how to lose weight blog

Candace lost 61 pounds

August 7, 2013 by Ajima Jackson 7 Comments

Today’s featured weight loss before & after story: Candace lost 61 pounds by eating healthy foods and working out everyday. Here is what she shared with us about her transformation:

What was your motivation?
I have diabetes so I wanted a healthier lifestyle for myself. My family has it and my grandfather died from complication of it. I didn’t want that for myself.

How did you change your eating habits?
I decided to cut out all unhealthy food. I started drinking more and more water. I decided a few months later to cut out red meat and I began to lose more weight.

What did your workout routines look like?
I work out everyday. I do a lot of cardio and lifting weights. I also work with my abs more so I can tone my stomach.

What was your starting weight?
My starting weight was 262.

What is your current weight?
I’m currently 201 pounds.

How long did your transformation take?
It took me 9 months to get to where I am today.

Candace weight loss story

Vanessa lost 54 pounds

August 6, 2013 by Ajima Jackson 11 Comments

Today’s featured before and after weight loss story: Vanessa has lost 54 pounds since January 2013. She exercised and ate CLEAN. She even started doing Cross Fit! Here is what she shared with us:

Hello! My name is Vanessa. My weight loss journey began January 2013 at my heaviest weight of 260 pounds. I now weigh 206 pounds on a 5’5 frame. I was tired of being overweight and all the negative baggage that came along with it. So, after a million unsuccessful attempts of about a million other diets, I finally made the commitment to myself that my New Years Resolution would seriously be to get my body right. I felt that I wasn’t reaching my fullest potential with all this weight holding me down. I started off working out on an exercise trail that was 3 miles long for 5 days a week. I progressed on to running. With a combination of eating CLEAN (nooooo processed foods, only water, portion control) I lost 40lbs!!!! After that 40lbs, I decided my body needed something more intense and I didn’t want my skin to slack/sag, so I joined Athletes Ego CrossFit and started workouts with them. Infused with weight training, the rest of the weight fell off. My transformation took 7 months (January 2013-July 2013). My motivation was just simply about me feeling bad about my body all the time. I didn’t like how I looked, so I changed it. I’ve also made up this little saying that I say to myself and others when tempted, “Don’t be a slave to the snack”. This really helped me because I don’t want to be a slave to ANYTHING and food will NOT control my life like I’m some type of puppet! Ladies you can do it. The results last longer than taste. Remember that!

Vanessa weight loss story

Aiesha lost 25 pounds

August 5, 2013 by Ajima Jackson 6 Comments

Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight love to Aiesha. She lost 25 pounds by tackling her biggest challenge: changing her eating habits. She was inspired by her mom who reversed her diabetes. Here is what she shared with us:

Aiesha weight loss journey Hi all! I am Aiesha and currently a college student who was tired of being tired, so I decided to take on the challenge and better my health! My transformation is never ending and I’m still a work in progress. However, I am very happy with the results that I come to know thus far. My my motivation to take on a healthier lifestyle was my mother. She too lost weight and reversed her type two diabetes. I figured that if she can do it, still tackle a heavy work load and never give into excuses, well I can too! Another motivator for me was the fact that I did not like what I saw so I decided to stop complaining and really make the change. My starting weight was 211 pounds and my current weight is 188 pounds. My goal weight is 170 pounds, so I still have some work to do! Nonetheless, I am very pleased with myself because I committed to something and stuck with it no matter hard it was or how much harder it was to give up! I first tackled my diet because, for myself, the workout was the easier part. The eating was the challenge, so I cut out ALL fast food, cut out bread and all things white. I detoxed everyday, I ate vegetables with every meal, drank lots of water, and I really tried to understand what is bad for you and what is good for you. One thing that really pushes me to this day is the encouragement and inspiration I get from others. I inspires me when people make a simple gesture saying to me “You really motivated me to lose weight!” Those words really make this journey worth while. Though I didn’t do this for anybody but myself, it still is rewarding to knows that all the sweat, tears, countless hours in the gym and sun, and sacrifice is really paying off! I hope that I can touch someone to want to change for the better!

Aiesha weight loss before and after

Keesha lost 65 pounds

August 5, 2013 by Ajima Jackson 9 Comments

Today’s weight loss before and after story: Keesha lost 65 pounds with Zumba, walking, fasting, changing her eating habits and help from Weight Watchers. Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

Hi my name is Keesha. This is my story and I’m sticking to it. My journey started in April 2011. I was 36 years old I weighed 240 pounds. I managed to lose 10 pounds by weening myself off of my drug of choice, soda. That got me down to 230 pounds. I was experiencing a few life altering situations. Pregnant teen daughter, death of close family members and a troubled marriage. It just seemed that no matter how hard I tried to make everyone else happy. I still felt as if I was lacking. I wasn’t healthy mentally, physically or spiritually. I realized that It was time for me to do something for me. No, I couldn’t go on a shopping spree, a dream vacation or anything like that. So, I took a look in the mirror (for free) and gazed straight into the windows of my soul…MY eyes. I was lost and I didn’t recognize me. I set out on a journey to find ME.

I started off with getting baptized because I knew I couldn’t do this without GOD. I joined church and started to pray more. I started using my YMCA membership that I had been paying on for years and never used. Then I started doing Zumba classes. I joined run/walk groups via Facebook. I also started walking on my own. The weight wasn’t going anywhere. I googled information on losing weight and discovered that losing weight was more than just exercise. It was about a lifestyle change. I had to change my way of thinking and EATING! I went on a 17 day fast. Plenty of water, green tea, no sweets, no sugar, no bread, lean protein (chicken, turkey and fish), no beef or pork for me, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and rest. I was eating right and hitting the gym at least 4-5 times a week. In that amount of time, I lost 26 pounds. It was on!

I was now a grandma and I wanted to live for my children and my grandchildren. I wanted to be a shining example for them and me. It took me from October 2011- March 2012 to lose 30 pounds on my own. My goal was 170. Now I was at 200 pounds and I was feeling great but I wasn’t finished. I hit the gym even harder. I continued doing Zumba, joined a spinning class, a BLT class and start hitting the trails. I lost 20 more pounds that put me at 180 and BAM! I hit a plateau. Those last 10 ponds wouldn’t budge. So, I had heard about Weight Watchers from a few friends. I saw their results so I decided to join online. In one week I lost my 10 pounds!! I hit my mark! 170 pounds. I had signed up for three months, so I kept going. In August of 2012, I was down to 165 pounds. I was happy there. Mentally and physically so I stopped. To date, I am now 38 years old. I went from a size 18 to a size 10!!! From 230 pounds to 165 pounds! I have lost a total of 65 pounds and have maintained the weight and healthy eating habits, with the help of Weight Watcher from time to time, for one year!! (I fall off sometimes but I dust myself off and pick up where I fell off) With hard work, God, good friends and faith in yourself. This and any other journey is possible! When people see me they say I’m high school skinny. More importantly for me though, I feel good about the possibility of adding at least 10 more years to my life by getting healthy. It will allow me more time and energy to live!!!!

Keesha weight loss story