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Venisa lost 100 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Venisa lost 100 pounds after the wakeup call of being diagnosed with many serious medical issues.  She decided to take her health back and change her life.  Now she is helping and inspiring others…like us.  Here is her story:

Venisa weight loss

I am writing to tell my story of how I lost my 100lbs in about a year and a half.  I didn’t realize that  I was obese especially after suffering a pulmonary embolism in 2009. I was at the 305 lb mark but had no idea as I didn’t get on scales. I was at the my ob/gyn in May/June 2012.  I was told that I had miscarried, had HPV, endometriosis and was a bit heavy for my height of 5’7 and that I should try Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. (She was trying to be nice and put things politely.) I then find a new physician (due to new medical insurance) that tells me I also need to lose weight and that the blood work showed that I had high cholesterol, was borderline diabetic and that I also suffer from Thalessemia Minor. It was a bit of a wake up call.

I started walking only a couple blocks at first (as I was winded from walking too far, and then it became that I was walking miles without realizing it. I would walk during my lunch hour and then when I got home after work. I had also stopped eating many processed excluding certain salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, brown rice and whole grain pastas. I cut back on the junk food. I would allow myself treats twice a week, like frozen yogurt or a piece of dark chocolate or skittles. My doctor taught me that if I deprive my body of what it wants, it will think it’s starving and the weight won’t go anywhere. Within the first 2 months, I had lost 35 pounds. I stayed on track and had 1 cheat meal a week which consisted of eating out and having mexican food or bbq. Within the first year, I was down about 75-80lbs just from watching what I was eating and walking.

It is now March 2014 and I weigh in around 200-205 depending on my weight lifting or cardio. I now go by my measurements as I lose inches faster than weight now that I lift heavier weights. I have run 3-5ks, 1-10k and will do A.M. training for a 1/2 marathon this August/September. I have a membership at 24hr fitness and take their body pump classes, as well as turbo kick to switch up my routine. Our bodies get used to the workouts after 6 weeks so if we stick to the same regime, we’ll plateau with our weight loss. I have done a weight loss challenge with my friends and family to help motivate them to lose the weight and exercise and give them my knowledge. I’m even helping my mom who has a bad back and shoulder to lose her weight and control her diabetes. I’m even contemplating going back to school to become a certified personal trainer.

Our health is the one thing we have. Just because our history didn’t know what the future would bring, we can still educate ourselves. Read labels, do research, and do your best. I didn’t lose my weight overnight and I’m still pushing forward to lose this remaining weight. Believe in yourself and you can do anything. Mind over matter is how I’ll always see it. I also have a great support system, my doctors, my mom, and my friends.

Venisa

Venisa before and after

Nakeshia lost 118 pounds

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Weight Loss Success Story of the Day: Proud mom Nakeshia lost 118 pounds.  After losing and gaining and losing weight through pregnancies, divorce and emotional eating, she was able to find a way of eating and exercising for lasting weight loss.

Keshia weight loss

“Hi, my name is Nakeshia. All my life I have been a bigger girl. I was always very confident though. My self image was never an issue until I had kids. I am a mother of two. After my first child, I lost 100 lbs. I was so ecstatic! The problem was that I lost the weight the wrong way and I gradually gained the weight back. Then, I got pregnant with me second child. After I had my daughter, I was the biggest I had ever been. My self image was destroyed. When my daughter turned one, I went on a weight loss journey. I ended up losing 50 pounds. Yay, right! Nope, because then I ended up going through a very harsh divorce. I had never been an emotional eater, but I became one. I ended up gaining 35 of the 50 pounds back.

After the divorce, I had severe self esteem issues. I started talking to God and through that journey, I realized it was time for me to lose the weight. I had to be better for my children. I wanted to be able to buy my mother of the bride dress from the same store my daughter bought her wedding dress from when she gets married. I started using myfitnesspal.com and exercising. Myfitness pal is awesome!!! I changed my eating habits completely!! I gave myself the 80/20 rule for my diet. I had a goal to eat healthy 80% of the time. That way I didn’t feel deprived. I normally ate healthy more than 80%, but having that option does wonders. I worked out five days a week. I started just walking at a trail. As my endurance gained, so did my workouts. I did an exercise program called Supreme 90 day, and it did the most changes to my body. I do a lot of interval training. It really helped to reshape my body. Strength training is also very important. I lost 118 pounds in a year and 4 months. My advice to others is to make small changes. Those small changes will end up being big results in the end.”

KeshiaMar14

Merisha lost 55 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Merisha lost 55 pounds.  That’s 25kg, because this is one of our UK BWLW Sistas!  She is inspiring us from across the pond by telling us how she lost the pounds:

Merisha weight loss

“Up until the age of 18, I took part in every type of sport going – especially Athletics – 100M Sprints were my thing. I trained five times a week, represented my local borough and was extremely fit. Then I started university, and like most young adults, I worked long, late and tedious retail hours alongside this. Soon, my training became history, and eating processed sugary foods on the go, NO physical exercise whatsoever plus poor lifestyle choices took it’s place.

Over a five year period I piled on 35KG or more simply by having a poor diet, poor ‘typical’ young adult lifestyle choices and no exercise. I began experiencing pain in joints, loss of breath extremely easily, terrible skin, I wouldn’t wear clothes without wearing spanx/control pants EVER and other physical problems.

I knew I had to make that all important change and in the summer of 2013 I did. I replaced beverages with water, green tea and natural detox drinks (water + lemon, lime and mint etc). I got back to my training which is based on high intensity interval training. I also started weight training, ate 5-6 clean healthy meals/snacks a day and re-taught myself discipline.

This is not the result of fad quick diets, pills, shakes, medical surgery, wraps or otherwise – just getting back to basics and changing my lifestyle for the better.

In less than 6 months I dropped 25KG by being consistent and determined. For the past 2-3 months I’ve been in comfort/maintenance mode so haven’t made any drastic changes with regards to weight loss or sculpting. However I’ve set myself new goals to become ‘thick and shredded’, new meal plans in place and new training regimens being implemented into my weekly schedule.

I’m fit, healthier, happier and continually striving to be better than the person I was was yesterday – I hope this inspires someone. God Bless”

Instagram: @Chocolate_Fit

before and after weight loss

6 Reasons You Should Eat More Veggies for Weight Loss

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veggiereasonsIf losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight are your goals, then you should add as many veggies to your diet as possible. You can eat them in many different forms – from raw to juiced – making them an easy add to your daily diet. Many of the most common veggies are considered “superfoods” and can also increase your health and wellness while helping you lose weight. Here are 6 other reasons why you should eat more veggies to help reach your weight loss goals, and keep the weight off.

Reason #1 – Low in calories

Veggies are some of the lowest calorie foods around, which is one of the reasons why you can overindulge if you like, compared to eating a ton of donuts. As long as you are mindful that you aren’t ruining your calorie count goals with high calorie dips and sauces, you will have found the super snack food that tastes greats, makes you feel full and doesn’t pack on the pounds.

Reason #2 – Veggies make you feel full due to fiber

Veggies are packed with fiber; it is what forms the shell that protects the interior where the vegetable nutrients are. This is good for you as your body not only needs fiber in order to digest those nutrients.  The fiber also helps keep you feeling full. Make veggies your go-to snack when you are hungry and between meals and it will be easier to control your portion intake.

Reason #3 – Veggies are full of vitamins and nutrients

Cooked, canned or raw veggies remain the best choice for your vitamins and nutrients each day. Don’t be fooled into thinking that just taking supplements can provide you with what several servings of veggies can. These are natural sources of what our very natural bodies need to be healthy. The body loves nutrients from real food sources (unless you have an allergy or medical issue that inhibits you from eating veggies, of course).  No synthetic substitute will do as much for you as the real thing.

Reason #4 – Veggies can crowd out negative foods like fried food and fast food

One great trick to get into the habit of eating more veggies and less negative foods is to begin to replace some of your negative foods with portions of vegetables. Have your fast food fries, but have half of the normal serving and replace that half with a serving of sliced carrots instead. Slowly begin to replace the fast and fried foods with vegetables. Many times we are drawn to the negative foods because they are easy to come by and we like the taste. If you make reaching for veggies as easy, that takes care of one issue. If you also start to make eating veggies a part of your negative meals, the veggies themselves will start to take on the association of a treat – and that takes care of the other issue.

Reason #5 – You can eat large portions of fresh veggies

Eat too much pasta and you will fill full and tired. Eat too much meat and chances are you will feel bloated and heavy. Eat too much dessert and you can just watch your waistline expand. You can’t eat too large a portion of veggies. There are some, like cabbage, that can make you gassy but for the most part there is no harm to eating too much. If you have the urge to snack and much, make it veggies and you won’t have to worry about suffering later from any ill effects or guilt from having indulged.

Reason #6 – Veggies add variety so you don’t feel denied

One of the hardest parts about sticking to a diet is the feeling that you are missing out on all of your favorite foods. It is this sense of denial that leads to cheating and why many diets recommend that you plan to have a cheat meal once a week. The more veggies you add to your diet the more variety you are going to introduce, this can help reduce the feeling of being trapped into eating the same foods every day and keep you on your diet longer. Don’t fall into the habit of only eating certain types of veggies but experiment and find the ones you like. Make those veggies a part of your treat and cheat meal and you will reach your goals even faster.

Elizabeth lost 78 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Tall Diva Elizabeth lost 78 pounds by getting active and changing her eating habits.  She was motivated by realizing that her health and mobility was being impacted by weighing 300+ pounds.  Here is her weight loss story:

“My Name is Elizabeth Izukananneji Chukwudebe and I have been following your page for a while now. I am very inspired by the pictures, stories and tips that I have seen.

I have always been an above average girl, both in size and height. I’m 6′ and now 233 pounds. My weight lifestyle change started in 2011 after my co-workers did a hemoglobin A1C on me at work, just out of curiosity. Result? 6.5%, which is above normal and within the diabetic range. At that time, I weighed 311 pounds and could feel it!!! My knees hurt and my hips hurt, especially going up the stairs and I would have to go up at an angle to elevate some of the pressure on my hips. That was my eye opener. I was only in my 20s!

I got in contact with my other co-worker who is a dietician and she sat me down and told me what needed to be done! I counted my calories, increased my water intake and became active again! Now 3 years, later I’ve lost 78 pounds (so far because I’m not finished yet!).  I run in multiple 5K events and I’m aiming towards a 10K in the fall. Also, I picked up playing tennis, I roller skate, play basketball, run, weight lift…just about anything to get my body moving, I’ll do it. If I don’t know how, I’ll learn it!!! I am currently 233 pounds and I feel great! I thank all of the success stories and pictures because they have truly been inspirations as well as my family and friends with their support!”

Elizabeth weight loss story

Elizabeth before and after weight loss

Learn from Bodybuilders: What are Macros and How Can They Help You Lose Weight?

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gandhi quote

What are Macronutrients?

Macronutrients are the essential energy sources the body needs to burn fat and build muscle. The macros refer to protein, fat and carbohydrates. You need all three to provide the body with the right fuel to function in a healthy manner. While many diets focus on fat burning, bodybuilders know that the best way to burn fat is to also build muscle because it engages the natural cycle of fuel intake, energy consumption, repair and growth that is necessary to a lean, strong and healthy body. Each of the macronutrients provides a specific set of nutrients needed for different aspects of the process. Fat is as important as carbohydrates but protein is most important of all in the world of bodybuilding.

How much should you have each day?

Here are some general guidelines. Remember, none of these ratios are set in stone. These are just general suggestions. You’ll have to figure out what works for your metabolism, you level of exercise, etc:

The basic macronutrient diet is calculated in percent of total calories taken in per day. If you are looking for bodybuilding results you want to make sure that 40 to 60 percent of your calories are carbs, 30-50 percent is protein and 15 to 30 percent is fat. For weight loss, the ratios might be different. You want 40 to 50 percent of your calories to be from protein, 30 to 40 percent from fat and 20 to 40 percent from carbohydrates. There is a lot of guidance online to help you figure out the right ratios for you. There is a well known site that has a detailed calculator, If It Fits You Macros (iifym.com). You can also track macros with My Fitness Pal.

There are 9 calories in each gram of fat. There are 4 calories in each gram of protein or carbs.

Example: You are eating 1500 calories per day and you want to eat 40% protein, 35% carbs and 25% fat.

  • 1500 x .40 = 600 calories = 150 grams of protein
  • 1500 x. 35 = 525 calories = 131.5 grams of carbohydrates
  • 1500 x .25 = 375 calories = 41.66 grams of fat

When you are in the lower range in terms of carbs, you could cycle the amounts you eat. With cycling, you would be strict about it for two or three weeks and then change your macros to add more carbs for a few days to prevent your body from getting used to the pattern. There are a couple of ways you can carb cycle (more info on that).

How do you keep track of them?

Macronutrient diets use the weight of specific food with known fat, carbohydrate and protein content to make sure that your body is getting what it needs to maximize the fat burning and muscle building process. It can take some time to learn and you have to use a food scale and food journal to do it correctly. You also have to have a list of the macronutrient content of foods in grams that you can consult as you build your meals.

What does a macro based diet do for you?

Bodybuilders know that the problem with food is that we rarely understand what it is we are eating. Learning how to provide yourself with a macro based diet means you are learning the reality of what you eat. People on the Paleo Diet may consume to much fat, Atkins follower may lose all the carbohydrates – by following a macro diet bodybuilders bring their food intake into balance with what their bodies needs to maximize fat loss while building healthy muscle. Macro dieting doesn’t have to make you big. It is usually done as a part of the cutting cycle for bodybuilders and weightlifters use it to increase strength and resiliency. Macros focus on the energy calories of foods, not necessarily the nutrition content so you have to keep a close eye on your diet to make sure you are getting in the right amounts of vitamins and minerals to support healthy functioning.  It requires a lot of research and tracking, so it’s not for everyone.  You have to constantly monitor your results and change your food intake to find the right percentages for you.  There is no one size fits all plan.

Who shouldn’t bother with macros?

Macro dieting is not for everyone and in certain instance, it can be negative. If you have a history of extreme dieting or have battled an eating disorder then this is not the plan of action for you. Macro tracking require a close focus to be kept on food amounts that can trigger prior restrictive behaviors. Also, if you are just starting out on a weight loss and an exercise program then following a macro diet may not make sense or could be too hard to follow. For many people, the main benefit of macro diets are that they can get you past plateaus once you are close enough to your goal you can taste it.

You should ask your doctor before starting any type of diet plan and get guidance on what would work best for you.

Check out a day of meals from Mekagetfit

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Meka of Mekagetfit on Instagram prepared this great example of a day of meals. She says, “My sample of eating healthy.  All these foods were prepared and cooked by me. I just used my common sense and took off with it.”

sample day of meals diet

Meal1⃣ is breakfast oatmeal with strawberries.

Meal2⃣ is a snack of orange slices, rice cake, peanut butter and bananas.

Meal3⃣ is chicken avocado wrap. I used Josephs Oat bran lavish bread, mixed in some veggies.

Meal4⃣ Strawberry/Mango smoothie.

Meal5⃣ Grilled salmon with sweet potatoes (NO sugar added). I had a side salad too (not pictured).

Meal6⃣ My last snack of the day strawberries, vanilla granola and Greek yogurt!

Read Meka’s weight loss story.  She lost 59 pounds!

Fatimah lost 70 pounds

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Weight Loss Success Story of the Day: Fatimah lost 70 pounds by eating a holistic, plant-based diet.  Now, she helps others as a health coach. Check out her transformation video and the details of her journey:

fatimah before and after

“Growing up both of Fatimah’s parents were vegetarian and she was raised on a plant based diet. At the age of 16, Fatimah went to Wisconsin to live with her older sister. This is when her life changed and her journey to wellness began. Fatimah stayed in Wisconsin, ” The dairy state”, for three years. Over the course of that period of time, she began to take on the eating habits of those in that environment. She began consuming a lot of processed foods, dairy, meat and alcohol. She was eating the SAD or “standard american diet “, which was a normal way of eating for those living in the dairy state. Unknowingly at the time, her health was rapidly declining. Growing up Fatimah was very athletic maintaining a healthy weight of 136 . This all changed when she moved to Wisconsin and took on this new SAD diet. It wasn’t until a routine check up at the doctors office in 2004 that the reality of her degenerating health sink in. She got on the scale at the doctors office and weighed in at 206 pounds. She was borderline diabetic and had high cholesterol. Fatimah knew she had to do something fast. She tried many quick fixes and fad diets but none of it worked. She spent several years yo-yo dieting and losing a few pounds just to gain it all right back. It wasn’t until she made the commitment in 2009 to make a complete holistic lifestyle change that she began to improve her health and heal herself. Going back to a plant based diet, Fatimah was able to loose 70 pounds and return back to her natural weight. Today Fatimah Shabazz works as a Certified Holistic Health Coach offering programs and workshops to educate people in how to use food as medicine and maintain optimal health through holistic living and plant based nutrition. www.fanashaa.com”

“In terms of what was my motivation, for me, I think of my son. I try to be the best role model in all or most areas of my life to set a good example.

My starting weight was 206 pounds. My current weight is 136 pounds. My total weight loss is 70  pounds. It took me 9 months to loose the weight.

My work out routine was doing yoga & breathing exercises 5 days a week at 7am for one hour each day.

My advice to others would be to love yourself enough to have patience, faith and be willing to make a lifestyle change while keeping in mind that nothing happens overnight.”

Fanashaa weight loss

What You Should Eat & When You Should Eat to Lose Pounds

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timing eating weight lossThe body has a rhythm to its metabolism that is circadian, that means it follows the daylight cycle. Your metabolism doesn’t just turn on to a set speed when you eat or exercise. Depending on what time of day it is the metabolism will act slower or faster naturally (for most people, that is. Health issues can affect this cycle). This is why learning what to eat and when you should eat it to get the most from your diet is essential. As science discovers more about how our bodies work, you will be surprised to find out that some age old advice about when to eat has always been right, and there are some new findings that may  turn the typical diet advice on its head. It is important to remember that your body is also going to adjust to your cycle, so you may have a different metabolic rhythm if you work nights than someone who works days and that needs to be considered when structuring you eating times.

How many times should you eat and what should be on your plate?

Most medical doctors, nutritionists and scientists are in agreement that you are better off eating six small meals a day rather than the traditional three. You should, however, make two of those meals slightly larger than the others to maximize your metabolism. Breakfast remains the single most important meal of the day, but lunch has also proven to be important. Of all of your meals, the lunch meal should be the largest. The rest of your meal times should be much smaller, especially your final meal before sleeping. Eating this frequently provides your body with a constant food source to prevent it going into starvation mode where it will hoard fat for fear of hunger and let you get your maximum nutrition when your body’s metabolism is at its speediest (during the day when you are burning calories and moving).

Recommended times for eating lots of carbs, protein, fats, drinking water,

One surprising essential for all meals is fiber and protein. Every meal you eat, no matter what the size or time, should be balanced more towards the inclusion of fruits and proteins. When to eat your carbs and fats, which are both essential for proper body function, is a bit trickier. More of your carbs should be taken in during breakfast and more fats during lunch. Make sure the carbs you are eating for breakfast don’t come loaded with things you don’t want, such as sugary pastries and donuts.  Make sure the fats you eat are good fats, such as the Omega 3s. This means yes to the oatmeal at breakfast and yes to fish at lunch, which can also provide you with protein as well. Don’t make the common mistake of “carb loading” before or after a workout. A reasonable portion of healthy carbs will give you a good energy source for your workout but you want your body to use the existing fat it already has stored during the workout to give it a constant and controlled supply of energy to promote weight loss. All meals should include water and water should also be consumed in-between meals. Drinking water 20 to 40 min before you eat to help you feel full and make sure you don’t confuse the feeling of being thirsty with being hungry.

Eating late

Eating late is both recommended and to be avoided. You should be eating a light meal an 2 hours or so before bed that does include some carbs, but not so much fat or protein. Carbohydrates digestion aids sleep, and it will also serve to make you feel slightly fuller in the morning to prevent overeating at breakfast. Don’t load up on a huge plate of pasta though because your metabolism is much slower when you sleep and you will be more apt to store fat than to use the carbs as fuel at night.

Chaunte lost 72 pounds

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Chaunte lost 72 pounds and is no longer dealing with high blood pressure.  She went from 289 pounds to 217 pounds. Find out how she lost weight and improved her health:

“Hi my name is Chaunte Henderson and I am 27 years old. In January of this year my 31 year old sister died of a massive heart attack. I told my self I had to change. I weighed 289 pounds and had high blood pressure. I started walking around the neighborhood and I cut out fried foods, sodas, and sweets.. I wouldn’t eat after 830 at night and learned to control my portions. I did basic exercising, like walking in my neighborhood and Zumba classes twice a week. Today, I weigh 217 pounds and no longer suffer from high blood pressure!!! My advice to others is to stay encouraged and slow is steady. I wasn’t in a rush and the weight has stayed off.”

Chaunte before and after Chaunte weight loss