Black Weight Loss Success

The Official Blog of the Black Women Losing Weight Community. Tips, articles and weight loss resources for African American Women.

Join Our Email List:
We respect your email privacy
You are here: Home / Archives for Certified Personal Trainer

Certified Personal Trainer

Sasha lost 70+ pounds

by 1 Comment

Transformation of the Day: Sasha lost 70+ pounds. Her journey started when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She immediately started following her doctor’s nutrition advice and made fitness a top priority. Now, she’s a certified personal trainer, and she is committed to living a healthy lifestyle.

Sasha before and after weight loss

What was your motivation? I was diagnosed with diabetes, and my A1C was very high. My family doctor told me I would need to start giving myself a shot, and I DID NOT want to do that. So I asked her to give me two weeks to get my life together, and she did!

What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up? Within two weeks, I was DIABETES FREE, and that alone motivated me to keep going! 

How did you change your eating habits? My doctor was very adamant about no bread, no cheese, no pasta, and no alcohol, so I cut all that out that day! (I continued to do that for quite some time)

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sasha Body (@sashabody__)

What did your workout routine consist of? How often did you work out? I started working out five times a week, doing cardio workouts and lifting weights.

What was your starting weight? 248 pounds

What is your current weight? 178 pounds

What is your height? I’m 6’1″.

When did you start your journey? I began my journey two years ago. Altogether, I had lost 100lbs. I’ve worked to keep it off for a long time. 

Sasha before and after weight loss

Is weight loss surgery part of your journey? It is not part of my journey, but I say do whatever makes you happy.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far? I learned that your weight will fluctuate, and this journey is a lifestyle change, which means it is permanent. This is going to last forever, so don’t rush it so much.

What advice do you have for women who want to lose weight? Be patient and disciplined because that’s the key to success, progress, and results.

Instagram: @sashabody__

Sasha before and after weight loss

Tiffany lost 68 pounds

by 5 Comments

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Tiffany lost 68 pounds with the help of a great trainer.  She shared with us how working out with the folks over at Success Athletic Training in Tallahassee, Florida changed her life and her health.

Do you have a great story about how a personal trainer, fitness class or program has helped you? Send it to us so that we can share it and inspire others.

Tiffany before and after

The picture on the left is me during my first week at Success Athletic Training at the end of May 2013 and to be honest I don’t even recognize myself. I joined after watching my brother Vaughn R Wilson train with Oneil Brown for quite a while. I asked him for Oneil’s number several times but didn’t call because in my mind all I envisioned was a trainer yelling and screaming in my face and me walking away (too much TV I guess, LOL).

After months of seeing how committed Vaughn was, I finally made the call and THAT call has changed my life forever. I was at the point of desperation looking for something that I could stick to. I had tried so many fad diets (low carb, no carb, cabbage soup, 3 day, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and so on) and had a Golds membership for years even when I joined S.A.T. From day one, the ladies that I trained with as well as Oneil were so encouraging. That environment is what kept me coming back even though there were days I wanted to quit.

What should have been my breaking point, yet I call it my breakthrough point was one day at FSU track, we were running sprints followed by pushups. I could not do ONE even modified pushup. I was the last one to finish the run, I felt like I was about to die and I was down trying to do pushups and was in tears. As the other ladies continued their drills, instead of ignoring me or telling me to just get up and finish the other drills, Oneil got right there on the ground beside me he did the pushups with me and once the other ladies saw what was going on, they encouraged me until I finished the pushups. That showed me that everyone truly cared about each other. S.A.T. also showed me that what I needed was someone to be accountable to. This made a big difference in my commitment because even though I had a Golds membership, if I didn’t feel like going I just didn’t go and no one cared that I was not showing up. With this group, I knew that I was expected to show up and if not, someone was looking for me.

As time moved on I could see that I was getting stronger and my endurance was getting better, but I knew that I still was not doing the nutrition part. Oneil told me to get rid of processed foods and start preparing my own. He would often text or even call with recipes to try. He was and still is so good about telling me where to make substitutions without losing flavor. Once I listened, the weight really started falling off. He also suggested that I go from 3 to 5 days a week working out because he noticed that I needed to switch things up more for my body to respond. He is very mindful of his clients’ needs and when I tell him that I’m on a plateau, he’ll tell me what to do and when I follow his instructions (sometimes kicking and screaming) I get the results.

Well here I am on the right over a year later, about 68 pounds lighter, from a size 20W to a 10-12. I’ve run in three 5Ks placing 1st and 2nd in my age group in 2 of them. I have competed in 2 fitness competitions placing in the top 3 in both. Through the encouragement and inspiration that I get from S.A.T., I have also become a certified personal trainer.

The journey is not always easy and there have been days where I was pushed to tears and wanted to quit but I know Oneil pushes because he sees my strength and potential better than I do. The entire S.A.T. family encourages one another and I enjoy being connected with the other teams. I look forward to 5AM every morning to workout with my crew and hanging around on Tuesdays and Thursdays after workout to harass Camp 8. LOL!! I’m still grinding to get the last few pounds off to reach my ideal goal and to get to a percent fat of less than 30. Thanks to S.A.T., I know what it takes and I am glad to have the support to get there.

My advice to anyone on this journey is to TRUST the process, FORGET the scale, LIVE a healthy lifestyle and the results will come. Special thanks to Mark Liles for not giving up on his vision and for always serving the community when asked to do so.

Fit Mom: Liz lost over 40 pounds and transformed her body

by 1 Comment

Update: We featured Liz’s amazing transformation story back in Nov 2013 and she recently sent in an update and updated photos.  This amazing mom of 3 became a certified personal trainer and is inspiring others daily on her Facebook page, Bodybliss Health and Fitness.  Check out her update then read her story from Nov to learn more about her weight loss transformation.

Liz before and after

I’m a mom of 3 who put on 80 lbs combined from pregnancy weight gain with each baby. I lost weight, through exercise and diet, as well as by learning to love myself on the inside first. I run, lift weights, play and am learning that there is no “after” only during. I’m a continual work in progress and I’m always learning from this journey.

I competed in a fitness competition right before my 39th birthday, and placed 1st in Figure short, and Figure Masters Short. After I competed, I took a little while to ‘settle in’. I think it was a matter of mindset. Thinking that “after” has a specific look. I have learned that it doesn’t. The journey must evolve…as must we. So now, in addition to lifting weights, I cross train and do distance running (just completed a half marathon). I also focus on making my activity fun.

In addition to working out, I do my best to eat balanced meals, focusing on portion control. No foods are off limits, as I incorporate the foods I love in moderation. I believe the key is balance.

Instagram: @bodybliss_liz

Liz weight loss success story

Helping Others to Succeed: Congrats to Cookie

by 2 Comments

Cookie Miller on Dr. Oz

Update: Back in 2014, Cookie Miller shared her amazing transformation story with us. Today, she’s an awesome personal trainer. Today, Dec 6th, you may have seen her on the Dr. Oz show. She wrote to tell us that Dr. Oz is looking for a new trainer to join the show and Cookie is in the RUNNING! Let’s support this sista.

There will be two winners and voting can be done here:
www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-oz-show-trainer-competition-voting-form
Voting is available thru this Sunday, December 10th at midnight EST. Let’s show her some love.

Check out this post for more information about how she lost the weight.

Instagram: @CookieMiller
Facebook.com/CookieMiller
Twitter.com/CookieMillerFIT

Cookie Miller

Shout out to Cookie Miller. She lost 70 pounds and now she has announced via Instagram that she’s a certified personal trainer.  Congrats to her.  We shared her weight loss story earlier this year.  Read it to find out how she lost the weight.

“I have been secretly enrolled in a class and studying my butt off to get my personal trainer certification. I am so excited to finally make this announcement! I’m actually typing this on Friday, April 11 at 8:30 a.m. My test isn’t until this afternoon, but I am certain that God hasn’t brought me this far to leave me! So, when you see this post, know that I passed my exam and that I am officially a CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER! I feel so blessed to have this vision that God has given me. My struggle has truly become my testimony and now I want to use my trials to help others. Healthy living is my passion. Ending childhood obesity is my passion. Fighting obesity PERIOD is my passion. Raising awareness about the benefits of health & fitness is my passion. When I say this, I mean it… these things are molded in my heart. I don’t just talk about it, I LIVE this life. I believe in this because changing my lifestyle has LITERALLY given me my life back. There was a time that I was depressed, suicidal, pre-diabetic, addicted to sleep aids, bulimic and more, but today, I am NONE of those things thanks to constant prayer and the changing and renewing of my MIND.” – Instagram: @cookiemiller

Cookie personal trainer

 

CookieFeb2

6 Tips to help you find the best personal trainer

by Leave a Comment

personal trainerHiring a personal trainer isn’t just for pro-athletes and celebrities. Everyone can benefit from even 6 sessions with one. The cost is worth it because you will benefit in two ways. For one, a trainer can show you the exercises and routines to perform to reach your goals and show you how to do them properly so you do not injure yourself. Secondly, having a personal trainer can be one of the best ways to motivate yourself to stick with exercise and makes it more fun to do.

If you think the cost of a personal trainer is too much, sit down and go through your expenses. Look at how much you spend on foods and wellness items as a result of ill health, catching a cold, loss of work due to sick days and general misbehavior on your free time. Chances are the cost of working out with a personal trainer will wind up saving you money because being fit reduces illness, gives you more energy and encourages healthier living choices that can benefit your budget.

Not all personal trainers are going to be a good match for you and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to training to guarantee results. It does take time and effort to find the best personal trainer for your goals. Here are 6 tips to save you time in finding the best one for you.

Tip # 1 – Make sure they are certified

They don’t have to have a full out degree in sports medicine or physical education, but the many trainers are certified by a nationally recognized agency. That said, you can also find highly qualified ones at your local gym who have completed that gym’s proprietary training program. The point is you want someone who is qualified and who has credentials you can verify. There can be a risk for injury in training and you don’t want to be someone’s learning experience.

Tip # 2 – Make sure they ask the right questions

Good trainers will ask about your fitness goals. The best personal trainers will ask you questions about your current fitness levels, past experience and involvements with sports and fitness routines, current goals and most importantly, your medical history past and present. Knowing your medical history is essential to being able to construct a fitness routine that builds your strength, stamina and overall health. If you aren’t asked about your history, don’t go any further with that trainer.

Tip # 3 – Ask for Recommendations

Ask your friends who they use as their trainer. You should also look around your local gym and find someone who is in the kind of shape you want to be and ask who they used. You will get a lot of good feedback, not just about local trainers, but often about working out and healthy living that you can start making part of your routine as you continue your search for a trainer.

Tip # 4 – Schedule an assessment

An assessment is very different from “trying out” a training session. During the assessment, the trainer should be asking you questions about your history and goals, and performing baseline fitness tests to measure your strength, endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular levels. Some trainers will charge for an assessment as they tend to last longer than a typical training session and some will not. Many gyms will offer them for free as a way of promoting the trainers associated with the facility. Even if you wind up not going with the trainer that performed the assessment, you will have that much more knowledge about your goals and fitness level to help your find a better match.

Tip # 5 – A trial period

Don’t sign on for life with a new trainer; arrange a trial period with them. Setting a time frame like 90-days is a good way to get used to the trainer, the routines and to see results. At the end of the 90-days, another assessment should be performed and the decision made then if you are going to continue on.  Don’t be pressured into signing up for some long term deal.

Tip # 6 – The blind leading the blind

This last tip is one of the most important. Take a look at the trainer and ask yourself if they live the life they are selling. If your trainer has chronic injuries or inflammation associated with over training, has bad habits and promotes them or is a walking poster child for steroids then you should consider these issues as you make your choice.  Ideally, you want to be trained by someone who has the type of health and fitness you want for yourself so that you have a synergy with them and you click.

Edisha Transformed Her Body

by 2 Comments

Today’s weight loss success story:  Personal Trainer Edisha shows us how losing 20 pounds with a lot of hard work can make a major difference in the way your body looks.  Here is what she shared with us:

I lost 20 pounds this past 3 months with a before /after. I’m a personal trainer who dedicated her life to helping others lose weight. My mother was an inspiration to me from a young age. As a single parent 4 children, she battled with clinical depression after being raped in our home when I was about 4 years old; as a result, she then went from an active lifestyle to sedentary with food in her side as comfort. Her words always ring in my ears saying, “Desha, you better eat right and exercise. You don’t want to grow up and be fat and depressed like me.” I took those words unknowingly to the extent of my degree in Exercise Science and Wellness, with a minor in Psychology, to use in my every day life as an athlete then to helping others as a certified personal trainer, so much to where I forgot about ME. I gained a lot of weight working hard at helping others reach their goals, picturing my mom sitting in front of me. A fitness show inspired me to find balance and take my life back so, I could continue to set the example for those whom I help. Three months ago in the midst of surviving a 3-car collision, I started working towards a fitness show helping combat childhood obesity and on turn got my life back. Having lost 20 pounds of body fat in just 3-months by eating 5-6 times a day, exercising 5-6 days per week, and taking vitamins regularly with 8-10 glasses of water a day. I can truly say that I am a winner with just that. Now, I’m more confident and can continue to lead by example.

Edisha personal trainer

Rose lost 110 pounds

by 3 Comments

Today’s featured weight loss before and after story:  Rose lost 110 pounds and is now a Certified Personal Trainer.  Rose was featured as a weight loss superstar on April 23, 2012 on the Today Show discussing Joy Bauer’s Joy Fit Club Cookbook.

Rosie before after weight lossHello Black Women Losing Weight.com,  My name is Rose Sporty Diva Coates, 45, from Tacoma, WA and would like to share my 110 lb. weight loss success story with you:

When I was a teenager, my weight fluctuated between 180-190 pounds while I alternated between starving myself and binging.  As a child I was always thin but I would overeat and not gain any weight and I ate just because-whether I was sad, happy, angry, stressed or bored.  By the time I was 20, I was married and had a daughter and my weight soared to 300 pounds during my pregnancy and remained there until March 2002.  After I had my daughter, I began exercising regularly- little did I know that my passion for fitness would begin even though I couldn’t get my emotional/compulsive eating under control.  Exercise became a form of therapy and I immediately started to feel better.

I tried dieting excessively and used diet pills off and on for countless years.  Nothing worked.  I would lose weight, get comfortable and revert back to my old eating habits and essentially the weight would come back again, virtually overnight.  I could not understand what was happening to me.  I was not able to make the connection that I was eating excessively and I was completely “oblivious” that I was dealing with life by stuffing myself with food.

I eventually  ended up going to counseling and the therapist helped me to identify the reasons that I was overweight and eating excessively but I still refused to do anything about my weight.  I continued to exercise but chose to remain clueless about my eating because it was easier for me to continue living with the way things were rather than to make an effort to change my life circumstances. I was overweight, depressed and gave up every time life pushed me.  I stopped dreaming and had no guts.  I felt that if I tried to do all the right things in life (be a good person, mother, wife, friend, employee etc.), I’d be safe and have a lot of friends who’d really like me and a family that loved me.  The truth is, I let life beat me into submission.  Deep down inside I was terrified of taking risks.  I really wanted to be successful with losing weight and keeping it off, but my fear of failing was greater than the joy of succeeding.

I didn’t go after it because I wanted a safe and perfect life.  Anger, resentment, sadness, depression, disgust, and self-hatred are what I felt instead of the “joy” of a perfect life.  A light bulb went off in my head in March 2002 and I got tired of being sick and tired. I realized that I had been lying to my daughter about self care and pursuing goals.  I truly expected her to do everything she wanted to and to accomplish her goals, but I wasn’t being a positive role model for her.  I immediately tossed out my scale and did some soul searching about the reasons that led to my uncontrollable eating.  I didn’t change what I was eating, but I cut back on the amount of food that I was eating and eventually scaled back on dining out and lost 100 pounds in 18 months.

I initially started running to torch the calories and lose weight but it turned out to be so much more.  I  run several marathons a year and running has built my confidence, self-esteem and discipline.   And running in races has changed my life in a magical way-I discovered a part of me that I didn’t know existed!

In 2006, I became an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer and in 2007 established Sporty Diva to reach folks with my personal story and to help motivate people to pursue a healthier and active lifestyle.   I promote health and wellness thru a variety of channels with a philanthropic/pay it forward mission – Ladies Night Out; Walk- Run Events;  Workshops; Personal Training; Motivational Speaking and Boot Camps. I am completely on fire for running/fitness, because even though we are each on our own journey and responsible for our own health and well-being, we are all in this life together.  With fitness, we have the power to change our lives and the lives of others.

Thank you,
Rose Coates
Rose@sportydiva.com
www.sportydiva.com

Lisa lost 76 pounds

by 22 Comments

Today’s featured weight loss success story: Lisa lost 76 pounds and became a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Fitness Instructor.  She has provided the FULL details of her weight loss journey (below) and I think her story will resonate with a lot of BWLW Ladies.

Lisa Woods weight loss story
The small photo was at my heaviest weight of 200 lbs when I was about 20-21 years old. On the left is a pic of me in 2007 when I regained back 1/2 the weight I lost. On the right, recent photo.

She wrote us to say:

“Here is my weight loss success story! I am 34 years old, 5’3 and currently weigh 124 lbs. My starting weight was 200lbs. That was my heaviest weight when I was about 20-21 years old. After I graduated college and got a job, I started gaining weight from all the office lunches and morning meeting breakfasts. I wasn’t exercising so I went from a size 9 to a size 18 over a few years. Of course no one said anything to me about my weight but I knew something was wrong. I claimed that I didn’t have money to hire a trainer but I did have the money because how was I buying all the crap food I was eating? If I had the money to buy crap food, I had the money to invest in my health. I ended up hiring a personal trainer who ended up becoming my mentor. I took her aerobic classes and began working part time for her gym as front desk desk. I ended up losing 70 lbs!

Over the next few years I started teaching spinning classes at her gym and became a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Fitness Instructor in 2005! But just like everyone else, there comes a time when you start to think that you can go back to eating whatever you want…I stopped counting calories and even though I was still working out every day, I started gaining weight again because I wasn’t eating properly. Which brings me to 2007 when of the 70 lbs I lost, I gained back 35 because I wasn’t eating correctly. By my wedding in June 2007, I was back up to 171! When I got back from our honeymoon, I buckled down again and got back on track. My clients stayed with me because I was on the same struggle as them. Personal trainers are human too…we fall and stumble just like everyone else. I got back on track and lost all the weight by counting calories, weighing and measuring my food and of course exercising. I also decided to start training to run half marathons, but I started off by running 5ks, then 10ks, a few 15ks and then the big one. I got my weight back down to 134.

By the end of 2009, I had run many 5ks, 10ks, 1 15k and 5 half marathons. At the end of January 2010, I was pregnant with my 1st child…even though I watched what I ate and worked out every day, I still managed to gain 36 lbs which once again brought my weight back up to 171 when I gave birth! I was so depressed because I didn’t want to have to go through the weight loss yet again but that’s exactly what I had to do. So it did it! I continued to workout at home, canceled my gym membership and got down to business! By 6 months post partum I was back to 134 (my pre pregnancy weight). I kept it going after that by joining myfitnesspal.com to keep track of everything that I ate. I continued to solely workout at home doing programs such as Insanity, Asylum vol and and i just completed Asylum vol 2! My exercise routine right now consists of interval and circuit training. I drink atleast 1/2 a gallon or more of water per day, eat over 100g of protein, I also monitor my carbs, far and sodium intake via myfitnesspal. I also completed 2 half marathons this year and will continue my running and sports specific exercises to bring my fitness to new level. I am currently 124 lbs and have been maintaining at this weight since March of this year. I am where I want to be and will continue to maintain at my current weight.

What I have learned through my journey is that once you get to your goal, the work doesn’t end there. You have to keep going and continue to watch what you eat because if not you will gain back the weight. I’ve also learned that I am capable of doing so much more than what my mind tells me! I tell my clients all the time to believe in themselves because each and every one of us has it in us to succeed! You just have to ask yourself, how bad do you want it? If you want it bad enough, you will stop making excuses why you can’t, and start coming with with reasons why you can! Once you do that, it will all fall into place but you have to do the work!! You have to keep pushing play every day and not let anything or anyone stand in YOUR way of getting to YOUR finish line!! I didn’t!! If I did it, you can do it!! Believe in yourself!! Invest in your health! It will be worth it in the end!!”