Black Weight Loss Success

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Bev lost 79 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Bev lost 79 pounds and is now a Zumba instructor.  In 2 years, this proud mom of three has gone from a size 26 to a size 8.  Read her story and find out how she did it:

Bev weight loss story

“My name is Bev and I have lost 79 pounds! When I turned 37, God blessed me with another little Boy (my older children were 22 and 18 at the time). I was too big to chase after the little guy, once he started walking. I decided to change my eating habits, and start working out. It has been a slow process, as I have been on this weight loss journey for 2 years.I keep a watchful eye in my portions, and have banned sugar from my household. I love to experiment with fresh produce.

My workouts are hard…I make them that way because I love to sweat now..lol.  In the beginning, I started going to the gym with my sister. Now at first, I wanted to kill her, because my first class was a Spin Class. I think that I may have cursed her the entire class!  I then started going to Boot Camp classes; where I met some pretty amazing people! They encouraged me to keep working out and eating better. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Eventually, I became a Gym Rat, hitting the gym as much as 6 days a week. Sometimes, I would go twice a day.  My classes consisted of: Boot Camp, Weight Lifting, Kickboxing, spinning, and ZUMBA! I loved Zumba so much, that I became a Licensed Instructor. I don’t get to go to the gym too much any more, so I walk when I can. I usually walk 5 miles and do some type of strength training 4-5 days a week. My strength training consists of LOTS of planks, abs, and squats (my fave) And if its raining, I practice Zumba. I’m constantly moving!  My starting weight was 244 pounds and in a size 26. I am now 165 pounds and in a size 8.

Slow and steady wins the race. We must LEARN how to live a healthier lifestyle. Don’t give up, and don’t make excuses! I have a small group here on FB, and U encourage others to live as healthy as they possibly can. It’s called WE WALK, because not everybody can Zumba, or do Boot Camps…but we can walk, and just 10 mins a day does wonders!  If I could give ANY advice…it would be to learn about your body. Learn what obesity is doing to your body. Keep a great support system, and most of all; LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO CHANGE YOUR HABITS! I loved myself back then…but I love myself enough to NEVER go back!”

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #4: Use Daily Deal Sites

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deal of the dayI’m doing a tip everyday for our October Challenge and here is today’s tip:  Use Daily Deal Sites to find special offers and discounts.

Are you familiar with Daily Deal sites like LivingSocial and Groupon?  Well you might be missing out on deals for local exercise bootcamps, yoga classes, healthy meals at restaurants, local food growers, food co-ops, fitness centers and more.  Of course, each area is different, so if you are in a small town…I can’t say what is available for you on the more location based sites.  However, there deals to be found on fitness products as well.

Just keep in mind that all these deals expire and if you see a deal one day…it could be gone the next day.  Make sure that you look for dates when you search and in the terms of the deals.

LivingSocial – This site gives you the incentive to share. “After you purchase something, you can tell all your friends. Tweet, post to Facebook, or send your unique link to friends in an email. If three people buy that deal with your link, your deal is free!”  That’s awesome.  I usually look under Local and then pick the category “Sports & Fitness” to find great deals on classes, bootcamps and gyms in my area.  I’ve also been able to try out expensive local restaurants on the cheap for healthy meals.

Groupon – Check out the “Health and Fitness” section of the Groupon site for deals in your area that help can make losing weight loss and exercise classes more affordable.

Active GearUp – Deals on workout gear from a wide variety of brands.  From gym shoes to bike wheels to hiking bags…the deals are different depending on when you visit the site because they expire.

Zozi – This is a new deal site that is all about adventure.  Since they are new, you may not find your city or town in their listing, but you may find deals in a big city near you or get the hook up on a great out of town trip.  Their site says,“ZOZI is a venture-backed startup in San Francisco, emerging as the leading brand for adventure. Discover and book extraordinary experiences around the corner, around the world, and with celebrity expert guides. ZOZI offers everything from midnight kayaking, abalone diving and urban zip lining to oyster farming, white water rafting, training with Olympic gold medalists, plus all the gear needed for these adventures.”

Bottomline, I love it when I can try an exercise class for a discount and see if I really click with the trainer or try a new form of working out without having to commit to a package of classes or buying a membership.  I also love going to restaurants with high quality ingredients, but not breaking my budget. These daily deal sites help to make this happen.  Check them out.  You might not see a deal for you today but you never know when you may be looking to try something new to help motivate you on your weight loss journey.