Black Weight Loss Success

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Laketra lost 50 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Laketra lost 50 pounds.  Now that is she is pregnant, she will gain baby weight, but she will be able to do it in a healthy way.

“I started at 216 and I am currently 166! I’m a mother of two and I have one on the way!  I cut back on the junk food, I stop eating after 8pm,if i needed to snack it was a healthy one mostly fruit, I worked out 3/4 times a week for almost a year…….me getting married was my biggest motivation! I went from a 2x shirt to a med. in the last photo I’m 2months pregnant currently I’m 4months and I’ve only gained a healthy 9 pounds so far!!!!!!!!! Yay me!!!!!!”

Laketra weight loss

 

Victoria has lost 25 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Victoria has lost 25 pounds.  She is participating in a challenge sponsored by Genghis Grill.  She started in February and she has made amazing progress.

“Just wanted to update on my progress (challenge: eat Genghis Grill for 60 days) no sodas, lots of water and exercise. Me on day 40 🙂

Eating: Breakfast oatmeal with fruit. Lunch pasta with tuna/chicken. Dinner grilled fish with broccoli and pineapples or chicken fajita WITHOUT tortilla.  I ate breakfast and dinner at home, Genghis Grill for lunch before heading to the gym. Snacked on carrots, celery, or apples throughout the day if I got hungry.

Exercise: Zumba two-three times a week (my instructor is hardcore), Treadmill 1-2 times a week, At home kickboxing 1-2 days a week.

Cheat day every 8 days. No red meat, only whole grains. ONLY WATER. I recently began replacing my lunch with Naked Green Machine. My motivation: I refuse to buy any more “plus size” clothes,so I have to lose the weight to fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes (which I CAN NOW).   I was still wearing maternity clothes when my son was over a year old. Also, the Genghis Grill competition is awarding $10,000 to the person who has highest percent weight loss in 60 days (I’m in 14th place out of 100). Even though I won’t win, the fact that I fit into my clothes again makes me a winner anyway.”

Victoria weight loss

Aimee lost 35 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story:  Aimee lost 35 pounds and has gone from a size 12 to a size 6 in six months.  She is a pastoral counselor, author and Christian self-Help expert.

“I was thin my entire life until I started to have children. I’d lose most of the weight but a little would always remain. Everytime a child came, the bigger I got. Being from New Orleans, where BIG is considered to be sexy, I had no idea that my weight was a problem. I had always been teased for being so skinny and then after moving to Texas, I completely ignored my physical health. Here in Texas, a size 12-14 is the norm. I never lacked self confidence, so I hadn’t realized that I wasn’t looking like myself anymore.

Every once in a while, my family members would playfully tease me but I let every word they said roll off of my back, until I met an old friend. They were really surprised at how big I had become. They made a “BIG” deal about it and it really hurt my feelings. I ignored what they said until I started having trouble finding things to wear.  Shopping became a chore and I was really embarrassed that I couldn’t wear the pretty dresses that I loved because they didn’t look right on me.

Aimee weight loss

So I tried to lose weight to be able to look good again but I failed… even though I went to the gym everyday. What was I doing wrong? I didn’t want to change my diet. I still ate the same things and the same amounts. I maintained my water weight and never lost a pound. I actually gained weight! I was so discouraged. So then, I tried to change my diet but it didn’t work for long. I didn’t know what to do. I was just copying what I saw others do but I wasn’t really ready.

So New Years of 2012 came along and I made the resolution to lose wieght like years before but this time I was serious. Why? Two years ago my aunt died from complications due to obesity. Also, my mom had gotten diagnosed with diabetes and I knew that I was at risk. Even though I LOVED tasty food… I had to decide that my health was more important. I mentally prepared for making this physical and spiritual change but a month into it, I hadn’t really done anything.

That’s when I had THE MOMENT. I was coming upstairs with my family when I passed a window and caught my reflection. I thought “Is that me”? That’s when I snapped into action and ever since, my life has totally changed. I thought that I had confidence before but now my confidence is at an all time high… I have fun shopping… energy for my family… I reduced my health risks and I feel great. Most of all, my guilt is gone!

I never thought I’d be disciplined enough to lose weight like this. But I stopped trivializing it because I realize that I have a future and a family to think about. I also realized that my body is worth so much more than how I had been treating it and I should take better care of it as a way to show honor to God.

The doctor and others told me that one of my major mistakes was only doing cardio and using light weights. (What I saw most other women doing) I needed to start really lifting and for longer periods of time. I also needed to do more exercises that involved moving my whole body.  Since belly fat is my biggest problem, I thought that doing a bunch of crunches would make it right but what I found out was that you can build up your muscles on the inside but you’ll never see them until you burn the fat off of your stomach first.  I learned that thigh exercises are actually the exercises that burn belly fat off. So I’m doing that now, and will re-incorporate crunches later. I do core exercises to strengthen my tummy and it is DRASTICALLY slimming down.  Also, sweating a lot does not determine how much you lose and the most you need to stay on the treadmill or bike is for 20 mins.

Avoid foods high in sodium… they make you retain water. Saunas only make you lose water weight but you gain it again when you drink water. You also have to drink a LOT of water. It’s important for reducing hunger and keeping you from retaining water. The more water you drink, the less you retain.

You may have to work out more often and for longer periods of time, each time being sure to do strength training. Experts say that it burns fat faster than anything else. Being disciplined enough to eat healthily is the hardest part. You can do this!

Side note: Make sure that you check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regimine. Also, find out what your heart rate should be for your age and weight. Each day I do 20 mins on the bike. The entire time I am at or above where my heart rate should be. This is very important. I didn’t start off like that but worked up to it.”

Check out her website: aimeecolbert.com

Kena lost 118 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story:  Blogger Kena lost 118 pounds.  Check out her weight loss blog  www.fat2phat2fit.blogspot.com.  Here is her weight loss story:

My issues with food started in my childhood. I was a picky eater that was addicted to junk food. In hindsight, I can see that the behaviors I displayed back then set me up for failure as an adult. I never cared much about ‘meals’, but present a dessert, a bag of Cheez Doodles or a package of cheap, hard, cream filled sandwich cookies (preferably lemon) to me and I was in heaven. I could survive on processed, high carbohydrate foods without giving protein, fiber or vitamins a second thought. My mother baked and cooked most of our meals from scratch. I thought ‘homemade’ was so old fashioned. I didn’t want baked macaroni and cheese, give me the processed Kraft macaroni and cheese! You know, the throwback kind in the skinny box that came with cheese powder and was a neon orange color. She made us eat shredded wheat, raisin bran and cornflakes. The day my father brought home Pop Tarts you’d think he’d been found guilty of child abuse. My mother wanted us to eat healthfully and prepared nutritious meals. As a child, I wanted no parts of that. I carried those behaviors into my teen and adult years. Needless to say those high carb, fast food and processed food habits landed me on the door step of 300lbs. My journey has been going on for about a decade now. I’ve hit several plateaus along the way. Fortunately I never put the weight back on. Once i lost it, I lost it. I just got ‘stuck’, or my effort level wasn’t enough to produce actual results. I commend those that can lose 100+ lbs in a year. It took me nearly ten years to lose 120 lbs, but I am more than thankful for the journey and the knowledge I’ve learned along the way. I’m only about 25-30 lbs from my goal weight/size. Whichever comes first!

Kena weight loss blogger

One of my favorite quotes is from G. I. Joe. “Knowing is Half the Battle”. You can’t successfully overcome any issue without fully understanding what is causing it. Being REAL with yourself about your workouts, what you’re eating and drinking is the bottom line. Track your food intake until you get this weight loss thing down pat. Stop worrying about your hair, what other people think or how expensive your sneakers and athletic wear is. Educate yourself, there are too many free, reliable resources found on the internet to be ignorant about health and nutrition.

I’ve used Weight Watchers, appetite suppressants, protein meal replacement shakes, as tools in my journey. These were just TOOLS. I had to put in the work. Having a support system is great. But someone else should not determine how well you progress on your weightloss/health journey. At the very least you should invest in:

A gym membership, (there are a few nationwide franchises that offer $10/monthly memberships, There may be a planet fitness franchise in your area) OR Fitness DVDS (collagevideo.com is an EXCELLENT online source) OR Create your own gym at home (kettle bells, jump rope, resistance bands, etc are great if you don’t have a lot of room)

Also: a heart rate monitor, a good pair of sneakers, a good sports bra all are essential. (When I couldn’t afford a good sports bra, I wore two cheap ones at a time)  .

Find a Zumba class, or fitness boot camp in your area to help add variety to your regimen.I don’t skip breakfast, skipping breakfast sets your day up for failure. Other than my protein shakes I choose not to drink my calories. Soda, tea, alcoholic beverages, and juice consumption are limited. Try diluting your favorite juice blend with a flavored club soda or sparkling water. Fruit infused water is another of my favorites. A crockpot is soooo old school but comes in handy. You can prepare healthy meals for yourself or your family with a little bit of prep work. Soups, stews, chili and other one pot meals are right at your fingertips.

I watch my carbohydrate intake. You don’t have to follow a low carb lifestyle, but limit the white: sugar, breads,potatoes and rice. Fruit and veggies are great NATURAL snacks. I enjoy eating and making kale chips and sweet potato chips.

Don’t eat what you don’t like. You’ll only be miserable trying to follow a ‘diet’ comprised of foods that you don’t enjoy. This is all about a lifestyle change that you can LIVE with.

Don’t worry about how you look to others when you start your fitness journey. Just do you. Don’t let self doubt hinder your success. Don’t allow the “I Can’ts” keep you from being the person that you want. I was fortunate to have a great trainer that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I cried when I was mad at him for pushing me. I cried when he pushed me to success. I would have never believed that I could run a 5K or do a wall sit for 12 minutes. I’m not the ‘face’ of fitness. (And you don’t have to be either). The full hips and thighs on my ‘pear’ shape isn’t the status quo for fitness. And I’m perfectly OK with that. I am recreating the ‘face’ of fitness. This curvy, pear shaped African American woman is strong and determined and that is all that should matter.

I’m also trying my hand at blogging. Check my ‘baby’ blog out at www.fat2phat2fit.blogspot.com

Ladies, Weight loss blogging is a great way to share your story, share your struggles and share your success with others who are losing weight.  I’ve created a quick guide to setting up your weight loss blog.  Check it out.

Towanna lost 68 pounds

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Success Story Update: Towanna gave us an update on her weight loss and she is still going strong. This 53 year old grandma of 2 went from a size 24 to a size 10 in the past.  She’s faced a medical setback but is encouraged about losing more weight and staying healthy.  Everyone has ups and downs, but it’s how you deal with them that will determine your ultimate success.  Here is what she had to say about her journey…

Towanna before and after

I was featured in 2013, but I’m still on this amazing journey. I eat healthy and walk everyday. I’m off of all medications. My goal is to loose 25 more pounds.

I had a set back due to arthritis in both knees and I’m at a size 14, but I don’t let that stop me. I’ve learned with weight loss that you have to focus on healthy eating and exercise. I also have learned not to put a time limit on when to lose weight.

The adjustment I’ve made since 2013 is riding the stationary bike instead of using the treadmill, because of the arthritis. I walk everyday. I start each morning with a green smoothie, followed by a healthy lunch and dinner. I would tell everyone to take little steps in the beginning, then do more each day.

~Original Post ~

Today’s weight loss success story: Towanna lost 68 pounds.  She is in it for the long haul and has been losing weight by making small changes over time.

My name is Towanna. I’m a 51. I’m a grandmother of 2. I’m still on this amazing journey. I am not giving up!! My heaviest was 245 pounds.  In the 2nd pic  I’m 190 pounds and in the last pic I’m 177 pounds.   I have 20 more pounds to go.  Started my journey Aug 2009.  I went from a size 24 to a 10. I walked and used the treadmill for exercise. I gave up sugar and soda. I recently gained 17 pounds back, but I’m not giving up. Prayer, meditation and journaling keeps me Focused.

Towanna weight loss

Kashina lost 100 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss story: Kashina lost 100 pounds with low carb eating, clean eating and exercise.  She now runs more than 4 miles per day.

“I started my lifestyle change back in December 2011.  I was around 270 maybe even 280 pounds. I’m not sure because I didn’t have a scale at the time.  It had been a year since I had my baby and I hadn’t lost anything but my baby bump.  I had no energy and my husband was pretty much doing everything around the house because it was just so much work to get off my big butt!  I was miserable and hated my reflection in the mirror.  One day my husband picked up a book and an old picture of me from when we first started dating fell out of it.  I was at least 80 pounds thinner in that picture and that very day I decided I needed to get back to that size.

I’ve never been “skinny”, I’m 5’9″ and have a very large bone structure.  I’m often mistaken for a Pacific Islander.  My original diet plan was to get on a high protein, low carb diet and not to buy a scale for a while.  I didn’t want to get stuck on a number.  I know that weighing yourself daily can either encourage or discourage you.  I felt that it might discourage me because I had a lot of weight to lose and wanted to lose it fast.  To guage my progress I had a size 14 pants in the closet (I was wearing a 20), and I would try them on periodically to see how they fit.  At first I couldn’t get them past my thighs.   It took about 6 months of eating low carb for me to feel that I had got back to the size I was before the baby.  Once I was there, I realized how overweight I still was. I still hadn’t stepped on a scale, and when I did I was still over 220lbs which I knew I didn’t want to be.

Kashina weight loss success

I started to get more energy and started doing a lot more around the house.  I then decided that I needed to exercise.  I started riding an exercise bike, but couldn’t really keep up with it because it hurt my butt and couldn’t really keep my baby away from the spinning wheel, so I decided I would start running.  My first day I ran around my block which when I mapped it was .75 miles.  I felt I could go further so I mapped out a mile and started running that daily.  It started getting easier. Now I’m up to 4 miles a day.  I just ran in my first 8K race 2 weeks ago and I was so happy that I had the stamina to run the full race without walking.

Right now, I weigh 180 and wear a size 10 pants.  I’ve lost 100 pounds, but I still want to lose about 25 to 30 more.  In addition to running I bought a weight bench a weight set and various other pieces of fitness equipment.  I try to work a different muscle group every day.  My goal has changed so much since I got started.  I went from just wanting to get back into my size 14 pants, to wanting to get as fit as I possible can.  I realized that I don’t just want to look good in clothes, I want to look good nude too!  That’s where the weight training comes in.  I really want to have nicely toned muscles.  I’ve had to adjust my eating to continue weight loss.  Now I don’t just eat low carb/high protein, but I eat clean which means no processed foods.  I also eat 5 or 6 small meals a day with 25-30g of protein in each meal.  I’m so much happier now that I’ve started to take care of my body and I realized that loving the skin you’re in doesn’t mean just accepting yourself the way you are, but loving yourself enough to do the very best you can for yourself which means feeding yourself the healthiest foods, exercising and getting enough rest.”

Kashina before and after

Zumba Ceci lost 45 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story:  Zumba Instructor Ceci lost 45 pounds with Zumba, clean eating and weight lifting.  

“Hi,my name is Ceci aka Zumba Ceci. Last summer I was fed up wth my unhealthy life style and decided that I needed a change. I started doing Zumba(as my cardio choice) weight lifting and eating Clean while drinking plenty of water. Within 6 months, I lost a total of 45lbs! I started out at 180lbs and I am now 135lbs. I haven’t been this size in 10 years…since I was in high school! I went from a size 12/14 to a size 3/4.  My weight loss journey and lifestyle change has now changed my life. I became a Zumba fitness instructor and a clean eating enthusiast! I now try to share with all women ways to get the bodies they deserve and desire through the love of health and fitness. I really hope that you help me spread that love by featuring my story. Thank you,and God bless!”

www.ceciliamcgill.zumba.com

Zumba Ceci weight loss

Petra lost 40 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Petra lost 40 pounds by eating clean nutrition and exercising.

“I want to submit my “transformation” pictures. I have released 40lbs over the past 2 yrs and never gained any back. No yo-yoing, just clean nutrition and EXERCISE!  NO SUCH THING AS A SNACK! every time I put something in my mouth it was a balanced meal ( protein, fiber, good fats ie 2oz chicken breast, 6 almonds 1/2 pear would be a ” snack”. Vegan protein shakes post workout. Only water & herbal teas. Omega-3 supplements & multi vitamin. Gym 5-7 times a week. ZUMBA, kettle bells, TRX training & battle ropes.”

Petra weight loss

Maretta lost 82 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: My Sigma Gamma Rho soror Maretta lost 82 pounds!  Check out the awesome video of her transformation below.

“I’ve lost 82 lbs… My diet still needs work but I’ve been watching my portion sizes. The biggest thing that has helped me is persistence. I go to the gym every day at 5am for at least one hour of cardio. I’ve also increased my water intake to 3 water jugs a day.”

maretta weight loss

Monique lost 45 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Monique lost 45 pounds.  She says:

“I started my weight loss journey about 8 months ago. I’ve since lost 45 pounds.  I cut out red meat.  I incorporate smoothie ideas from your page into my everyday diet. For exercise, I combined an awesome fitness dvd called Sweat With Swagg.  I also do 1 hour of cardio 5 times a week and at least 30 minutes of strength training 5 times a week. The monthly challenges on your page are awesome as well.  This page is truly inspirational and has helped a lot. Thank you.”

Monique weight loss