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Chelle lost 120 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Chelle lost 120 pounds, going from a size 24 to a size 14. After being diagnosed with diabetes, she began her weight loss journey.  She lost the weight and has kept the weight off for a few years.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey.

chelle

I’m a 31 year old from Saint Louis, MO. My motivation: I didn’t want my weight to be a reason that I was no longer on this earth. I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 19. At the time, I was informed by my doctor that I needed to get my weight down in order to get my diabetes under control. I started to eat healthier, watch my portions and I did more walking than any other exercise. I’m not a gym type of woman, but I will definitely walk a few blocks and stay busy. I walked to hours before and after work each day. I also cut out all the unhealthy, fried food and started eating more fruits and baked foods.

I’m 5’2″ tall and I started off in a size 24. Now I wear a size 14. I’ve gone from 290 pounds to 170 pounds. I know that it is possible if you just have faith and push yourself. My transformation took 2 years. I started at 19 years old, however I never stood strong with my efforts until about 5 years ago. I put my mind to it and stuck with my plan and mission.

I encourage all women to get their health in order. As I get older, I began to see that being healthy plays off in a major way in your life. My advice to others would be that you have to want to do it for yourself and want a healthier longer life I’ve struggled with diabetes for years and I don’t wish this illness on anyone. It can get ruff at times but don’t give up until you are content where you’re at.

Instagram: @Dtgetnobetta

chelle before and after

Charmaine lost over 170 pounds

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Charmaine

Update: – Shout out to Charmaine! Check her out on the Dr. Oz show today sharing her story. She’s lost over 220 pounds.

July 2015 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Charmaine lost over 170 pounds. Her wakeup call was not being able to fit into any clothing in plus-sized stores at over 470 lbs. Walking for miles each day and changing her eating habits have been key to her amazing transformation. Here is what she shared with us about how she did it.

charmaine weight loss

I am not yet at my goal weight, but I have lost well over 170 or more pounds. I plan to reach my goal weight by the end of the year. I am doing it the old fashioned way: LOTS of exercise, mainly walking, smaller portions..basically watching everything I eat. It takes a LOT of determination, but I am worth it. I have lost anywhere from 170 lbs to 185 lbs. I don’t know for sure, because I could not find a scale to calculate my weight, when I was my heaviest. I do know that when I first found a scale that captured my weight, it said 473 pounds. That was AFTER I had been dieting for around three months.

My motivation:
I had outgrown all the clothes in the stores. Even a size 32 would not fit. In the before photo below, I had actually lost around 40 or so pounds. Those jeans were a size 32 and when I brought them, I could not fit them. That was the straw that broke the camels back. I am 5’10” tall and can now squeeze into some size 18 jeans if they have a little stretch to them.  Mostly, I am wearing size 20 jeans now and some XL tops. Size 1X fits ok too, depending on how it is cut. No more 4x and 5x for me. Goal wise, I am aiming for a size 12 or 14.

What made me change my eating habits:
Health was my main reason for changing in my eating habits. I had and still have high blood pressure and diabetes. Both of these conditions have improved dramatically since the weight loss. Secondly, I felt trapped inside my body. I was about to hit 500 pounds. I was afraid I would die and never get to see what I looked like beneath all the blubber. Thirdly, I had outgrown all of the clothes in the plus sized stores. The day when I brought a size 32-34 jeans and they only came halfway up my thighs, I knew it was time to take action! Otherwise, I would have had to sew sheets together to wear!

How did I change my eating habits?
I have always had a sweet tooth and I was addicted to carbs. I began to cut WAY back on carbs and sweets. I found other alternatives such as yogurt covered raisins, graham crackers, sugar free candy, etc. Cakes, pies, ice cream..those were the norm for me on a DAILY basis. Now, I am almost petrified of that junk, but I do allow myself a cheat day every now and then. On those days, I have something sweet or salty and then I jump right back on track.

I stopped frying food and started broiling, stewing and baking my food. I cut salt almost completely out of my diet. A box of salt lasts me 2 years at home. If I eat bread, it’s one slice or two slices of 40 calorie bread. I don’t eat late. I used to eat a double quarter pounder with cheese at midnight along with a large order of fries and a shake and then go to sleep. I stopped eating pork in 1989 and all but stopped eating red meat as well. The ONLY pork I will have maybe once or twice a year, is pepperoni if I have pizza. I love tuna, egg whites, lots of vegetables and fruit occasionally because I am diabetic. Portion control is the main thing. I only eat a little bit of this and that. It is hard, because the “old me” still loves macaroni and cheese, but if I do indulge, believe me, it’s just a bite or two. I am strict about that.

What did you have to stop eating?
I stopped eating white bread also and cut back drastically on carbs. I used to eat French fries EVERY day. Now it’s once every three or four months, and I only have a few. I poach my fish now, instead of frying it. I have all but cut out fast food places and carry outs. I try to cook at home as much as possible. Ice cream has been replaced with yogurt or low fat frozen yogurt. With cakes and pies, if I splurge I buy a single slice, instead of bringing the whole thing home. If I buy chips, they are no-salt or baked and I count out ten or so. I eat vegetables ever day or my life now and love making vegetable and fruit smoothies at home.

My workout routine:
WALKING! I walk at LEAST 2-3 miles per day. At one time, I was walking 4 miles per day. It does the trick. I keep my sneakers on. I also do aerobics sometimes. A show that came on years ago called the 20 Minute Workout, is my favorite. The transmission on m car died 2 years ago and that was the best thing that ever happened to me.

My weight:
Right now, I am right at the 300 pound mark and headed for 220 pounds. For my height, that will look like 140 pounds. At my heaviest, I was between 473 lbs and 500 lbs. My transformation has been gradual, with the most weight loss happening in the past two years.

My advice for others:
NO piece of cake or slab of ribs is worth dying over. No entire pack of oreos is worth losing your eyesight or limbs to diabetes or being ridiculed when you go in public. I could not use turnstyles in stores or fit on amusement park rides. I had to take taxis everywhere before I brought my first car, because I took up almost two seats on the metro. You simply have to make your mind up. You don’t NEED surgery or weight loss clubs, but they do help. Once you make you make your mind up, you can do ANYTHING. If I can do it, you can do it

Facebook: Charmaine.Dieng
Podcast: Keeping it real with Charmaine

charmaine before and after

Christina lost 60 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Christina lost 60 pounds. This mom had the classic wake up call of seeing herself in a photo from an event and knowing that it was time to change.  How many of us have done the same?  She shared with us about how she took action to change her lifestyle and release the weight…

christina weight loss

I started my weight loss journey on April 4, 2014. After seeing a picture of myself in a friend’s wedding, I knew I had to regain control of my life. I began eliminating fried foods, starches, juice and incorporated more salads and plenty of water. I walked 1-2 miles per day and began running last November. I’ve also done resistance training.

In that wedding photo, I weighed 320 pounds. Now, I weigh 260 pounds. That is just about 35 lbs shy of my goal. I am 6’0″ tall.  The transformation took a year and will continue on as I am more focused on being healthy and living than losing the weight. I adapted to your meatless meal plan lost 5 of these pounds.

Diabetes and high blood pressure run in my family and I want to live to see my daughter grow up. My advice for others would be to go at your own pace.  Also, find a partner who can hold you accountable and you can motivate each other. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort Zone and join a workout class, because it’s a great way to get the right workout and make friends with similar goals.

I am thankful and filled with joy as I know today is the beginning of a healthier happy future. Keep inspiring each other and keep going! Push for the life and body you want!

christina before and after

 

Malecia lost 47 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Malecia lost 47 pounds and went from a size 16 to a size 4/6.  This proud single mom was determined to be there for her son and to avoid diabetes. She has transformed herself and is now working to help others do the same.  She wrote and shared with us about her weight loss journey…

malecia before and after

My name is Malecia Yancy and after fears of type 2 diabetes I was inspired to live a healthier lifestyle for my son. I started with cardio and proper nutrition. I also researched what my body needs vs. what my body wants. I’m 5’0″ tall and now 1 year later, 47 pounds and over 80 inches are gone! (Transformation took 7 months.) I have now joined the fitness movement to start my own business in helping others create healthy lifestyles.

My motivation was my son. Being a single mom of a 2 year old, I was constantly tired trying to keep up with him and stay active. I went to the doctor one day and they wanted to run tests for diabetes. I was afraid and immediately thought to myself, if something happens to me what happens with my son.

I received information from a nutritionist on healthy eating, making lifestyle changes and learned about the right foods to eat to boost my energy. I immediately cut out sodas, bread, pasta and made sure that I ate 6 small meals a day. Four of those meals included a full serving of fruits and/or vegetables.

My employer has a gym, so I immediately requested access. I started on the elliptical and could barely do 5 minutes without dying. Now, I can be on the elliptical for an hour (usually watching my soap operas) to get the extra burn. Of course, I knew that I needed to start sculpting, so I began to lift weights and fell in love with seeing my muscles grow and my body transform.

I was at 183 pounds when I started and 1 year later I now weigh 136 pounds. My weight loss slowed down as I got closer to my current weight, but my pants size was still decreasing. I went from a size 16 to a size 4/6!

The advice that I would give to others who want to lose weight is to get active, get moving and never give up. Your life is worth it. While it is a lifestyle change, it is one change you won’t regret.

I have started my own fitness group, Fab & Fit with Malecia, become a licensed aerobics instructor and have produced and released a workout video with more in the making. Fabandfitwithmalecia.webs.com is my website.

Instagram: @MTS_711
www.facebook.com/Malecia.Fab

malecia weight loss

Natasha lost 25 pounds

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Weight Loss Story: Let’s show some love to Natasha! She’s lost 25 pounds on her weight loss journey so far and is sharing her success with us. Her goal is to lose 60 pounds and bring down her cholesterol. 

natasha before and after

I have lost over 25 lbs since last year and I am still working on my healthier lifestyle change. My goal is to lose over 60 lbs all together and to decrease my high cholesterol. For the last few years, having high cholesterol has been an issue, so it was one of my main reasons for making a change. Also, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, congestive heart failure and gout all run in my family.

Currently, I meet with my doctor once a month for a wellness check-in. Last year, I participated in a 6 month pre-diabetes monthly workshop which provided nutrition and wellness education to assist in the prevention of diabetes. Additionally, I joined a “Couch to 5k” training group, excercised with my friends and family and participated in a variety of classes such as Spin Cycle, in-door rowing, yoga and boot camp. I also participated in two different 5k races. My new diet has been eating low carb/high healthy fats, with lots of vegetables, berries, some fruits, lots of protein and ton of water.

My advice for others is that you don’t have to join any expensive gyms or buy expensive foods to lose the weight. You can start by exercising at home with aerobic classes online. Run/walk your stairs, walk at your neighborhood or local parks, walk the mall, and just be active. Get a dog…best walking partner ever!! You can learn new easy recipes online if you don’t like cooking, like myself. I actually prefer cooking more now and take my own lunches to work. Most importantly, you don’t need to celebrate every occasion or holidays with heavy fattening foods. Lastly, love yourself and take care of your body because you only get one!

natasha weight loss

Nicole lost 70 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Nicole lost 70 pounds. Reflecting on a family history of diabetes and knowing that her 2 daughters truly need her, this proud mom decided to change her lifestyle with healthy eating and exercise.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey… nicole before and after

Hello, my name is Nicole and I have lost 70 pounds. My journey started on May 11th 2014 and I weighed 200 pounds. I changed my diet and I began to exercise everyday, twice daily. I stopped drinking soda and coffee. I drank water instead. I eat a lot of fresh veggies, fresh fruit, lots of salads and fish. No pasta, no rice and I cut out bread. Instead I put more veggies on my plate. I also eat lots of organic foods.

For exercise, I walk, run, and jog. I also have at home workout gear that I use in the am and pm. My work schedule I run in the mornings and do squats and crunches. In the evening I usually my cardio workouts along with squats, crunches, jumping jakes, running in place, arm and leg workouts, etc.

My motivation is my two kids. Before, I was always tired and lazy. I had breathing problems, back pain foot pain, headaches, high blood pressure, etc. I was also heading into the direction of diabetes. I wore a size 15 clothes that were getting to tight by the day and I couldn’t even bend down to tie my shoes. Back then, I never drank water at all. Another reason why I wanted to lose weight was that my mom died at the age of 44. She was diagnosed with diabetes at 30 years old and she was overweight as well. I found myself going in that direction so I had to stop in my tracks because my girls need me.

I’m 28 years old, a teacher assistant, nurse’s aid and a proud mother of two beautiful girls. It took me a year to loose the weight. Now I weigh 130 pounds and I’m looking and feeling better than ever. I want to tell all the young ladies that you can do it. Never give up. I had a goal and stuck with it. Believe in yourself. Love yourself. Get in tune with your body. Teamfit

Instagram: @classy0springs

Monique lost 52 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Monique lost 52 pounds. This proud mom’s motivation is avoiding a long family history of illness.  After 2 pregnancies, she knew that she couldn’t blame it all on baby weight and she committed herself to true lifestyle change.  Now, she is running 5k races, lifting weights and eating much healthier.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

monique

My motivation to lose weight was my family. My family has a history of being overweight and having high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, etc. You name it; someone in my family has it or died from it. I wanted to be here for my children for as long as GOD allowed, so I had to do something. After having my daughter in October 2011, I started my first journey. I lost over 30 lbs by competing (and winning) in a weight loss challenge. I was doing great until I got pregnant with my son in October 2013. I gained all of my weight back and then some. It was then that realized that I wasn’t as dedicated as I thought and old habits came back quickly. I decided then that I needed a lifestyle change and not just a short term challenge.

My starting weight was 234 pounds at 5’5” tall. I could blame my weight on my children but I would be lying to myself. I started gaining weight before them and it continued after them. I still have a hard time accepting that I let myself get there. I haven’t always been overweight but I have fluctuated over the past 15 years with my heaviest being close to 250 lbs.

To kick start my new lifestyle, I competed in a weight loss challenge at my job in Dec 2013. Unfortunately, I did not win but it inspired me. I had only lost 19 lbs but I was ready to do it right this time. I changed everything. I cooked food differently and started tracking my calories. I wasn’t a soda drinker but I started drinking even more water. I also added in gym time at least 5 days a week. We have a gym on campus and I started going on my lunch break. I even started to run…Yes run! I used the Couch to 5K app on my phone to begin the process of improving my endurance and speed. I also joined the Run Club and have since participated in 5k events improving my finish time to less than 36 minutes (down from close to an hour). I recently won 3rd place in my age group with a finish time of less than 34 minutes. That was a big accomplishment of for me. I also won the 2014 Lifestyle Change Award from the American Heart Association for my new lifestyle.

As of April, I have loss a total of 52 lbs and now I weigh 182 pounds. I haven’t lost much weight since November of 2014 but I have been working with a personal trainer to help me with strength training and toning up for almost a year. I have seen more loss in inches than weight. I have dropped from a 14-16 pants and 1x-2X shirts to a 6-7 pants and S-M shirts.

My journey has been amazing and I have inspired others; something I never thought would happen. My physical transformation has taken over a year but my mental transformation is still in progress. I still have moments where I look in the mirror and see the old me. It makes me work a little harder because I know that if I have to be consistent and dedicated, I won’t sacrifice my hard work to revert backwards. The advice I would give to anyone wanting to start this journey is to find what works for you and stick to it! Start with what you need to work on the most (bad diet, not moving enough, etc). Once you conquer the hardest part, the rest will be easy. Good luck to all of you.

Instagram: @moe_fit_4_life
Fitbit: https://www.fitbit.com/user/3CLSBP

monique weight loss monique before and after

Star lost 136 pounds with surgery

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Weight Loss Transformation of Day: Star lost 136 pounds with surgery.  After seeing her family ravaged by the effects of diabetes and dealing with the loss of her father, she decided that she had to change.  She opted for weight loss surgery.  Now she’s changed her lifestyle, her eating habits and is an avid runner.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

star before and after

My name is Star T. and I would like to share my story. Diabetes has plagued my family. I lost my grandmother, grandfather, and my father (who raised me as a single dad) to complications related to diabetes. All three family members had renal failure and had to attend dialysis. In 2012 is when I lost my father and I knew I had to make a change otherwise I was looking at the same fate. I used to be against weight loss surgery but decided to check out my options. After getting educated about the options and doing my own research I opted for the gastric sleeve surgery. I had the procedure done on May 24th, 2013. It was the best decision I had ever made. My highest weight was 320 pounds and I currently weigh 184 pounds so I’ve lost 136 pounds. I’m 5 feet, 6 inches tall. I just celebrated my 2 year anniversary of having weight loss surgery on May 23rd.

star runningPrior to surgery, I would exercise but not nearly enough to be considered active. Now I work out 7 to 8 times a week doing “boot camp” style exercises. I also belong to the local Black Girls Run! chapter here in Sacramento which promotes healthier lifestyles and being active. Since losing weight, I have completed several 5k races (running them, not walking). I have set a goal of completing my first half marathon in October. I’ve also inspired my family to get healthier and make better choices when it comes to food. Weight loss surgery isn’t cheating. It’s a tool and it’s up to you to use it properly.

With weight loss surgery, eating is very restricted and that forces you to have to change your eating habits. I mostly consume protein, vegetables, and fruit. I’ve cut out a lot of carbs such as rice, potatoes, pastas, and bread. I do consume them but not as frequently as I used to prior to surgery. I never was a big soda drinker so that wasn’t hard for me to cut out. I’ve incorporated meal prepping, so on Sundays I will meal prep for the week and that usually consists of some type of protein like chicken breasts or ground turkey meat, a vegetable like sautéed spinach or broccoli, and usually a baked yam or quinoa. I find that meal prepping saves me from making bad choices. It’s an everyday struggle choosing the right foods to eat especially working in an office setting where there are lots of temptations.

Instagram: @starzee78

Mashea lost 65 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Mashea lost 65 pounds in approx. 5 months with healthy eating and lots of exercise.  She was motivated by a diagnosis of diabetes to totally change her eating and exercise habits.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

mashes weight loss

I started my journey in February 2015. I began by changing my eating habits. I also started working out 3 to 4 times a week. My motivation was that I was diagnosed Diabetes. I didn’t take it seriously until I lost a family member that was my age.

I changed my eating by cutting out fast food, junk foods, fried food and I stopped drinking everything but water. Also, I started in taking more fruits and veggies and eating 6 small meals a day. I drink a gallon on water if not more each day.

I use to make up every excuse you could thing of for why I couldn’t work out. Then I found a track with a park right next to it. My kids and I would go there and they would play as I walked or ran 3-4 miles, 3-4 times a week.

My starting weight was 325 pounds I am now down to 260 pounds. I’m still working to get an additional 60 lbs off of me. I’m 5’9″ tall. I’ve started my journey this year so it’s been less than 6 months.

My advice to others is you can do anything that you put your heart and mind too. Yes, it gets hard at times but I keep pushing myself not only for me but for my children and my family. My Instagram is @weewee_31

mashes before and after mashea before and after

Ashley lost 146 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Ashley lost 146 pounds.  This mom of 4 got a wakeup call at the doctor’s office after having her youngest child.  She has committed herself to true lifestyle change since Nov 2013 and got great results with exercise and low carb eating.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

ashley weight loss

Hi, I would like to share my story to encourage other women who may be going through struggles in their weight loss journey. My name is Ashley Hutcherson and like many women I struggled with my weight for many years. I am type 2 diabetic. I started my weight loss journey around the end of November 2013 when I got on the scale at my diabetes doctor 2 months after giving birth to my fourth son, Grayson, weighing in at a whopping 330 pounds. For me that was a huge blow! I felt awful about myself and pretty much couldn’t believe it.  When I went in to have my son I was 341 lbs on September 13, 2013. Now here it is the end of November 2013 and I only lost what my son weighed, which was 9 lbs. 11 ounces. I was mortified to say the least.

I began to look at myself in a different light. I even asked my doctor for appetite suppressants and she told me no because she had to see if I really wanted it and was serious about losing the weight. I then started immediately by cutting food back drastically, watching my portions, and cutting out sodas, sweets and bread. I became more aware of what I put in my body. Then I researched about clean eating, began doing that and had awesome results. I also downloaded the Fooducate app. I scanned everything in the store before I purchased it. I wanted to make sure I was eating healthy for sure and not just guessing about the foods I felt were right.

After I got down to 298 around January 20th, I started walking the track and then joined the YMCA. It was there at the YMCA where I got so much structure and discipline. I learned that weight loss is 80% nutrition and 20% fitness. So, no matter what kind of workout I did, I had to keep the wrong things out of my mouth. That is why I now live a low carb lifestyle. I haven’t had bread in a year, nor soda or juice. Today, I’m weighing in at 184 pounds down from 330 pounds.  I’m trying to get to 180 lbs like my trainer suggested! I tell people when they ask me how I did it that it is truly a Lifestyle change and not something that’s gonna happen overnight! Yet, it will happen. All you have to do is be patient, pray, believe in yourself and know that you are not alone. If I can do it anyone can. Patience is a virtue, so be persistent in your passion and focus on your goals no matter what!

ashley weight loss
ashley lost over 100 pounds