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Karen lost 140 pounds

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Transformation of the Day: Karen lost 140 pounds. She said, “I started looking for a hero, so I became my own.” Indeed, she has. This 61 year old diva didn’t let Asthma, Sarcardoisis, and Congestive Heart Failure stop her. She got a trainer, changed her eating habits and fell in love with fitness. Check out her story.

karen weight loss

In the summer of 2012, I fell in love with fitness. With the help of a trainer, who changed my eating habits and put me on a meal plan, and using a detox tea, I am down 140 pounds and still losing! I am 61 years old, and I have managed to work out 4 days a week, obtain a Black Belt in TaeKwondo, skydive and looking forward to doing so much more.

In the beginning, I weighed 295 pounds (height 5’3″). Most of my adult life I have had a weight problem. Since 1986,  I’ve developed Asthma, Sarcardoisis, and Congestive Heart Failure. Twice, I was placed on Prednisone, gaining over 120 pounds!

I knew my life was at risk. Not to mention, my diet was horrible as well! I would have fast food and at least five sodas every day. I started looking for a hero, so I became my own. Determined to conquer my weaknesses, I hired Kevin Fit Johnson as my personal trainer. He immediately put me on a strict meal plan, that I follow daily, along with resistance training three to four times a week, with a little cardio. Kevin has played a major role with my transformation. Not only is he my coach, he’s like my son.

It wasn’t easy, but through sweat, tears, anger, and prayer I managed to get stronger, knowledgeable and healthier. Talk about an answered prayer! The results appeared before my eyes. I went from taking 15 medications to under 4 and obtained a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. I’ve kept going because I’m determined to beat me and proudly be my own hero.

Healthy eating, along with lots of water, was key. My trainer turned my fast foods into meal prepping daily and I eliminated sodas. My meals consist of a protein, a healthy carb (sweet potatoes, red potatoes, quinoa, etc.) and vegetables. I eat five meals a day, 2-3 hours apart. The goal was to speed up my metabolism after years of slowing it down. It works!

As of 2016, I’ve been involved with Total Life Changes (distributor). I’m currently using a detox tea, energy supplement, liquid vitamin, and Techui (meal replacement) which has been beneficial to my daily regimen.

In 2017, I will be 62 years old. I’ve lost a total of 140 lbs. and I currently weigh 155 pounds going into the 5th year of my weight loss journey. My goal is to wear a swimsuit next summer and be an inspiration to all women/men of the world. My advice: Never give up on your dreams and be your own hero!

Instagram: @slimming_k

karen weight loss

Cynthia lost 250 pounds

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Update: Shout out to Cynthia! She’s maintained her success and she’s looking fabulous.

Transformation of the Day: Cynthia lost 250 pounds over a two year period. She became very overweight by the end of her college years and tried lots of diet plans over the years. Eventually, health issues, like high blood pressure and the risk of heart failure, led her to change her life. She was able to lose 80 pounds on her own before having weight loss surgery. Check out what she shared with us about her hard work and the actions she took to achieve success.

cynthia before and after

Hi, my name is Cynthia McDonald. I lost a total of 250 pounds over a two year period. At my heaviest, I weighed 467 pounds (height: 5’10”). I always been big, but I transitioned to morbid obesity before I graduated from college. I tried a lot of different diets over the years, but I would always lose weight and then gain it back, plus more. I then started to develop health issues, like high blood pressure, severe joint pain, sleep apnea and I was a borderline diabetic.

In January 2014, I was admitted to the hospital because I was experiencing chest pains. At first, I thought I was having a heart attack, but the doctors told me it was a side affect of my high blood pressure. They said that I really needed to lose weight because if I didn’t, the symptoms I was experiencing could develop into heart failure. A month later, I started working under the care of a nutritional doctor. Soon after that, I joined the gym at my job and started to exercise. I ended up losing 75 pounds in about in 8 months.

On October 7th of 2014, I had a duodenal switch weight loss surgery that helped me lose more weight. I am now proud to say that I have lost 142 pounds since the surgery and 250 pounds since I started my journey! I exercise regularly now and I signed up to earn a certification to become a Zumba instructor next month! I did document a lot of my progress on Facebook and a lot of people have reached out to me since they saw me losing weight. I tell them always to do their research, because it never hurts to get expert guidance. I also tell them to never, ever GIVE UP!

How did you change your eating habits?
I started changing my eating habits slowly. I would do one thing at a time. In the past when I would diet, I would make drastic changes, like practically starving myself and always end up failing. I did not want to do that again. First thing I did was cut out sugary beverages, like soda, juices, etc. I did this because my doctor told me I was drinking the majority of my calories. I then switched to drinking a lot of water and using sugar substitutes for my tea and coffee. I also started to increase my protein intake and cut down on carbohydrates. I also have a major sweet tooth, so I would use fruit, like grapes, to satisfy my cravings. I ate more fresh fruits and veggies, and began taking vitamins. With cutting certain foods out of my diet, I realized I was cutting a lot of vitamins that my body needs to properly function.

Another thing I do to keep myself from going crazy is I give myself a cheat day. It is like a “Job well done”, pat on the back type thing. That has really helped me stay on course with eating properly and still keeping a balance without completely cutting out foods that I love. I feel that this has been a major factor for me being able to stick to a routine that works very well for me.

What did your workout routines look like?
First of all, I’d like to say that adding exercise was very scary to me, especially since I was not active before I started on my journey. When I started, I did just cardio. I would do the sit down bike for a half hour, 3 times a week. Once I started to lose weight, I started to challenge myself more. I stuck with the bike, but then I started looking up different exercises online to do after my cardio routine, like sit ups, knee pushups, squats, etc. Now, I do a lot of classes at my gym. I do Zumba, Spinning, lots of core work, elliptical machines, stair master and weights. Now, I usually workout 4-5 times a week.

Instagram: @camglamming

Rochelle lost 78 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Rochelle lost 78 pounds. After years of battling her weight and losing a loved one to high blood pressure and heart failure, she knew that it was time to change.  She began to lose weight on her own and was later blessed to be a part of a makeover reality show.  She shared the details of her journey with us…

rochelle weight loss story

My name is Rochelle and at my highest weight I was 276 pounds, not a good thing on my 5’2″ frame. I was always the “big girl” growing up. Everyone in my family was heavy so I just thought that was how I would always be. My grandmother, the woman who raised me, fell ill in 2012 after battling her entire adult life with obesity, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure. Ultimately, her kidneys shut down. My mother also struggles with similar medical issues. After losing my grandmother in April, 2013, I was told by my doctor that I was borderline hypertensive. I decided that I did not want to go through the same health issues or have my two sons spend as much time in hospitals as I had done over the years.

I joined Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds in over a year. That was good but I still had so far to go. I had been praying with my sisters in Christ at church and told them that I wanted the ways and means to lose the weight! A couple of months later I auditioned for a weight loss show for Lifetime Television called Mission Makeover and was selected as a contestant! Over the course of six months, with the help of a personal trainer, nutritionist and life coach I was able to lose another 39 pounds! God showed up and showed out! Here I was praying for money for a personal trainer and he gave me all that and more! He can do exceedingly and abundantly above all! The show has ended (you can still catch Season 4 on YouTube) but I am still on this journey and have signed up for a half marathon in November! I’m so blessed and excited about this new chapter in my life!

I stopped eating out all the time, even the stuff I used to think was “better” for me like Subway. I ate more lean meats and vegetables (fresh or frozen, never canned). I don’t eat white rice, only brown rice. I make sure to meal prep weekly so I don’t end up at fast food places. I changed my snacking from chips and cookies to nuts and tomatoes and hummus. I always eat breakfast, usually a protein smoothie with greens, like spinach or kale. I also make sure to eat 5-6 meals per day to fuel my body. Cooking at home allows me to control what I am putting in my body, as well as my 12 year-old son’s body. I drink no less than 100 oz of water per day, no sodas and juice is limited as well. I also take multivitamins and additional Vitamin D.

I worked out three times a week with a personal trainer, Billy Beck, and with my girls on the “mission”. We did full body workouts and circuit training. We also used Jamie Eason’s Livefit Trainer, a free training program from Bodybuilding.com. On the days that I’m not with a trainer, I do one hour of cardio, mostly the elliptical and treadmill. I also have completed the Couch to 5k program. I am currently doing the Livefit program again. I currently weigh 198 pounds and this is the first time I’ve been under 200 pounds in 13 years. My advice to others is to stay the course. Wake up everyday, thank God for life, get up and get active to improve your temple. Don’t worry about the scale! Focus on all you are becoming and the weight and inches will come off. Sometimes you fall off, but get up and keep moving. I have cheat meals but not cheat days that turn into binges. I’m still a work in progress and excited to make the rest of my life the best of my life!

Facebook: Rochelle’s Mission Makeover Journey
Instagram: @msrochelle73

rochelle mission makeover

Lesa lost 123 with weight loss surgery

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Lesa who has lost 123 pounds.  She decided to have gastric sleeve weight loss surgery after dealing with a number of chronic health conditions affected by being overweight.  After dealing with the loss of her closest relatives and having to be put in a medically induced coma, she realized that she had to be here to support and love her children.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey:

Lesa weight loss surgery

I’ve always been overweight, as far as I can remember. It was “cute” when I was a chubby toddler and never shed any of the extra pounds. I grew up in an “overweight” family. I was raised by typical Black Country fed, homegrown, soul food grandparents. My mom was the type of woman who loved being a voluptuous woman and I inherited that gene.

I loved being voluptuous, plus sized, etc. it wasn’t until I realized that as I older, I got bigger. My entire adult life I was 300+ but by the time I was 37, I was up to 390 lbs.  Now with health problems, single parenting, losing close family members and juggling too much that I started having severe health problems; namely Sleep Apnea, Congestive Heart failure, low immune system, and Pulmonary Hypertension (which caused me to go into respiratory distress October 2010).

After being in a medically induced coma for 21 days I woke from the coma and my first thought was “Who took care of my babies?”  They already lost my mom and grandparents and were on the verge of losing me!!  My mom passed away at the age of 45 years old and it was heartbreaking to me and my children.  She had a multitude of health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure, & CHF that if she lost weight she might still be alive today.  I was finally diagnosed with Tracheal Stenosis after being hospitalized three times. Then, I had to have an emergency tracheostomy February, 2011. I was told by numerous doctors that I would have the trach for the rest of my life due to extensive scarring to my trachea from the intubation.

One of the medical specialists that told me that I would have my trach removed in December of 2012. My trachea healed. I discovered that Medicare paid for gastric surgery and in May 1, 2013 I had my first consultation. Initially, in 2009, I planned to get the Lap Band (I’m glad that things didn’t work out for me to get it). I researched the gastric sleeve and found people that had the surgery.  After months of planning I had my surgery October 31, 2013.

Weight Loss Surgery is a tool, not a miracle cure for obesity. It is our responsibility to make the right choices.  I sometimes start to eat things like I’m a trance.  Not realizing what I was doing until I’m in mid bite.  I’ve discovered that my comfort food and drinks aren’t so comforting.  Now, I love veggies, fruits and WATER. Lots and lots of water.  I do not get caught up in the scales. This is the one thing that I cannot stress enough. It is not good emotionally if you get all of your sense of achievement from the scale. I just keep in mind that this is a Marathon and NOT a sprint. My workout routine is walking. I walk everywhere and climb stairs.  Imagine me, a person who loves to shop having to use the motorized cart in Walmart or having to sit down while shopping at the mall…or flat out not going to the mall at all!  Imagine not wanting to go anywhere because your fat is basically insulation and you are constantly hot!  Now, I have energy and don’t mind cooking, cleaning, walking or climbing the stairs.

I’m still in transition and I’m only 9 months post-surgery and have lost 123 lbs. and my current weight is 267.  Initially, I wanted to be 225 lbs. or a size 18/20, however my ultimate goal is to just be healthy.  I recommend joining a support group as I seem to be having identity issues post-surgery.  I’ve always been comfortable being plus sized that now that I’ve lost weight I can’t identify with the person I see in the mirror.  Daily what I am thankful for is that I’m not plagued with health issues and I’m going to be around to be a parent to my daughters!

Lesa weight loss surgery