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Jasmine lost 84 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Jasmine lost 84 pounds.  She decided in her twenties that she did not want to develop the chronic health issues she was witnessing in her family.  Here is more information about her weight loss journey:

Jasmine before and after

“Hi, Although my journey is still in progress, in 1 year I have lost 84 pounds. My motivation was seeing all the women in my family and how they struggle with their weight and medical issues. I am only 23 but I saw myself headed down that same path. I was determined not to allow myself get a serious health problem, like type 2 diabetes which I was borderline for, so I began to loose weight. Also, my father passed away at the beginning of 2013 and going to the gym became a stress reliever for me.

It was hard to change my eating habits in the beginning but slowly I began to eat smaller portions and added more veggies into my diet. I did not fully cut out all of the bad things for me but I limited myself to once a week of having them in small doses. In the gym, I did 30-40 minutes of cardio (running on the treadmill or elliptical). I would then follow up with strength training on alternating days between upper and lower body. I worked out everyday, twice a day. I started out at 315 pounds and now I am down to 231 pounds. My goal weight is 190 considering that I am 5’10 and that is healthy weight for that height. My advice to anyone trying to loose weight is that it 90% mental and 10% physical. If you are determined and have the right mindset, you can do it. It may appear hard and it will take a while to see results but if you really want to shed the weight, stick to it.”

Have a Healthy and Fit Holiday with our Amazon Gift Picks

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Hey Ladies, I just thought I’d give you a few suggestions for gift ideas you may not have thought of for yourself and others that will help to make this holiday season healthier and may assist with weight loss goals.  Give the gift of wellness this season.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, we may receive compensation as a percentage of the purchase.

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #31: Commit to Your Weight Loss Goals!

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This is the last tip in our Weight Loss on a Budget series – Tip #31: Commit to Your Weight Loss Goals!

commit goals weight lossYo-Yo dieting is expensive.  Buying into weight loss plans over and over again is expensive.  Gym memberships and personal trainers cost money.  Buying pills and supplements for fad diets is expensive. Time is money, and you will spend a lot of it on your weight loss efforts in terms of workouts, preparing meals, etc.  Knowing all of this, means that it is important to commit to your weight loss goals and do the work so that all of your effort doesn’t go to waste.

  • Prepare your meals in advance and plan what you will eat daily.
  • Commit to regular exercise – 3-6 days per week.
  • Focus on lifestyle change, not dieting or short term goals. Your goal should be to never have to go through the same, long process of weight loss ever again.
  • Consider your health and how it is important.  Use your health and your desire for greater wellness as a primary motivating factor, even more than looking good.
  • Know that you will stumble and that you might have set backs, but you don’t have to stay in the place of being hindered or stalled by your actions.  One or two bad days doesn’t have to be the reason you got off the weight loss wagon for weeks and months.  RECOMMIT and get back on track if you have a bad day.
  • Write down/Record your goals, your meals and your habits.
  • Be accountable and don’t lie to yourself.  We must be honest in order to be free from our bad habits and food addictions.

When you commit to losing the weight for good and not having to repeat your efforts over and over again, you will ensure that you will save money and time in the long run.

T’Ericka lost 50 pounds

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Featured before and after story: T’Ericka lost 50 pounds and found her true self.  After struggling with weight loss and low self esteem since childhood, she was able to make lifestyle changes that are about more than just losing pounds.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey: T'Ericka weight loss photos “Many people have been asking and inboxing me about my weight loss and the question that stood out to me most was ‘Why I did it and what motivated me to stay on track?’. So, here is my story: Growing up I’ve always been the chunky girl. I LOVED to eat (I still do lol) but then I didnt know how bad it was until I started started getting teased EVERYDAY for my weight. Tt bothered me but I always kept it in.  I turned 12 and I was into modeling so my mom took me to a nearby agency, only to hear from the lady that I was very pretty but too big to be a model for her. That crushed me and from that point on I had the lowest self esteem. I ate myself into being unhealthy. I used to ask God to make me skinny (lol) so that people could like me (smh). In school I always wanted to do different things but instead I put myself in the background because I thought everyone would be judging me on my weight. I really disliked who I was!! I always thought the world only welcomed skinny people!! Then I got older and wanted to make changes so I lost weight the fast way. Then I started dating my guy and gained it all back, which put me in my lowest self esteem EVER!! (I tried not to show it but I truly gave up on myself) I didn’t go out much. I didn’t take some opportunities because I was really in a BATTLE with myself! I was unhealthy physically and mentally! However, last year I had enough. I wanted to be at my full potential. I wanted to start a journey that would be a lifestyle change for me. It wasn’t just about losing weight, it was also about gaining who I knew God wanted me to be! I ate better and really started getting my business together. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week for an hour. I do cardio (40 mins) and weight training(20 mins)! I’ve added lots of fruits and green vegetables to my plate and cut out a lot of red meat (I eat red meat occasionally). I rarely go to fast food restaurants because that once was my weakness! Im just really enjoying this lifestyle change. I feel great! I wanted to be the best T’Ericka Tifany-Joy Mullen There was!! I WANTED THIS FOR ME!!! That’s why this 50 pound weight loss means so much to me! It makes me feel accomplished! I feel like I graduated from who I was and walked across the stage to who I always knew I had the potential of being!! I not only burned away some pounds but I burned my past hurts, my low self esteem, etc. I am still a work in progress but I refuse to go back to who I was physically and MENTALLY. This Journey wasn’t just about weight loss it was about gaining me back!! God Bless!

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #7: Cut down on alcohol and cocktails

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avoid alcohol weight lossHere is today’s Weight Loss on a Budget Tip for our October Challenge: #7 – Cut down on alcohol and cocktails.

There are a lot of reasons why alcohol and weight loss are not the best pair.

– Alcohol is full of empty calories and sugars which we know contribute to weight gain.

– Although there can be some medicinal benefits to drinking things like wine, by and large alcohol doesn’t have  the nutrition value that you are looking for.  Any nutrition is cancelled out by negative factors (see below).

– Alcohol is addictive and you may already be pre-desposed to addiction…food addiction.  You don’t want to add on or negatively impact existing issues.  You want to eliminate your addictions and addictive behaviors as much as possible.

– When you drink alcohol, your body sends it straight to the liver to be metabolized. This means your liver busy breaking down alcohol instead of fat.  Also, too much alcohol can damage the liver, possibly causing cirrhosis and harming the metabolism permanently.

– Alcohol affects blood sugar and can cause dramatic lows and highs.  Overtime it can be a major factor in diabetes and glucose intolerance affecting the body’s ability to make glucose.

– Not buying alcohol will save you money, especially when it comes to cocktails in clubs and restaurants.

If you choose to drink, look for low calorie options like Bacardi and Diet Coke or “skinny” cocktails that are very popular these days.  Drink in moderation and be mindful of how it can affect your weight and health.

 

 

Liz lost 70 pounds

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Let’s show some love to Liz.  She lost 70 pounds and fought off having to take insulin for her diabetes.  She was willing to make life changes to get healthy!  Here is what she shared with us:

“My name is Liz Hayes.  I have lost a total of 70 lbs within a year all on my own.  I needed to make a change in my life.  Being a diabetic and being told that I might have to go on insulin was shocking.  So, I began my journey on September 11, 2012.  I started by using the “My fitness Pal app” which is totally free.  I weighted 298 pounds. I weight 228 pounds now.

First, I cut out all things white, like flour, sugar, and salt, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. I also cut out starchy veggies, like corn, peas and beans.  I stopped eating bread also, both whole grain and white.  I did away with sodas and began to drink more water. I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.  I stopped eating red meats completely.  Now I eat only turkey, chicken and  fish.  Most of my days, I start out with a boiled egg, turkey bacon or sausage, Greek yogurt and a cup of coffee.  For lunch, I would eat a large veggie salad and water…then workout at the gym on the treadmill for 1 hour.  I walk 3 miles a day, 7 days a week.  Supper would be a bag of stream broccoli with garlic and “I can’t believe it’s not butter” spray.

I feel much better now than ever and I don’t mind walking.  I am not lazy and tied anymore. Life is great and my blood work is excellent!

 Liz weight loss story

Hidden Sugars – The Many Names of Processed Sugar

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Processed, refined sugars go by different names – names you might not recognize as being processed sugar. It’s very easy for someone who is not familiar with all the hidden names of sugar to erroneously consume large amounts of the stuff. So, if you’re trying to eliminate processed sugars from your diet – or at least limit the amount you eat – you need to learn all the names sugar goes by.

sugarWhat’s in a Name? The Hidden Names of Processed Sugar

There are literally dozens of names for sugar. Some are quite obvious such as corn syrup, brown sugar, date sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, or anything else that ends in “sugar.” However, spotting other sources of hidden sugar can be quite tricky. A good rule of thumb is to eliminate anything that has sugar and syrup in the title as well as anything ending in “ose” like glucose, dextrose, fructose, and sucrose. Following are some of the ones that aren’t so apparent:

  • Diastatic Malt
  • Ethyl Maltol
  • Fruit Juice
  • Corn Sweetner
  • Maltose
  • Mannitol
  • Molasses
  • Sorbitol
  • Cane Juice
  • Evaporated Cane Juice
  • Fruit Juice Concentrate
  • Barley Malt
  • Maltodextrin
  • Caramel
  • Treacle
  • Sucanat
  • Rapadura
  • Jaggery
  • Panela
  • Monk Fruit
  • Rice Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup

Why Processed Sugars are Bad

A diet high in processed sugars can lead to weight gain and other health issues. Not only is sugar nothing more than empty calories it can cause fat deposits to form in the liver, raise blood cholesterol, contribute to insulin resistance, increases your risk for diseases – and it’s addictive. Consuming sugar can also cause spikes in blood sugar, which can cause you to feel hungry and crave more sugary foods.

Tips for Avoiding Processed Sugars

While it is difficult to avoid all processed sugars, there are things you can do to greatly reduce the amount of sugar you eat. In addition to making wise, healthy choices, you can eliminate much of the sugar in your diet by doing the following:

  • Read Labels – Now that you’re armed with the knowledge of all the hidden names of sugar, you can properly read ingredient labels, spot hidden sugars, and avoid purchasing foods that contain them. Become a label-reading junkie. Do not put anything in your cart that you have not properly vetted for processed sugar.
  • Don’t Eat Packaged Foods – It’s as simple as that. If it’s in a package, avoid it. You can bet there are processed sugars in any packaged convenience food that you might pick up. Instead, eat fresh foods. Hint: most fresh foods are found along the four outside walls of the grocery store.
  • No Sugary Drinks – Much of the sugar that Americans consume comes in the form of sodas and other sugary drinks. Replace your sugar-filled drinks with water to avoid eating excess sugar.

As you can see, avoiding processed sugars can be tricky. However, you can do it with a little knowledge, pre-planning, and will power. Once you reduce the amount of sugar you eat, you will start to crave it less, which will make the task of avoiding sugar easier than you ever thought possible.

5 Benefits of Eating Dark, Leafy Greens

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I love green smoothies and they wouldn’t truly be green without dark leafy greens.  Boasting numerous health benefits, vitamins, minerals, and weight-loss properties, dark, leafy greens are among the healthiest foods you can eat. In fact, if you eat them regularly, you will improve your overall health and have less chance of developing certain diseases. Health-infusing greens include kale, turnip greens, collards, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, certain types of lettuce, and cabbage.

kale dark leafy greensIn addition to eating a balanced diet, you should strive to consume dark, leafy greens whenever possible to enjoy the following benefits:

  1. Weight Management – High in fiber, low in carbohydrates, leafy greens are among the most filling foods you can eat. Due to their high fiber content, greens digest slowly, causing you to feel fuller longer. Bottom line: Eating more greens will cause you to eat smaller amounts of other types of foods, which will help you lose weight or maintain your current weight.
  2. Cuts Health Risks – Leafy greens lower the risk of some diseases including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and cancer. Since they are rich in calcium, leafy greens are also credited with reducing the occurrence of osteoporosis. There is evidence that skin problems might also benefit from dark, leafy green consumption as greens are full of water and antioxidants.
  3. Health Benefits – Eating leafy greens also poses many health benefits. Health benefits include blood clotting regulation, reducing calcium in arterial plaques, reduce inflammation, and improved memory and eye sight. The fiber content in leafy greens also keeps the colon healthy and in proper working order.
  4. Nutrition – Greens are rich in the vitamins and minerals your body needs to remain healthy. For example, many leafy greens contain beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Greens also contain folate, vitamin C, calcium, fiber, vitamin K, B vitamins, lutein, and small amounts of Omega-3 fats depending on the green.
  5. Natural Antioxidant – Antioxidants help fight aging by preventing cell damage and improving cell renewal processes. All of this helps the body repair itself, renew itself, and grow older more gracefully. Antioxidants and vitamin C also help improve the appearance of the skin and ward off signs of aging such as sun spots, wrinkles, and sallow complexion.

So, how many greens should you eat? While the USDA recommends eating at least 3 cups of dark, leafy greens per week, this represents the minimum amount of greens you should be eating. Most nutrition experts recommend eating ½-cup of green leafy vegetables daily.

Since leafy greens are low-calorie and chock full of nutrition, you should strive to include them into your diet daily (green smoothies are a great way to do this). To cut the monotony, try to eat a variety of greens. You will be surprised by how often you can work leafy greens into your meal planning while maintaining a varied diet.

How Is High Blood Pressure Connected to Weight Loss?

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More than 60-percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight. Vanity aside, carrying around a few extra pounds can have a huge impact on your health and quality of life. What’s more, among the dozens of diseases impacted by obesity – diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infections, infertility, ulcers and chronic pain – high blood pressure is considered the number one disease related to your weight. This is important because, high blood pressure is currently listed as the primary cause of death among those older than 25 due to its intimate link with heart disease.  Heart disease is a huge killer. If you are concerned about women’s health, you’ll want to know about high blood pressure as a risk factor.

Blood Pressure: How High Is Too High?

The normal range for blood pressure hovers around 120/80 with the top number representing systolic (peak) pressure and the bottom diastolic (minimum) pressure. Anything over this is considered high blood pressure, but there are varying levels of severity. The stages are broken down as follows:

  • Prehypertension: 120/80 to 139/89
  • Stage 1: 140/90 to 159/99
  • Stage 2: 160/100 and higher

With each stage comes increased chance for developing heart disease and other cardiovascular related diseases including stroke. High blood pressure can also result in sudden death in some cases.  It’s a serious matter and you definitely want to get it checked regularly.

How Blood Pressure Is Connected to Weight

As mentioned before, high blood pressure and your weight are intimately linked. Almost half of those with high blood pressure have the condition due to excess weight. This is because obesity causes a buildup of fatty tissue which places extra resistance against blood vessels. This makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood which, in turn, leads to hypertension.

Weight Loss and Blood Pressure

When it comes to blood pressure and weight loss, losing a small amount of weight pays off. Losing as little as 10 lbs can lower your blood pressure by nearly 2 points. Significant weight loss – anything over 10-percent of your body weight – can have dramatic effects on blood pressure as it can lower blood pressure by nearly 5 points. The more you lose, the more the numbers on the blood pressure monitor drop.

high blood pressure and weight loss

The apparent link between blood pressure and the number on the scale is why weight loss is considered a primary treatment for high blood pressure. Many physicians will start their patients on a weight loss regiment at the first sign of prehypertension as a way to avoid high blood pressure medications. Of course, blood pressure measurements that fall in dangerous ranges are always treated with medications. Even when this is the case, weight loss still plays a primary role in the treatment and management of the disease.

While weight loss can lower your blood pressure, losing weight and maintaining a healthy body weight before high blood pressure occurs can prevent it. Weight loss can also reduce your risk for a host of other diseases, most of which are among the leading causes of death in America.

We talk about high blood pressure a lot in the black community and many of our friends and family members are dealing with this health issue.  Get your blood pressure checked and do you you have to do to bring it down if it is too high.  Your health is worth it.

How Is Your Weight and Heart Disease Connected?

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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.