 160! It has inspired me to share my journey as a means to help others like me know it is possible to change your life. This is a really awesome page & I’m glad my friends told me to check it out. Thanks again for your contribution towards healthy living & Showing good examples for women to follow!

On July 5th, 2011, I removed my rose colored glasses and realized an ugly truth I had been hiding from for years: I was extremely overweight and unhealthy. It was during a weekend trip to Miami with friends, and it was the first time I felt uncomfortable in my own body. I had been overweight for the better part of my life, and had become numb to cruel taunts and overweight remarks; however, this weekend was different. If you’ve ever been to south beach, you know that it’s a scenery of nicely composed bodies flaunting them proudly up and down the main strip and boardwalk.

Tai weight loss before and afterUpon returning home from vacation I decided I needed to do something about my weight. I was about 265 pounds and standing only five feet tall. At the time I was a year and a half from my 30th birthday, and I didn’t want to enter the next year of my existence with the unwanted weight. Further, I knew that it would be harder to lose the older I became. I started by joining a Biggest Loser completion at my office. It helped to keep me motivated in the beginning because I’m very competitive and there was money involved for the top two losers. I ended up coming in second place after losing 17 pounds in eight weeks; however, after a few months of working out I hit a plateau and became very discouraged. I was around 30 pounds lost when I decided to change gears and stop working out at the gym. I instead took to a female dance studio that hosted classes like Zumba, Belly and Pole Dancing. I looked like a fish out of water participating, but I kept at it. What I liked most about the studio is that there were women of all ages and sizes, and they pushed me to do better. I kept up with the classes for about two months and then decided to start working out at home to save money. I took to walking and the intense Insanity workout. This forever changed my life. The program was tough, but I pushed play every day because I knew that if I did I would get results. Eventually my daily one mile walk turned into a two mile jog and increased to running several miles later down the line. I finished two rounds of Insanity and then moved on to another home program called TurboFire. The convenience of working out at home helped me stay on track because all I had to do was walk into my living room, which gave me no excuse as to why I couldn’t work out.

What was most beneficial for me during the entire process was learning how to eat properly. In the beginning, I stuck to a 1200 calorie diet, but found that I was consistently hungry. After a while I stopped losing weight, and after doing some research I found out I wasn’t eating enough calories to sustain my weight loss. I also started to look into the actual foods I was eating. I eat a lot of processed foods like canned soup, frozen meals and boxed foods. I learned to adapt to a method of clean eating instead. It wasn’t easy; it took about 6 months of researching and trying new foods before I became fully versed in what clean eating was. The benefit of it verses my previous diet regiment was that most of the food was only lean cuts of meat, raw fruits and vegetables, eggs, fish, nuts and seeds. I started to try at least one new food item each week until I replaced most of the bad foods I had previously consumed on a regular bases.

It took 14 months, but I to date have lost about 105 pounds. My current workouts are now back in the gym lifting weights as I am down to 160 pounds and looking to gain more muscle mass. I also run daily, anywhere from three to six miles, and I’ve taken up yoga. The results I received along the way certainly helped me to stay focused. Also, the people I encouraged along the way by sharing my struggle was a major motivator. I used social media sites like My Fitness Pal, Instagram and my Facebook page to share my store and have others share theirs. Providing motivation to others and helping them see that accomplishing their goals has been one of the most rewarding benefits of this whole process. This is because when I was at my highest weight there were not many women who were where I was and had gotten to a point I was trying to achieve. This is the main reason why I find it so important to motivate women who are currently the “old me” looking to achieve their own health and fitness goals.”

facebook.com/TaiFitness
Instagram: @TaiFitness

Tai weight loss story

Samentha lost 40 pounds

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Let’s show Samentha some love for achieving a loss of 40 pounds by changing her eating habits with Weight Watchers and working out regularly.  Here is what she shared with us:

My decision to lose weight was the best thing I could’ve made for myself. I gained self confidence, self respect, and learned to love and embrace myself all over again.

I have 2 children with Autism.  Accommodating my life and dedicating all of my time to them caused me to neglect myself. What I finally came to realize was, neglecting myself was just as bad as neglecting the kids. My son and daughter needed me at my best. So, I joined Weight Watchers in July 2012. I lost 30 pounds in the first 3 months. In July 2012, I was 204 lbs. Today, I am proud to say that I am 164 pounds and still losing!

I workout outdoors at least 4 times a week. My routine is mostly running and using weighted jump ropes. I also use free weights at home to tone my arms and squats to work my lower body; especially my buns

It was hard sometimes sticking to my regimen and sometimes I’ve lacked motivation and became discouraged. My friends and family are my backbone. I told EVERYONE I could about my goal. They all helped keep me accountable for my choices and actions concerning my health and lifestyle. I have learned that it does take a village.

I finally feel beautiful and liberated. Hopefully my story can help liberate others. Be happy and be healthy.

Samentha weight loss story