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Soueba lost 22 pounds

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Weight Loss Story: Our sista from Ghana Soueba lost 22 pounds and developed lots of muscle.  She’s taking the time to understand the truths about health eating and exercising. She is focused on “progress, not perfection.”  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

soueba before and after

I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I decided to make a change in my health and nutrition. I was always active but never really payed attention to what I put in my body. In May 2013, I made up my mind and that has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I started of with the Insanity workout and it absolutely transformed my body. I have lost weight, my skin is cleared up and my energy level is boosted! All this by eating more whole food, understanding the long-term myths about food and working out daily!

I use to eat a lot of African dishes which basically consist of a lot of carbs. You know, the kinda good food that makes you fall asleep right after you finish eating. Lol. I switched to eating a lot of fruits and veggies, less rice and meat. I was able to loose 10 kilograms (22 pounds) with Insanity. I gained more muscles after I incorporated weight training in the gym. My current weight at the moment is 73 kilograms (160.9 pounds), but my ideal weight would be between 65-70 kilos. I am currently reading and experimenting a lot to understand the myths about food and working out.

My advise to others: Losing weight requires a lot of effort. Be mentally prepared and know your vision (goal) before you start, otherwise you could find yourself making excuses. (Wish I did this, wouldn’t have had a yo-yo effect after Insanity) Also, it is important to renew our minds, but it’s also important to realize that this process of reprogramming or renewing our minds will take place little by little. Don’t be discouraged if progress seems slow. Don’t get down when you have setbacks or bad days. Just get back up, dust yourself off and start again

No excuses, because it’s all about being disciplined and making time. With my busy schedule, part-time job and living on my own, I still find time to give my body the attention it needs because it is the best gift that God ever gave me! Are you going to wait for the next best solution or start today? It is all about progress, not perfection! If I can do it you can do it too!

Melinda lost 26 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Melinda lost 26 pounds, going from a size 12 to a size 4. She has reshaped her body with weight lifting and healthy eating.  Read what she shared with us about her journey…

melinda before and after

Hello, I just wanted the share my journey with you. My name is Melinda Cecil and I started my weight loss journey on January 18, 2013. I’m 5’4″ tall and I weighed 178 pounds wearing a size 12/large. I woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and simply wanted to look better naked..lol!! My goal was to just get my weight down to 145 pounds and I did that in 6 months by eating healthier and working out everyday. I would walk for 3 miles in 45 minutes until I was able to run. I started weight lifting and fell in love with the weights. I stopped eat so much junk food and I don’t drink pop, juice or Kool-aid anymore, just water. I’ve stopped eating red meat for about a year now. Now, I work out 6 days a week.

I’m still in the process of building a better me. Over 2 years later, I now weigh 152 pounds and wear a size 4/small. I feel fabulous and healthy! The advice I’d give to anyone who wants to lose weight is; eat healthy, workout, and stay focused! It gets hard sometimes, but don’t give up! My Instagram is @Mrsrome1

melinda weight loss

Tanika lost 120 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Tanika lost 120 pounds. This proud mom wanted to live a long, healthy life and be more active with her daughter.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

tanika before and after

Hello, my name is Tanika. I am a 30 year old single mother of a 10 year old, beautiful girl. Growing up, I was always athletic even in high school playing five different sports. I even worked for a gym. I became pregnant at the age of 20 and I weighed 155 pounds on the day I found out. I’d gained 50 pounds when I gave birth to my daughter, but over the years I continued gain weight unknowingly until I looked at a photograph of myself. I weighed myself and I topped out at 295 pounds.

tanika bikini
“First time I put on a swimsuit in 15 years.”

Then, I moved back to California where I became a little more health-conscious after getting into a relationship with a wonderful man who also lives a very fit life. He helped motivate me. I also wanted to do better in terms of my appearance. I gradually started working out 2 times a week during doing moderate cardio and extensive weight training. I even took a few courses in Muay Thai to boost up my stamina. After seeing results, it became naturally for me work out regularly, and I have now started working out 4 times a week. I have changed my eating habits by cutting out sugar, increasing my protein intake and drinking more water. I also drink a lot of smoothies and raw juices.

I now weigh 175 pounds, but the majority of that weight is muscle. My goal is not to be a size 2 but to live a fit and healthy life. I want to be able to run and keep up with my daughter who is a cheerleader. I still have the moves to do a toe touch. The only thing I say to others is find who you are inside and live your life right. Don’t worry about being small, just be healthy. You will see the longevity in your life.

Francesca lost 67 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Francesca lost 67 pounds and transformed her body with strength training and good nutrition.  She is now a figure competitor and personal trainer.  She shared with us about how she changed her lifestyle and got super fit.

Francesca figure competitor

My motivation to lose weight started when I could no longer fit into my size 13 jeans. I was clothes shopping and I grabbed a few items to hit the change room with. I was really disappointed when I couldn’t get this jeans above my knees. It meant that I had to move into the “plus-size” category, and that my weight was getting out of control. It took me weeks to even initiate some sort of change in my lifestyle. Once I started, I had steady momentum to get me from 192lbs to 125lbs, and I competed in my first bodybuilding competition, where I took home first place.

Food was a huge part of my weight loss success story. I spent years eating fast food, sugary drinks and I also smoked cigarettes. I slowly started cutting out the junk food and made healthier choices. Once that became easier to manage, I began tracking my calories and saw the fat melting off. It was great!

My inital weight loss came from lifting more weights. I had always played sports, but the more weights I lifted the stronger I felt and the more fat I burned. I also trained different muscle groups each day so I could train more thoroughly. My favourite exercise is deadlifts and also sprints on the treadmill or on a track outdoors.

My advice to those who want to lose weight would be to not give up and to be consistent with your training and eating. It can be discouraging at times but the body needs time to adapt to being efficient at burning fat and building muscle. Everyone can do it, you just have to want it bad enough and believe that you deserve the best.

Instagram: @francescamckenzie

Update: Aliyah lost 68 pounds

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Update: Aliyah lost the weight and has kept it off.  We featured her back in July 2014 when she’d lost 66 pounds and now she’s down 68 pounds (down from 250 lbs) and getting more toned. Here is what she shared with us about her journey so far…

aliyah weight loss story

Good morning!!! I just wanted to give an update!!! You guys featured me back in July and I’ve only IMPROVED! I’ve not only kept off the weight I lost but my body is getting toned and my skin is getting tight! I haven’t lost any more weight but I have lost inches and and have definitely gained some much needed muscle! The last time I stepped on a scale I was 182 pounds but my size 12 jeans are falling off of me and my size medium shirts are huge! I’m in love with improving my body!

Instagram: @msupshur

Read more about how Aliyah lost the weight.

aliyah before and after

Cathy lost 78 pounds

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Update 2016 – Cathy is still going strong!

“Hello! It’s me again with an update on my fitness journey. I have gone through a lot of changes in the past year regarding how I view my body, fitness and re-vamping my fit goals. I am extremely happy to say that I have maintained my success for another year on this fit life journey. I have mastered things I never thought were possible. I have become very serious about strength training, increasing flexibility and calisthenics. I never thought I would ever lift my own body weight, but now it is a daily part of my life and I am excited about the possibilities. I also stepped out of my ‘comfort zone’ and taught my first hip-hop fitness class this year. Now I am teaching on a regular basis and it is so rewarding to see people realize that fitness can be fun as well as effective. I am including a few pics of what I have been up to. I wanted you guys to know that your site is a constant source of inspiration and motivation. Please don’t ever stop showing us all that there is no such thing as impossible.”

cathy before and after
Update 2016

Jan 2015 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Cathy is a survivor who’s lost 78 pounds. This proud mother and grandmother faced cancer, bad eating habits, inactivity and a number of surgeries, but none of that stopped her. She worked to create a better lifestyle and be the best, healthiest person she could be.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

Cathy before and after

Hello! My name is Cathy. I turned 40 years old on Jan 4th.  I’m 5 ft, 7 1/2 inches tall and I now weigh in at 165 pounds. However, 363 days ago I was 39 and I weighed 243 pounds. I have struggled with my weight since a diagnosis of thyroid cancer in 2006. Unhealthy eating, yo-yo dieting and inactivity played a huge role as well. I have 6 children and yep, I’m a grandma to 5 beautiful grand children. I also have a wonderful husband of 15 years who deserves the best me I can give them. What I also finally realized is that I deserve the best me I could be as well.

In December 2013, I had a very complicated surgery which took over a month to heal, while lying in bed recovering at 243 pounds I vowed I would give myself a fighting chance. Once I was cleared by my doctor I began walking and doing a pilates disc at home. I also cleaned up my food intake; I cut out all drinks except my morning coffee and water. I began to push protein, veggies and cut carbs low.

When I lost the first 25-30 pounds and was able to actually get through my advanced pilates disc with no sweat, so I began to push harder. I started running up to two miles a night and incorporated weight training into the mix. I must say the running and the weight training changed my life!  The weight training began to create lean muscle and the weight began to just drop off. I had to add more protein and I gained weight on the scale because of the muscle increase, but the change in my body amazed me. The running helped me decide to stop smoking after being a smoker for 20 years; I wanted to change my lifestyle, not just my size.

I went from a size 18/20 pants and a 2X shirt size to a 9/10 pant and a small/extra small shirt size. I just recently had another complicated abdominal surgery which had me down for 3 weeks. It has been difficult lying around recovering but I credit my healthy lifestyle as the reason I have maintained my size and I am out running and feeling fabulous at forty!

Mia went from 260 pounds to 16% body fat

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Mia’s story is our Success Story of the Day. She went from 260 pounds to 16% body fat and she’s no longer using the scale to judge her progress. This chef has transformed her body with bodybuilding and clean eating.  Read all about her journey below. MiaBlz weight loss Starting out on November 26,2012 when I woke up and joined Lifetime Fitness my life has not been the same since. I walked into Lifetime weighing a hefty 260 pounds, the largest I had ever been in my life. I started off going to the gyms twice a day as well as training with a personal trainer so that I could get my technique right on how to lift.  They also told me what I needed to do to get this weight off of body. I had just gotten out of a abusive relationship and over the past two years. I had gained over a hundred plus pounds and something had to change. I came to Lifetime once before and I knew I wanted to come back but I was in a financial bind and that was not in my budget. Once my financial situation turned around I knew I had no more excuses. I love to dance and so I did every chance I got. Every Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon I took all Dance Jams and Zumba classes I could do. I am a chef so food was not the problem but proper eating was. We often think to lose weight we must starve ourselves but contrary to popular beliefs you must eat a clean proper diet in order to lose weight. By Feb of 2013, I could see my hard work paying off. I was almost out of the 200’s and those around me could see me melting away as well. When the seasons changed, I joined Bootcamp and lost more. I did a 90 day challenge in spring/summer of 2013 and I believe I placed in the transformation section of the competition. I tried my hardest but I never gave up. In December of 2013, I have decided to get into bodybuilding. I lost over half my bodyweight and I knew that from a lifetime of my weight being up and down that this was now a lifestyle change, It has been the best change I have ever made. I am now at 16% body fat and I don’t care about what the scale says. It’s about how I look and feel. My ultimate goal is to train others and utilize my cooking skills as well as my found knowledge of body transformation and lifestyle changes to help others being out there inner healthy person. I am now known as Mia Blaze of Blaze Athletics – “Blazing a trail to a new beginning”. Follow me of Instagram at Miablz1 or my Facebook fan page of inspiration MiaBlz.

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before
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after cardio

More than Weight Loss: Zhivi Tranformed Her Body

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Today’s Weight Loss Story of the Day is a little different. Zhivi didn’t just lose weight, she transformed her body.  She lost 22 pounds and then put on muscle to sculpt her body the way she wanted it. Now, she is inspiring others to get healthy.  Here is what she shared with us about what she did to change her life.

zhivi body transformation

When I decided to started to come back to fitness, in December of 2012, I weighed 149 pounds and everyone told me I didn’t need to lose weight. That was nice of them to say, but my journey was really never about losing weight. It was about getting my stomach to look like it did when I was 27 years old. I had a photograph of myself when I was 27 and I told Tiffany Rothe [amazing Black fitness expert] when I joined the Inner Circle FitClub that this is what I want my stomach to look like. She told me that it would look better than what was in the picture. I believed her. So, I started my journey by following the workouts and eating plan to a T. I was determined to put in the time and commitment to get the results I wanted.

I started taking pictures of myself every four weeks so I could see my progress. This was the first time in my life I wore a bikini and let other people see me in it. I trusted the ladies in the Inner Circle, so I posted the pictures and shared them with the members. I would wear the same bikini for months. One day, Tiffany and one of the other ladies of the Inner Circle told me it was time for a new bikini because the one had been taking pictures in was too big. I did not notice bathing suit had gotten too big. I purchased more swimming suits to take picture in. The summer of 2013 was the first time I wore a bikini in public. The experience was a little awkward, but I did it.

ZhiviThis journey for me was filled with ups and down. My husband, co-workers, friends told me I was losing too much weight and wanted me to stop. I kept going because I have to live with this body and I wanted it to look a certain way. I kept working out and following the food plan that was given to me and no matter what anyone said I was going to keep going until I thought I was too small. The food plan given to me consisted of, eating a lot of raw and steamed vegetables. My carbs consisted of oatmeal, brown rice and sometimes red skinned potatoes. I love black beans now and eat them also. The only drinks I have are water, almond milk and lemon water. All of my meat (turkey, chicken breast and fish) is baked. I also eat 5 times a day. I eat three meals and two snacks.

Once I hit 127 lbs. (57.60 kilos) that was too small for me. I began the process of gaining weight back, but not by eating unhealthy foods. I planned to build muscle instead. Now, I am up to 136-138 pounds. I am fine with this weight. I don’t mind going up in weight as long as it is not from fat. Not only do I track my weight, but more important is that I track my body fat percentage. I am at 20.2 % body fat. It took me 3 months to transform my body. I have accomplished much more than I have ever thought I would on this healthy lifestyle journey. Although this journey started out about getting my stomach down, I now have a women’s fitness specialist and fitness nutrition specialist certificate. I learned that I love to motivate individuals on their healthy lifestyle journey. At some points on this journey, we all need someone to motivate and encourage us to keep going.

I ran my first half marathon in November 2013. This is something I have never thought I would do, nor had I ever planned on running a half marathon, but I decided to challenge myself. I ran the half marathon in 2:18 with minimal training. I could have done much better if I trained for the race. I have done personal training and radio interviews. I’ve learned the importance of living this lifestyle in front of others. We never know who is watching us and who will decide to change their lifestyle because of us. One of the best feelings in the world is when someone tells you, “Because of you, I have decided to eat healthy and lose some weight.” You never know where this journey is going to take you, but as long as you continue on it through the ups and downs, good and bad times, you will accomplish what you have set out to do. Remember, living a healthy lifestyle is something you do for the rest of your life; it is not a diet. You don’t start living a healthy lifestyle today and complete it once you reach your goals. Once you reach your goals, you have to continue to do what you are doing to maintain your goal weight. If you don’t, the weight will begin to creep back on and usually you gain more than what you started with. Encouraging others is what keep me motivated and keeps me working out and eating healthy.

Check her our online: leadingbyexample.us and Facebook Group

Hannah lost 63 pounds

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Update May 2016 – Check out Hannah’s awesome update photo. We featured her story back in 2014.

hannah before and after

July 2014 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Hannah lost 63 pounds. This sista from the UK wrote in and shared her weight loss success story in great detail. She transformed her body and her health with consistent exercise and a very clean eating plan. Her story shows that you have to come out of your comfort zone to change your lifestyle.  Here is her story…

Hannah weight loss story

My name is Hannah Davies and I’m 24 years old. My weight has always fluctuated with my emotions and my relationships, never to empower myself until now. I must admit I was never really happy. I was a teenage mom, living in shared housing when I met my partner and felt complete and comfortable.  A mixture of depression and unemployment after university was a recipe for disaster. I grew from being 150 lbs in 2010 to 210 lbs in 2012. From a size 10 to a size 18, I gained 3 dress sizes! I believe that a combination of poor diet, exercise and lack of knowledge and self worth was my greatest downfall.

In June 2012 my family and I went to Poland to celebrate the marriage of my Uncle. The BEFORE picture you see was taken whilst in Poland. This picture was my looking glass, my realization that if I didn’t change my lifestyle now my weight would just increase.  I lost 5 lbs whilst away due to the amount of exercise the family did. This was the start. Upon returning to England I tried fad diets where all you had were meal replacements but found these were short term effects and no example to be setting my son. From there I joined my local gym and took the exercise classes. I found great enjoyment in yoga and Pilates. Although joining the classes was hard as I felt like the biggest person in the class, I drew strength from my partner at the time (who is a bodybuilder). He reminded me that “everyone starts somewhere” and that “Nothing in life comes free”. I started to surround myself with like minded people, enjoyed my classes more and Googled for healthier ways of living. I ate six small meals a day which were weighed on a food scale.

  • Meal one spinach omelette 2 egg whites and one yoke
  • Meal two chicken or turkey and asparagus or broccoli
  • Meal three protein shake, small amount of almonds or natural almond butter (like peanut butter but found in health stores)
  • Meal four fish with broccoli or sweet potato
  • Meal five almond butter
  • Meal six protein shake.

I had a cheat meal/day once a week but this did lead to a yoyo effect of loosing weight in the week and gaining on the cheat day. I find now that if I want a treat I will have it as this is now a lifestyle not a diet. I’ll be honest I found it incredibly difficult to eat so much and of a such limited types of food. I always ensured there was at least a gap of an hour between eating and going to the gym which usually happened after meal four. Always had meal five and six straight after the gym to ensure my muscles got the protein they needed to repair and replenish for the next day.

Although the optimum time to exercise is the morning being a mother this was not possible. I would always warm up with 5 minutes on a cardio machine, then train the group of muscle for that day whether it be arms, back, shoulders, chest or legs and then finish with 20-25 minutes of fast walking on a incline. Although the optimum duration to burn fat is when your heart rate is high (40-45 minutes) I felt bored staying in the gym for that long. I found that by December 2013 I had gone down to 165 lbs but then stopped loosing weight and felt as hard as I tried I couldn’t loose anymore! My job as much as I love it, is predominantly stationary this was also a contributing factor.

I split from my partner of four years in 2014 and decided it was time to do something for myself. Since July 2014 I have gone back to a diet similar to this, gained a training partner and started running, something I haven’t attempted since i was a teenager. I completed the Race for Life in 24 minutes and entered a half marathon. My goal is to run the London marathon and be on stage in a body building completion September 2015. My goal in the next few years is to start kickboxing and dancing again. That is something that I always enjoyed but never felt confident to participate in when I was my larger self. I want to go on stage not to win, but to stand there feeling empowered and proud knowing that anyone can do anything no matter where they started, if they believe, chase the knowledge and have the courage to change their outlook on life.

As of today 07/24/14, I am proud to say I weigh 147 lbs and recently bought my first 8/10 dress. I’m not skinny and wouldn’t want to be. I’m muscular and healthy, which is all I ever wanted. I walk away from my journey knowing that true strength and happiness comes from within and not reliant on others. I would wish you luck in your journey but instead I shall wish you strength and happiness.

Instagram: @Papaya_Mittoo

Shaan Shares About Becoming a Fitness Model and Competitor

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Shaan Arrts wrote in to share about how she transformed her body and became a fitness competitor.  She lost 30 pounds, shed body fat and gained a LOT of muscle.  Check out her story:

Shaan Arrts

“I just wanted to share my story. I began my weight loss journey at 37 years old. I had always wanted to compete in competitions and look like the fitness models in the magazines. So, in June of 2012 made a resolution to improve my body, get on stage and compete. With the help of my trainer, I was able the lose weight and build enough muscle to compete in my first fitness competition, placing 3rd.

Since then I have continued to improve & sculpt my body, continued competing consistently placing in the top 5 and most recently winning first place in my category. It is now two years later at age 39 I feel and look better than when I was 25!  My starting weight was 150 pounds and my body fat was 30%.  My current weight is 120 pounds and my body fat is 19.5%

I have not only gained an amazing fit new body, confidence, but the desire and drive to continue competing and help others get healthy. I love it!! I live and breath fitness! It is my way of life and my passion. I am proof that fitness can be achieved at any age if you are willing to work hard to achieve it.

My Facebook page is www.facebook.com/shaanarrtsathletepage where I share workouts, motivational quotes and recipes!”
Instagram: @Shaan_Arrts