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 diet

diet

Nakia lost 43 pounds

by 9 Comments

Today’s featured weight loss before and after story:  Nakia lost 43 pounds with regular exercise, the Insanity program and by eliminating a number of things from her diet.   Here is what she shared with us:

Hi! Tomorrow is my one year anniversary and I would like to share my journey on your page.

I started my “get fit” lifestyle change journey on July 2, 2012. I was blessed to see a picture of Nakeisha of Fit 4 Life Sisters’s transformation and it motivated me instantly. I started that day with eliminating soda, sweets, fried and processed foods from my diet. I only drink water daily anywhere from 80-100 ozs. I began Insanity and was able to complete the first 6 weeks. I later joined the gym where I started the Arc trainer and treadmill. I eventually added weights for toning and running on the treadmill. This year I have accomplished finishing the whole Insanity program and I am now able to run at least 4 miles outdoors in 45 minutes. I’m 43 pounds down and feeling FITABULOUS!! My beginning weight was 220 pounds I am currently 177 pounds. My goal weight is to be between 155-160 lbs!! Yes, I am still under construction and will be for the rest of my life as this is a lifestyle change and not a temporary progress. Keep your head up sisters and keep pressing forward we all can accomplish our goals and dreams!!! I am a FIT4LIFESISTER!!!

Nakia weight loss before and after

Lanea lost 54 pounds

by 3 Comments

Let’s show some BWLW love to Lanea.  She lost 54 pounds going from 299 to 245 pounds by changing her eating habits and exercise.  She has a supportive spouse and wants to live a long life with her loved ones.  Here is what she shared with us:

I knew it was time for me start changing my life when I weighed myself and the scale read 299 lbs. I’ve never been small, but 299 pounds was unacceptable. I decided that my New Years resolution would be to lose weight and to stick with it. I wanted to be around to watch my son grow up, have more children and enjoy my life with my loved ones. Once the new year came, I cleaned out the fridge and started replacing foods with fresh fruit and vegetables. I started bringing my lunch to work, packing it with yogurt and eating fruit or Healthy Choice microwaveable meals-instead of processed lunch meat sandwiches and chips. I started replacing my snacks with 100 calorie snacks like granola bars and a lot of Special K products. Being that my job requires me to sit and take incoming calls, I started to incorporate walking more, and exercise videos available on on demand. Just recently, I started the apple cider vinegar detox regime, and honestly I’m feeling really good. At my largest size, I was wearing anywhere between a size 22-24 on pants. The first thing that I’ve purchased since I started my weight loss journey was the dress I’m wearing in my after shot and its a size 16! That last time I was in a size 16, I was in high school! So needless to say I’m very excited and even more motivated now to continue on this journey. My husband Nick has been my biggest supporter. He keeps me going on the days when I want to give in to bad food decisions. Even though he loved me when I was bigger. He has been my biggest fan and he makes me feel so good about my progress thus far. I’m weighing in at 245 pounds now and my ultimate goal is to get down to 160 lbs. I celebrate my 10 lbs milestones. Celebrating my 10lb milestones and keeping my overall goal in sight is what keeps my going!

Lanea weight loss before and after

July Challenge Day 1 – Vegetarian Meal Planning Resources

by 3 Comments

Good morning!  It’s Day 1 of our July Challenge.  Hopefully you’ve already visited the main Challenge page and downloaded the July Exercise Calendar, checked out the challenge details and taken a look at the resources I posted there.  Also, today is the first day that our contest is open for entries.  One lucky person will win a Nutribullet, so make sure that you enter to win.

July challenge BWLWI know that many of you are looking for resources on how to put vegetarian and vegan meals together.  One of the main concerns that I’ve heard about is that ladies want to make sure they get enough protein.  There are a lot of great vegetarian protein sources.  Here is an article that breaks down 21 sources.  In terms of your meal planning, you want to focus on more than just protein.  Focus on having a balanced diet that provides your body will all the nutrients and vitamins that will help you to be healthy and lose weight.  Lack of nutrients is one of the problems with the standard American diet, junk food and fast food.  So much of the food we eat has very little nutritional value when you look at the amount of things like vitamins and fiber that the foods contain.

Here are some great meatless meal planning resources you should check out:

  • Eating Well has done the work for you – “EatingWell’s 28-day Vegetarian Meal Plan provides an overall healthy-eating program that meets the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans at three different daily caloric levels: 1200, 1500 and 1800.”

  • VeggieMealMaker – Download their free eBook, “The Beginners Guide to Vegetarian Meal Planning” for recipes and basic vegetarian cooking tips.
  • PETA has a great 2 week Vegan meal plan available for free online.
  • Vegetarian Times Magazine has a great 4 week guide that they developed with nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN, author of The Flexitarian Diet.

  • Fit Sugar posted this high-protein Vegan meal plan.

Just a few more resources to get you started with meal planning and finding new recipes for this month!  Eat well and you’ll have the energy you need in your workouts.

Blanche lost 48 pounds

by 4 Comments

Today’s weight loss before and after story: Blanche lost 48 pounds with My Fitness Pal, Zumba, Body Pump classes and running.  Here is what she shared with us:

I gained the a weight from being pregnant and it never came off! I was very sad about not being able to wear my former clothes. One day, I said only I can change it. I used My Fitness Pal and ran three times a week. I also took Zumba classes at Fitness Connection!  I’ve lost about 48 pounds and I don’t want to gain it back.

My motivation to lose weight came from the clothes in my closet that I could not wear anymore. It was very painful to see my size 10 jeans in the closet and wear a size 14. My emotions were all over the place!  Then, a friend told me about Black Girls RUN! I joined the group but was always to nervous to run with them. I worked at it a little on my own. I started running two miles on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Then, I’d run like four miles on Saturday. I would participate in Body Pump led by Chelle Thompson at Fitness Connection. My family and friends were very supportive! Now, I do group runs, 5Ks,and even completed my first half marathon! Diet wise, I started out using the My Fitness Pal app which was helpful. Now, I just follow portion control, stop when I feel full, and drink water. It has been an amazing journey. I’m now smaller than my pre pregnancy weight!
Blanche weight loss before and after

How Is Your Weight and Heart Disease Connected?

by 1 Comment

For the past several years, the news media, health publications and the CDC have heavily publicized the topic of weight in this country and the fact that Americans are getting heavier. In fact, more than 60-percent of people are considered overweight or obese. What’s the difference? An adult with a BMI (body mass index) of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. Anything over that is considered obese.  BMI is of course disputed in terms of it being a good model for every one, regardless of race, bone density, etc…but it is on of measures that the medical field uses.

Heart disease weightUntil recently, many people – even medical professionals – didn’t consider weight alone as a risk factor for heart disease. It was the other things like high-blood pressure, high-cholesterol and diabetes that caused heart disease the commonly agreed on thought. Therefore, it was thought that weight and heart disease were merely linked indirectly. However, recent studies have now shown that being overweight can lead to heart disease even in the absence of other risk factors.

Did you know…

“African-American women are 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have high blood pressure, putting them ahead of the pack when it comes to heart disease risk.”- Source

Heart Disease: Prevalence and Risk Factors

As the number one cause of death in the United States, heart disease accounts for approximately 30-percent of all deaths annually. In addition to excess weight, there are numerous other risk factors for heart disease. When combined with obesity, these risk factors become even more worrisome. Risk factors include;

  • High Cholesterol
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Poor Diet
  • Sedentary Lifestyle
  • Alcohol Consumption
  • Heredity

How Excess Weight Influences Heart Disease

As mentioned before, excess weight can cause certain risk factors that increase the risk of heart disease. However, obesity can cause heart disease in some people even in the absence of other risk factors. The simple act of carrying around extra weight day in and day out can burden your heart, weakening its ability to pump blood efficiently. In many cases, this can lead to congestive heart failure. Additionally, fat cells themselves can release chemicals and inflammatory substances that can lead to heart disease. Excess weight also compromises circulation and can cause blood clots.

Weight Distribution and Heart Disease

All fat is not created equal. Depending on where your body stores fat, your risk for heart disease might be lower or higher than someone with a different body shape. Those who carry weight around the middle – apple body shape – are at higher risk for heart disease than those who carry excess weight in their hips and lower body. For men, a waist larger than 40 inches in diameter is considered a risk factor for heart disease. In women, anything over a 35-inch waist is considered a risk factor.

The link between weight and heart disease is now clearly defined in medical research. Even if you’re perfectly healthy otherwise, you could still be at risk for heart disease so this is not just an issue for overweight people. Fortunately, you can significantly reduce your risk for heart disease by reducing your weight by even 10-percent. If you’re overweight, you should also have regular screenings with your doctor for other risk factors such as cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure.  It’s important to seek medical advise on health disease if you have any of the risk factors.  Be proactive.

Candida Symptoms and How to Cleanse It from the Body

by Leave a Comment

candidaCandida, the medical term for yeast overgrowth, can occur anywhere on the body – both internally and externally. Rather than something you catch, Candida (yeast) is present in the body at all times. In fact, it plays a vital role in bodily functions, aids in digestion and keeps certain types of bacteria from overpopulating. Most of the time, yeast causes very little problems – you don’t even know it’s there. However, when yeast multiplies, you will know it.

Candida can also affect weight loss and weight gain.

“How does yeast overgrowth prevent weight loss? If yeast causes cravings for sugary, starchy foods, these empty calories get stored as fat. Yeast releases toxins, so the more yeast inside, the more toxins released. These toxins can affect many systems in the body, including those that aid in weight loss.

Lowered metabolism can be a result of yeast toxins on the thyroid. You may become bloated and retain fluid. The toxins released from yeast can create hormonal imbalances that affect your ability to lose weight. Yeast toxins may increase cortisol levels and belly fat if the toxins put enough stress on your body.” – Source

Talk to your doctor for a diagnosis.  Find out their recommendations for how you can help your body to eliminate candida and what medicines are available.  Here is some general info:

Candida Symptoms

As mentioned before, yeast infections can occur just about anywhere including the skin, genitals, throat, mouth, gastrointestinal tract and even the blood. Symptoms vary according to where the infection is located, but generally include:

  • Redness or irritation at the location
  • Itching
  • Pain and soreness in the affected area

As long as they remain localized, yeast infections only cause local discomfort. If they enter the bloodstream, however, they can be responsible for a host of symptoms and secondary illnesses including:

  • Digestive issues
  • Skin and nail fungus
  • Fatigue
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Mood swings, depression and anxiety
  • Allergies
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Recurrent vaginal and urinary tract infections

Candida Treatment: Medical Options

Local yeast infections are normally treated with creams, powders or oral medications. For common infections such as vaginal yeast infections, athletes foot and diaper rash, you can purchase antifungal creams and powders at any drug or department store. For infections of the mouth (thrush) or more severe infections, your doctor may prescribe the appropriate medications. Sometimes, it’s necessary to take anti-fungal medications orally over the course of several days.

Candida Treatment: Treating and Preventing Yeast Overgrowth with Nutrition

Recurring infections, especially those of the gut and bloodstream, call for a change in diet. When the infections just keep coming back or when they never go away, it’s usually due to a food allergy or an abundance of certain types of foods in the digestive system, which kills off the healthy bacteria your body needs to reduce and maintain normal levels of yeast in your body. The following nutritional tips will help you stop yeast overgrowth:

  1. Follow a low carbohydrate diet. Yeast feeds off of simple carbohydrates, so try your best to eliminate these from your diet. Simple carbohydrates include breads, alcohol and virtually anything made with flour.
  2. Say no to sugar. This is one of the most important things you can do to deal with candida.  Candy, cake, pie, ice cream, soda – you name it – all contain some kind of sugar. Again, sugar is a simple carbohydrate. Eliminate all sugary foods from your diet.  This includes diet products with fake sugars.
  3. Cut back, but don’t eliminate complex carbohydrates. Eating one cup a day of complex carbohydrates can help eliminate yeast from your system.  You don’t want to cut out all carb because you need the fiber, but you need to cut back and give you body a chance to repopulate good bacteria and starve the yeast. Complex carbohydrates include grains, beans, fruit, pasta, potatoes and whole-grain breads.
  4. Eliminate foods that contain yeast. This includes all fermented foods or those that have natural mold, including cheese, dried fruit and beverages.

It’s a the best idea to treat any yeast infection medically and follow up with a change in diet. A combination of medical treatment and diet change will not only treat any current yeast infections, it may prevent future ones from occurring.

Stephanie lost 71 pounds

by 7 Comments

Let’s show some BWLW love to Stephanie.  This proud mom lost 71 pounds by  eating right, working out and drinking lots of water.  Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Stephanie and I’m a single mom of two kids. Pretty much, I have been struggling all my life with my weight. I had went to the doctor and was put on blood pressure medicine. I knew then that I had to make a change. On June 4, 2012, I decided to make a lifestyle change. With two kids at the time, it was hard to work out at a gym since the ones in my neighborhood didn’t offer child care.  I decided to first take Zumba classes that were offered for free at my job. I started off my first two weeks doing protein shakes from GNC. One shake in the morning, afternoon and my meal in the evening. I drank a lot of water throughout the day, ate fruits and vegetables as well. I soon moved off the shakes and slowly moved into eating regular healthy foods. I ate what I wanted but in moderation. During the time of transitioning into my weight loss, I hit a plateau and decided to move from Zumba to doing kickboxing videos that were offered through my cable company on demand. I can now workout in the pleasure of my own home. I get up on several mornings around 4:30am and workout before getting my children up for school and having to be to work at 8am. I workout in my home 5-6 times a week doing Kickboxing/martial fusion.

I was determined and as if today I’ve lost 71 pounds by eating right, working out and drinking lots and lots of water. I was on nobody’s diet but my own. Being a mom it was hard but a sacrifice had to be made so I could have the energy to play with them and to work towards living a healthy lifestyle. It’s not easy but its so well worth it because you feel good about yourself. Prayer works, dedication works and motivation from others works. Most importantly, knowing what “YOU” accomplished is the best feeling. I have no goal. I workout to be healthy and that’s what keeps me going. I know with being a single mom working a 8-5 job, coming home to make meals for the kids and doing homework was a struggle of its own.  However, when you have the mindset that you are determined it all works out for the good. I shifted my atmosphere to better me. Praises to God for the push.

Stephanie weight loss before and after

Why Should You Choose Seasonal Produce?

by Leave a Comment

choose seasonal produceIt’s Day 21 of our June Clean Eating Challenge!  Today I want to give you 5 reasons why you should consider buying more in-season produce vs. out of season.

Not only do fresh fruits and vegetables contain more nutrition than their canned or frozen counterparts, they taste better, you can cook a larger variety of meals with them, and they are often cheaper than processed fruits and veggies. However, you have to be savvy when you shop for produce. You can’t just go in and grab whatever catches your eye. It’s always a good idea to buy produce that’s in season – currently being grown and harvested outdoors – than buying greenhouse produce or items that are shipped in from other parts of the world. Why? They are more readily available, and they are generally less expensive.

 5 Reasons to Buy In-Season Produce

In addition to saving almost half on your produce bill, buying in-season will help you get more out of your produce. Seasonal produce is healthier, tastier and cheaper – how can you go wrong?

  1. Better Flavor and Nutrition – Greenhouse produce just doesn’t taste the same, does it? Produce grown and ripened in the sun always have the best flavor. Not only that, it is crispier, juicy and colorful. The sun does more than make fruits and vegetables taste better too; it infuses them with antioxidants. Fresh-grown produce always contains more nutrients and antioxidants than their greenhouse counterparts.
  2. Organic (No Pesticides) – Produce grown off season in an unnatural environment requires more human intervention. Often it’s sprayed with pesticides, waxes, chemicals and preservatives in order to look like in-season produce.
  3. Meet Seasonal Nutrition Requirements – You may not know it, but different types of produce grow at exactly the time your body needs them. For example, watermelon, cucumber, fruits and berries – summer favorites – contain a lot of water, which helps you remain cool and hydrated as the temp soars. Leafy greens, available in the spring, help detoxify the body and prepare it for shedding winter weight gain.
  4. Adds Variety to Diet – Sure, you might have your favorites, but life would be boring if you ate the same fruits and veggies all the time. By purchasing produce when it’s in season, you have to add variety to your diet. Who knows? Maybe you will try something new, something that will become your new favorite food. Seasonal shopping also gives you a chance to look forward to eating all the fresh produce you love as it comes into season.
  5. Allows You to Buy Locally – Farmer’s markets are a great place to pick up locally grown, organic, inexpensive produce. Since produce loses nutritional content daily after being harvested, buying locally also ensures that the produce you choose will have the highest nutrition content possible.

You see, buying fruits and vegetables while they’re in season makes sense for a whole host of reasons. If lowering your grocery bill isn’t enough to sway you, improving the quality of your life through the consumption of healthier and tastier foods should.

Kebra lost 145 pounds with weight loss surgery

by 1 Comment

Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight Love to Kebra.  She lost 145 pounds with gastric bypass weight reduction surgery.  Here is what she shared with us:

Got a ways to go!!! However, I’m determined and getting there after almost 9 months and a 145 pounds of weight loss!! Gastric sleeve surgery help saved my life. I am changing my lifestyle regarding how I eat and exercise.  I think I can meet my goal!!!

I elected to have gastric sleeve surgery 9/25/12.  It can be a challenge at times, but I remain focused.  I have struggled with my weight all my life!!!! Some say they wouldn’t take a chance and have surgery to lose weight. Well, I say I was taking the chance of not waking up each day with all that weight on me.  I feel that since Sept 25th, 2012, I hit the reset button on life. Blessed and grateful.

I changed the way I eat. I mainly eat foods higher in protein and cut my carbs down to hardly any only in tiny portions in moderations. I try to drink primarily water in my diet and I cut out sweets all together!!! As far as exercise I workout with my Kinect due to the crazy work schedule I had!!!  Since I have a more logical work schedule now, I’m about to go back hitting the gym to get a real workout!!! My motivation was my daughter being around for her and a better healthier living for myself.  Didn’t want to die young!!

Kebra weight loss surgery

Anisah lost 51 pounds

by 5 Comments

Let’s show some BWLW love to Anisah who has lost 51 pounds.  This proud mom’s weight loss allowed her to get off of her blood pressure medication.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hey, my name is Anisah and I’m 35 years old.  I struggled with weight my whole life. At one point I reached 217 pounds.  I’m only 5’1″ so that is not a good look. My motivation to lose weight is to get off my high blood pressure medication that I was put on because of my weight gain. I started losing weight back in of January 2012.  Back then I was 217 pounds.   I started by cutting out fast food completely and cutting out snacks like cookies and cake that I love the most.  I also added more fruit, veggies, plenty of water, and baked food (never fried) to my diet. I stared going to the gym 4 days out of the week for an hour each time. I ran on the treadmill a lot, sometimes using the bike and ab machine. I also did other machines that work my arms, legs and other parts of my body. If I didn’t feel like to going to the gym than I would take an hour walk on a trail, which I loved doing because the outside is beautiful.  As of today I’m 51 pounds lighter weighing 166 pounds. Losing this weight not only lowered my high blood pressure to a point where I do have to take the medication anymore but it also made me feel great about myself and gave me tons of energy to use with my 10 year old son. This weight change was exactly what I need.  I’m going to continue to incorporate this healthy life change into my everyday lifestyle.

Anisah weight loss