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Tina lost 50 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Tina lost 50 pounds and has kept it off for 6 years.  We all know that it’s hard to get the weight off, but it can be even harder to keep it off.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hello, My name is Tina and I would like to share my story as to how I lost 50 lbs and keep it off for 6 years. My motivation was the health problems that some of my family members faced, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and difficulty breathing due to their weight.

I changed my eating habits by drinking a gallon of water a day and not eating after 6pm.At the time I started ,my workout plan was nothing, but then I decided I’d join the gym and get a regular routine going of crunches, cardio, and toning.

My starting weight was 197 pounds and my current weight is 147 pounds. My transformation took me about half a year. Now, I’m on an exercise regimen to where I go to the gym 3 times a week and when I’m not at the gym I’m here at my home working out in my small gym room. My diet is a gallon of water a day still and not eating after 6pm. I have protein drinks that I drink throughout the night to curve my appetite.  No sodas, no sweets and this pic is my motivation. My advice to others is to have supreme discipline when trying to loose weight and stay steadfast on your goal.

TinaOct13

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #25: Save Money at the Doctor’s Office

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Losing weight can help you achieve Tip #25: Saving Money at the Doctor’s Office.  “A person who is obese has annual medical costs $1,429 higher than someone of a normal weight, according to the CDC.” – Bankrate.com

save money medicine

  • Losing weight can reduce your risk factors for things like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and some cancers.
  • Reduce medications for diseases for which symptoms are improved when you lose weight.
  • Weight loss and getting healthy can help improve your immune system, thus helping you to stay our of the doctor’s office for common colds or infections.
  • “$1,850 more per year in medical costs for an overweight person than for someone of healthy weight, among employees at the Mayo Clinic and their adult dependents. $3,086 more per year in medical costs for a Mayo worker with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 40. $5,530 more per year in medical costs for a Mayo worker with a BMI above 40. By comparison, smokers’ medical costs were only $1,274 a year higher than nonsmokers’, who generally die earlier.” – Reuters

A few weeks ago, I posted an article where I outlined how obesity could cause you to have higher interest rates.  Here is part of that article:

Why being overweight could now cost more to insure.

It is an accepted medical fact that being overweight can increase a person’s risk for disease and complications from other treatments to the point that it can be life threatening or develop into chronic conditions. Obesity is linked to asthma, type-2 diabetes, stroke risk, high blood pressure, cardiac issues and recently a direct link between being overweight and an increased risk of breast cancer has been found. For health insurers, this flags those who are overweight as high risks for coverage. Federal regulations prohibit insurers from denying or limiting coverage to those who are overweight by denying it qualification as a pre-existing condition, but they have put in options for health insurers to charge higher rates to the obese.

How much higher will my rates be if I am overweight?

According to the new federal regulations, you could be charged anywhere from 30 to 50% more for the same health insurance that someone who has a healthy BMI is paying. For employers, this will help defray the costs of the group insurance plans they help carry.  The many of the people with health issues that the new health mandates are supposed to be helping get affordable coverage may become stuck in the catch-22 of having to pay higher rates than before.

Inspirational Weight Loss Story: Ida lost 142 pounds

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While facing a number of issues that many people would have found overwhelming, Ida lost 142 pounds with weight loss surgery.  I think you will find inspiration in her words. She wants us all to know that WE can do anything!  Here is  HER STORY:

Ida weight loss photos

“My name is Ida Henson Starks and I had weight loss surgery on March 13, 2012. When I went to surgery I weighed 302 pouns. Today, 20 months later, I am a healthy 160 pounds. The weight came of easy. The mental aspect has been the toughest. My parents told me if I set my MIND to do something…don’t give up and don’t give in…. I’m a success story.

I have been overweight since I was a child, not fat but larger than other kids my age. I got married at 19 years old and that was when I lost control. I didn’t eat due to depression, anxiety or a health issue. I ate because I simply enjoyed the taste of good food. At 29 years old (I don’t mind sharing this) I was diagnosed HIV positive. I’ve never been sick and instead of allowing the disease to take control of me, I took control of it. I gained weight instead of losing. In 2006, while preparing for a hysterectomy, I found out I was pregnant. I delivered a healthy HIV negative baby boy in August of the same year. I continued to gain. I divorced my third husband in 2010, and it was me and the little one. My ex had a habit of calling me fat but my 3 year old son would find ways to encourage me in his own little way. In 2011 my son started to play flag football. At 42 years old, I was not only one of the oldest mothers but I was also one of the heaviest. He wanted to play basketball, do martial arts and sing in the church choir. I wanted to get something to eat and go to bed after a hard day at work. I made up my mind after the football season ended that since I couldn’t do anything about my age, I would do something about my weight.

After getting clearance from my Primary Care doctor, Infectious Disease doctor and my OBGYN to go forward with surgery, I chose to do the gastric sleeve where 85% of my stomach was removed.  The surgery was done on March 13, 2012. I weighed in that morning at 302 pounds wearing a size 26/28. Now, 20 months later I am a size 10/12 weighing 160 pounds. I have worked out 3 to 4 times a week since surgery. I have completed a 3 mile AIDS walk and a 7 mile prayer walk. I am preparing for a 5 mile walk for the cure of Breast Cancer. I was on 1 medication for HIV, but I was on 5 meds for high blood pressure. I am still on 1 med for HIV but I’m proud to say I have not taken a blood pressure pill in 18 months. There is a lot to my story and surgery for weight loss is just a portion of it.  Someone needs to know that there is life after a diagnosis no matter what the diagnosis might be…and…when you put your mind to it.  My son and I have a saying to encourage each other. OUR saying is, ‘I CAN DO ANYTHING!!’. Thank you for allowing me to share.”

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!

6 Essential Habits for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off

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healthy habits weight lossLosing weight is really difficult to start with, but on top of that we all want to keep the weight off for good. There are healthy habits you can adopt NOW in order to increase your chances of keeping the weight off long term. Here are 6 tips that can help.

1. Don’t call what you’re doing a “diet.” This will set you up for failure immediately. Diets are quick, short term solutions for weight loss that usually are not permanent. If you are looking for permanent, long term weight loss, you need to think about it as a lifestyle change. Diets aren’t bad; they can help kick your metabolism into gear so that you can lose weight more easily. But a diet isn’t going to give you long-term success; changes in your lifestyle and food choices will.

2. Set weight loss goals. Goals are one of the most important parts of the weight loss process. The problem is, too many people say “I want to lose x number of pounds.” That is great but sometimes it’s not enough in terms of goal setting. Instead, start making your lifestyle changes gradually and make several mini-goals at a time. Sure, you can say that you want to lose 100 lbs, but it may be easier to stay motivated if you say you want to lose 10 pounds in the next 6 weeks or that you want to be able to walk a mile in addition to losing weight.

3. Reward yourself. …but please don’t make the mistake of rewarding yourself with food. If you can create rewards that are encouraging, but don’t involve messing up your lifestyle changes, they can be really good motivators. Effective rewards are desirable, timely, and contingent on meeting a particular goal. Use several smaller rewards for smaller goals, too. For example, if you went through a month of walking for 30 minutes every day, you can reward yourself with a haircut or a trip to the spa.

4. Figure out why you gained weight in the first place. Your Big WHY! – This is one of the hardest parts of maintaining long-term weight loss, but you do have to do some self evaluation. Why did you start overeating in the first place? What happened that made you want to overeat? Was there a life event/trauma? Were you struggling with a hormonal imbalance like PMS or a chemical imbalance that caused mood issues? Do you have a health issue? What happened to make you start neglecting your diet? Once you figure that out, you need to take steps that help you deal with those issues effectively later on. This will help you prevent similar issues in the future.

5. Understand portion sizes. If you understand how portion sizes are supposed to work, you’re going to be better off. We have an issue in the United States where we fill our plates to overflowing, and you really can’t do this. Even healthy foods can be bad if your portions are too big. A good rule to go by is the “fist rule.” A serving of healthy food is about the size of your fist; the smaller you are the smaller your fist is, and the smaller your portions will be. Keeping a food diary can help control your potions too.

6. Follow the 80/20 rule. You don’t have to be perfect all of the time, trust me. The key is balance and moderation. It’s going to take a lot of effort to maintain this lifestyle, so it’s okay to slack every once in awhile. If you live by healthy habits 80% of the time, slacking a little for the other 20% is okay (as long as you don’t go absolutely crazy and ruin what you did all week). Give yourself a treat on the weekend after being “good” all week.

Lyncoya lost 60 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Lyncoya lost 60 pounds in about 10 months.  This proud mom and grandmother of 1 found a weight loss program that worked for her and taught her how to change her eating habits.  Here is what she shared with us:

“My name is Lyncoya Terrell. I’m a 38 year old married mother of 3 and grandmother of 1. I absolutely HATED seeing myself in the mirror. I hated the image. I’ve lost a total of 60lbs primarily using Weight Watchers™, in about a 10 month’s time. I have NEVER been that heavy in my life. I have a little ways to go, but I feel great about how far I’ve come. I’m also confident that I’ll keep the weight off this time because of HOW I lost it. It just feels good to be back to the old me.

As far as my eating habits are concerned, I used to fry EVERYTHING before I lost the weight. I’m not going to say that I don’t fry foods anymore, but I don’t fry them nearly as often. Maybe once every two weeks, versus 2-3 times a week. I began to stop eating subs and wings for lunch and began eatings salads, chicken, and fish for lunch. I stopped drinking soda. I don’t LOVE water, so I drink lots of Crystal Lite.  Basically, more vegetables, less rice, potatoes and bread. I stopped drinking alcohol as much. Alcohol has a TON of hidden calories that we are not always aware of. I’ll only drink it socially now, which isn’t often.

When I began my journey, I joined a gym for the first time in my life! I was terrified, but it jumpstarted my weight loss. I did an hour a day 4 times a week. I will admit that I haven’t been to the gym in more than 8 months. I’m working on getting myself back though. In my absence from the gym, I’m still losing though thanks to Weight Watchers™ and the fact that I’ve learned to change my lifestyle! (the first three photos are “BEFORE” and the last photo is “AFTER”) Thanks so so so so much for your response! Your page has been an inspiration to me throughout my journey and to be featured on your page would be awesome.”

Lyncoya weight loss photos

Healthy Curves: Tomeria lost 23 pounds

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Tomeria.  She lost 23 pounds and is focused on keeping her curves in a healthy way.  After struggling for years, she is now sharing her weight loss success story with us:

“My motivation for losing weight was a desire to be healthier and more confident. I’ve always struggled with my weight because no matter how I looked to others I wasn’t happy with myself. This caused added stress and my weight continually fluctuated because I wasn’t confident in who I was. With a smile on my face, I was secretly unhappy with my body image. I am more confident and I know that I don’t have to be a size 6 to be healthy. I am currently a 14/16 but I see and feel the difference in just a short period. This will keep me pushing towards my ultimate goal which is to weigh less than 200 lbs. Looks can be definitely be deceiving.

I recently relocated to a new state and I am now within walking distance of a Whole Foods and my job. This makes eating healthier a breeze because I cook more, eat out less and purchase more fresh foods versus processed foods. At my heaviest, I was working out but my poor food choices made it difficult to lose weight so I stayed in the 225-234 pound range. Since the scale didn’t reflect a significant change, I found comfort in food which was counter productive.

My workout routine consists of 3-4 days of cardio for a minimum of 30 minutes. My cardio choices include Zumba, Kickboxing and Walking. I also began to incorporate strength and weight training for at least 30 minutes two times a week. I’ve found that including my workouts in my daily plan make it easier to stick with it.

My starting weight was 234 pounds. I currently weigh 211 pounds. It has taken 3 months to witness a true transformation but I’m not stopping here. My goal is to keep my curves healthy.”

Tomeria weight loss success story Tomeria weight loss story

Amanda lost 90 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Amanda lost 90 pounds.  After years of yo yo dieting, she found a way to lose the weight and stop comfort eating.  She is very happy that her health has improved significantly.  Here is her weight loss story and her advice to others:

Amanda weight loss photos

“After the death of my father in August 2003, I started eating for comfort. I was 23 years old at the time, and I gained over 100 lbs throughout the next five years. Finally, On August 23, 2010, after years of yo-yo dieting, gym memberships and almost every weight loss trick known to man, I went to a personal trainer and said: “I’m ready.”  The trainer weighed me in on that day at 297 pounds.

I began to work ou 6 days a week with the trainer, doing 1-hour sessions which included cardio and weight training. My trainer also put me on a specialized meal plan that consists of meal replacement bars and shakes and low carb dinner (meat and vegetable only.). I also took vitamins and nutritional supplements. After three months of training and the personal meal plan, I lost my first 30 pounds, which was terrific.

I felt better about myself. I didn’t have the lower back pain issues that I had when I was 300 lbs. I also didn’t have the shortness of breath. My blood pressure was high at the beginning of August 2010, but by November 2010 it had come down significantly. I have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. My blood pressure had decreased, and I was feeling amazing. I felt like I had received everything I needed from the personal trainer, so I continued the journey by myself.

For the next year, I worked out on my own at home in my living room. Yes, I did workout DVDs such as the Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels, Hip Hop Abs, and the most notable P90x. I continued to lose another 50 lbs in a year, all in the comfort of my home. Now, fast forward to the present 2013, and I’ve kept the weight off, and I still want to lose more. My total weight loss is 90 lbs. My current weight is 207 pounds.

I workout six days a week. I combine gym workouts and still do workout DVD’s as well. I use myfitnesspal.com to watch my calories. Most importantly I am committed to healthy living and feeling good. My primary motivation is to feel good. In the past, I hated not being able to walk for long periods of time and having lower back problems. I have to say to the readers, don’t give up! Again, I tried everything, but I believe when the time is right, the weight comes off. We have to hand in there and not give up!

I’m looking forward to reaching my next weight loss goal by December 2013. I am working towards losing another 40 pounds by March 2014.”

 

Erika lost 42 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Erika lost 42 pounds.  This 5’2″ diva went from 180 to 138 after years of trying diet pills and fads.  A friend’s success with just eating right and calorie counting inspired her and now her story can inspire others to do the same. Here is what she shared with us:

Erika weight loss before and after

October 17, 2012 for the third time I decided I was going to give losing weight a try. The first time I tried taking phentermine diet pills and after losing my first 7 pounds in 3 days I couldn’t lose anymore, I gave up. The second time I tried the HCG diet and lost 12 pounds, but after a month I gave up because I was still hungry. After waiting a whole year I had gained all that weight back. At the age of 23 I was 5’2″ tall and weighing 180 pounds. I was overweight, uncomfortable, unhappy, and had low self-esteem. That wasn’t the person I knew for 22 years of my life. After 3 years, I was finally fed up with being that person.

On October 17, 2012 I woke up and looked in the mirror and said to myself “I’m about to lose this weight once and for all”. This time I was serious because after seeing one of my close friends lose 14 pounds in one month by just eating healthy and counting calories, it gave me hope. That very same day that’s what I did. I downloaded a app on my phone called “Lose it”, which by the way is one of the best things to happen to me. That app helped me tremendously. My very first month I lost 12 pounds. By Christmas I was down 21 pounds. Finally I had found something that worked for me. I was so happy. After 3 months of losing weight just by eating healthy I decided to add some exercise in. I took Zumba classes once a week and I stayed in the gym. I weigh 138 pounds (42 pounds lighter) and I’m feeling like the person I used to be. My goal was to be able to wear a belly shirt, but most importantly to be healthy and fit. Best decision I’ve ever made. Im still eating healthy and exercising to stay in shape and this is now a lifestyle.

Could you tell us more about how you changed your eating habits?

VEGETABLES & FRUITS
I love salad so I eat salad a lot. I try eating different meats in my salad such as low sodium bacon, turkey and chicken lunch meat, or tilapia. I make sure I eat vegetables especially green vegetables with every meal (broccoli, spinach, green beans, peas, etc. I also eat lots of fruit (apples, bananas, watermelon, oranges, strawberries, cantaloupe, mango, blueberries, and especially pineapples because they help with digestion.

MEATS
I eat fish (tilapia or salmon), turkey (bacon, ground, burger, etc… and chicken, mainly breast (baked, grilled, or broiled). I try eating 6 times a day, 3 small meals and three snacks.

DRINKS
I started off drinking crystal light but now I only drink lemon water and smoothies. Sometimes, I may drink a smoothie in place of a meal. In my smoothies I use frozen and fresh fruit, almond milk, and sometimes frozen yogurt.

SNACKS
I am a big snacker so when I’m craving sweets I buy and eat 100 calorie snacks such as (cookies, brownies, chocolate candy, pastries, chips, etc, or I may have some fruit. I eat a lot of Special K and weight watchers products (frozen dinners, cereals, ice creams, cheese, etc.

Patrina lost 31 pounds

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Patrina lost 31 pounds.  This proud mom and grandmom used her grandson as motivation to fight obesity. Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Patrina (PJ) and I’ve been living the healthy lifestyle since April 2012. I weighed in at 205 pounds. I am now at 174 pounds. It’s been a journey but one I will not give up on. I’m 37 years old and I have a 3 month old grandbaby that I want to see grow up and play with. He has been my motivation as well as not be a statistic for obesity. I want to lose about 30/40 more lbs. I went from a 16w and now wearing a size 14 comfortably. Trying to get to a size 10/12 and about 155/160. Took a physical for insurance and they stayed I am in perfect healthy just need to lose weight because by their charts I’m obese.

This picture is a 6 months difference. I did this with diet and now exercising 5 times a week. Still have 20 more pounds I want to lose.  This page/pictures and stores have been a great motivation to me. Thanks for creating this page for Black Women.

Trina weight loss story Patrina weight loss photos