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freshman 15

Update: Keiasha maintained her weight loss

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Update: Keiasha 30 pounds and has kept the weight off.  She went from 185 lbs to 155 lbs. We featured her story back in September 2013 before she left for college. She dealt with college weight gain, like a lot of women do, and was still able to maintain her weight loss.  Check out her updated story below: (Click here for the original post about her journey for more info)

Keiasha weight loss

Hello, my name is Keiasha Lumpkins. I was featured on the BWLW site before, but I have continued my journey.  I want to let you know that you can keep going and that I’ve got goals that will be met. After the last time I was featured I went through a depressed stage and I end up gaining weight when I went to college.  That’s when I realized that I shouldn’t bury myself in food. I’ve included some updated photos.

Previously when I was featured I was 17 years old.  Now, I am 19 and in college. It is a struggle to maintain my progress in college and make sure that I am healthy in the process. I have maintained my weight by eating right and exercising consistently. My weight was 160 pounds and now I am 155 pounds. My goal weight is 145 pounds.

I have done somethings differently. I do weight training now and have a lean diet. I want to start having more definition since I lost the weight. I eventually want to run in the Philadelphia Broad Street run and finish!

What I have learned is that you have to be ready mentally before anything. I have made many changes this year. The first one was going natural with my hair and embracing who I am as a young girl. I realized that sometimes your goal is going to be different then someone else’s. I eventually want to start my own workout program and become an athletic trainer. I want to help others because I had help down this road and want to continue. I just went to remind other young people, and older ones as well, that you can do anything you put your mind to. No matter who puts you down, to every set back there is a comeback and God’s plans are working in your favor.

Keiasha weight loss success story

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Aliyah lost 66 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Aliyah lost 66 pounds.  Like many of us she gained a lot of weight in college and took steps after graduation to change her lifestyle, lose weight and reach her wellness goals.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey: msupshurJuly14blog My name is Aliyah, I’m 26 years old. I just realized how much weight I lost and I couldn’t be more proud of myself! I lost a total of 66 lbs over 18 months. After graduating college, I realized I had gained a freshmen 50+ instead of a freshmen 15. I did high intense cardio classes (Tae Bo, Insanity, Kickboxing & Step Interval) four times a week.  I also stopped eating after 8pm on weeknights. Although I wasn’t consistent through the entire 18 months, I am more than happy about my results thus far! I was 250 lbs and I now weigh 184 lbs (5’4″). My goal weight is 175 pounds!!! I can’t believe how close I am!!!!!!! My motivation: Well, someone asked if I had a baby since college since I had gained so much weight. I have no children so that was like my “end all to be all” moment. I HAD to make a change immediately!  I didn’t diet, I made a lifestyle change. I only made changes that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.

  • I stopped eating after 8pm
  • I love carbs so cutting them out was unrealistic. Instead, I eat whole wheat instead of white. Brown rice instead of white rice…etc..
  • Eating breakfast EVERYDAY!
  • Drinking water first thing in the morning. Drinking MORE water! 2 liters/day at LEAST!…and that’s on a bad day. On a normal day I’m shooting for 3 liters.

My advice to others would be to STAY CONSISTENT! Don’t stop. EVER!!!! This is a LIFESTYLE change!

Instagram @msupshur UpshurJuly2blog

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Tyler lost 93 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Tyler lost 93 pounds.  This petite Delta Sigma Theta soror lost the pounds by counting calories, exercising and using portion control.  Check out what she shared about her journey from 228 pounds to 128 pounds.

Tyler before and after

“Hi! My name is Tyler and I am 23 years old! In college, I gained the freshman 100 instead of the freshman 15. My motivation was my health. I went to the doctor during my senior year for help. My period had been skipping for 6 months for no reason.  The doctors not being able to explain it, as well as realizing I weighed 221 pounds was a wake up call. I couldn’t be 4 feet 11 inches tall and weigh that much. So, I committed myself to a diet of 1200 calories a day and at least an hour of exercise each day. I changed my eating habits by paying attention to calories and eating grilled and baked foods. I measured and weighed my food for portion control. I committed to working out doing 30 mins of cardio and 30 of weights per day.

A year and half later, I currently weigh 128 pounds! I’m proud of myself because I did it without any supplements or professional help, just watching what I eat and working out. My goal is to reach 110 pounds and Im looking forward to reaching it and never getting that big again.  My advice is never do fad diets because they make you miserable and don’t work. Every time someone that I knew asked me to go on a popular crash diet with them, I said no. They always acted like I was crazy and they would be smaller with that diet plan, but they always gained the weight right back while I steadily pounds. Patience is a virtue!”

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Tyler weight loss

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Samantha lost 30 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Samantha lost 30 pounds.  This South Carolina Diva says that “Prayer, dedication, and hard work” are her secret weapons for success.  Read about how she lost the pounds:

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. Prayer, dedication, and hard work are my secret weapons to success. After being out of college for 3 years, I realized it was finally time for me to lose that “freshman 15.” Coming from a family where high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol was common among woman, I wanted to be a positive example for my loved ones. February 2013 was when I took charge of my life and made myself a promise. I promise myself to never allow food, alcohol, and the stressors of life to consume me. Here it is, over 1 year later and I am 30 lbs lighter.

Cardio, clean eating, and strength training helped my along the way. Nutrition for me was definitely the hardest part of this journey. I love all things potato, so chips & fries were eliminated first. While grocery shopping, I only bought fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and healthy dairy products. Meal prep and creating a shopping list helped me as well! If it was packaged or in a box and I didn’t recognize all of the ingredients I didn’t buy it. While dining out, I got my salad dressing on the side and half of my entree’ boxed to go. My starting weight in feb 2013 was 211 pounds and I currently weigh 181 pounds. I did cardio 5 days a week and recently started strength training 3-4 times a week. I have a new outlook on life. I pray my story change at least 1 person’s life. God Bless!  Instagram @1sam_ii_am

Samantha weight loss story

Natalie lost 43 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Natalie lost 43 pounds by eating healthier and working out 4-6 hours per week. Her story shows that weight loss has it’s ups and downs and it takes time, but you can re-commit and have success.  Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Natalie and here’s my story. I have struggled with my weight for my entire life. My two wake-up calls happened during during my freshman year in college. First, I wasn’t able to fit into a roller coaster ride at a theme park and had to get off the ride. Second, I had to do an assignment for one of my classes which required us to weigh ourselves. I found out I was 240 pounds (left picture). I was devastated. This information was enough for me to decide to change.

I started counting calories (1500 per /day) and working out for 1.5 to 3 hours/three days a week. In eight months, I lost 60 pounds. Unfortunately, I was not eating healthy during this time. When I stopped calorie counting, I gained about 24 pounds back over the course of three years. Now, I am restarting my journey to lose weight. I started about a month ago (after my college graduation) at 204 pounds and I am now about 197 pounds (right picture). I am eating MUCH healthier and only drinking water. I workout 4-6 hours a week doing a combination of running, elliptical, modified INSANITY workouts, Zumba, weight training, and walking. I realize now that this is a lifelong commitment. I am currently working to lose about 15-20 pounds before the beginning of November. I am so inspired by the success stories of the women on this Facebook page!

natalie weight loss pictures

Marquita lost 130 pounds

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Update Aug 2016 – Marquita wrote in to update us on her weight loss journey. She had surgery in 2010 and shared her story of losing 130 pounds with us in 2013. WLS has been a tool for her, but it didn’t fix emotional eating and last year she saw the pounds coming back. Check out how she turned her life around to get back on track.

marquita before and after

One day, I decided that I was “sick and tired of being sick and tired!” I have always been overweight and have always had weight issues my entire life. In 2010, I reached my highest weight of 369 pounds at 5’3″, and my health began to reflect years of bad decisions. I was young and already had high blood pressure issues. I decided to make one of the BEST decisions that I could have ever made, which was to have weight loss surgery. Many people have their opinions with regards to this surgery, but you really have to know the true story behind a person’s decision. Weight loss surgery is ONLY a tool. It cannot fix emotional eating!

In 2015, I noticed I had stopped using my “tool” and I began to gain weight back. This was weight that I said I would NEVER gain again! Last year, I hit the reset button and took my weight loss journey to a whole new level. I did everything, from going to two different gyms to hiring two different personal trainers. I will never forget what my BeastMode (Savannah, GA) Trainer Brandi said to me. ”Remember why you started!” That bit of motivation was the push I needed.

While my husband was on deployment, I made the decision to gain control of my life! I encouraged myself to “consistently stay consistent”. After years of trying multiple diets, fads, gimmicks, weight loss surgery and excess skin removal, what worked for me was cutting my carb intake, increasing my water intake and consistent workouts. I worked out 6-7 days a week for 2-2 ½ hours a day.

I have gained a deeper understanding of the Jekyll and Hyde relationship I had with food. Don’t get me wrong, I love food and I always will. Food has been my best friend for years…lol, but I love myself more! I’m not where I want to be YET, but I am well on my way. #IGotThis Follow my Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/MarquitasWeightLossJourneyIGotThis

Jan 2013 – Today’s featured weight loss story: Marquita lost 130 pounds with weight loss surgery and changing her eating habits.

Marquita weight loss

Here is what she had to say about her weight loss journey:

“My name is Marquita and I’ve battled with my weight my entire life. I have always been a bigger girl, but my weight ballooned my senior year of high school when I stopped all sports and band activities. I began college shortly after graduation and gained the freshman 15 x6!  Throughout college and my adult life I tried many diets and gyms, with little or no success. My turning point came in January 2010 when my blood pressure was out of control and my medication was changed four times within two months. I also was at my known highest weight of 369lbs.

I knew I had to make some major changes if I wanted to live to see past 26.  My story is very simple: in September 2010 I gave up sodas. I lost about 14 lbs. November 2010, I had gastric bypass. That’s when my life really changed. I have never been more focused on my weight and my journey more in my life. This was the best decision for ME. It was not a easy decision and it’s NOT the easy way out. I have never worked so hard towards losing weight and changing my life EVER!!!  The easy way out is to continue to talk about wanting to change, but never doing anything about it. I’ve lost 130 lbs so far. After I gave up sodas in September 2010, I went on a high protein diet (protein shake for breakfast and two meals-veggie and meat) for two weeks. I lost 17 lbs doing that for two weeks. I want to lose another 60 lbs, which I am focused on losing in 2013!”

Marquita before after