Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Barbara lost 44 pounds. She is the proud mom of Morgan, who’s story we featured last month. She credits prayer, walking for exercise and low carb eating as being key to her lifestyle change. At 54 years old, she’s living the healthy life and looks amazing! Check out what she shared with us about her journey…
I’m 54 year old native of The Bahamas, and I currently live on the island of Nassau. I have two daughters that I wanted to be an example for. One of them was featured on your site in April, Morgan, who lost 53lbs.
What was your motivation?
I am only 5’4″ tall and had been near 200 or just over 200 lbs for closing in on ten years. I was afraid that my weight would continue to increase if I didn’t get a grip. My health was suffering (high blood pressure/diabetes) and I was feeling tired and listless all the time. I was also motivated by the prospect of finding someone to love. I wanted to present my best imagine, not just temporarily but for many years to 
come. (Ironically I was got married in approx. one year after the weightloss! LOL) My starting weight was 214 pounds and my current weight is 170 pounds. My transformation took 8-9 months.
How did you change your eating habits? What did your workout routines look like?
MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING WAS PRAYER – Pray for discipline and guidance. TRUST ME, PRAYER WORKS!
1.Daily exercise. Nothing elaborate. I started by doing 30 mins of walking every morning on the treadmill, then 30 mins twice a day. Now, I do one hour of walking every morning. I walk between 3.5- 4 mph. THE KEY IS CONSISTENCY! Try not to miss a day.
2. Drink lots of water!! (Up to 1/2 gallon/day). I drink lemon water upon arising. (1-2 lemons in 8 oz water. I usually drink this before my daily exercise) Try not to drink anything else but water. Sometimes I use low calorie soy or almond milk to mix a drink called GlucAffect up to three times a day, which is supposed to help regulate my blood sugar and help with weight loss. On rare occasions I drink 4-6 oz of juice, but no more than once daily.
3. Absolutely no added sugar, no bread, no rice, no potatoes and avoid all other starches. If you must eat starch do so in tiny amounts. Eat more protein to take away the hunger pangs. ie fish, chicken, turkey, beans, nut or other foods high in protein.
4. I ate ONLY fruit in the mornings, and a handful of almonds if hungry. (My fruit combo every morning is 1 grapefruit – 5-6 strawberries, 1 kiwi fruit, handful of blueberries.)
5. At lunchtime I ate a raw vegetable salad with protein (ie. tuna salad) or soup (lentil soup, split pea soup, black bean soup etc). NO crackers or bread. I only drank water with this meal.
6. Dinner – I tried not to eat anything at all after 6pm. If I did eat dinner, I ate a salad or soup again. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T SKIP MEALS! Skipping meals will only slow down the weight loss process. At the same time, do not overeat.
I also used a combination of black seed oil (1 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp) and honey (1TBS) in a 1/4 glass of water 30 mins before eating anything in the morning and at nights before going to bed. Not sure if it works but its supposed to help with the weight loss process.
What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Pray for the motivation and the discipline. DO NOT give up if you fall back into old habits – get back up and try again! Remember that everything you do is a CHOICE! Do not let your body control your mind!
Check out Barbara’s Facebook group.
www.facebook.com/groups/myweightlosstips/
I began working out at D1 Sports Training. My son Brandon, 14 at the time, suggested I teach there. My response, “No Brandon, those people are too athletic there…But do you think I can do it? “ He said, “Yes Mama, I know you can!” I began my own program in 2010 at D1 Sports Training in Chattanooga; Donna’s D.I.V.A.s (determined individuals valuing activities) workout classes. I had several people that told me it wouldn’t work. “Black women won’t workout! Women don’t have time, they have families!” However, that was untrue. My first class had 65 women from all walks of life; mothers, wives, daughters, career women, blue collar. We all had one goal….to LIVE, to lose weight, and invest time for us. Through my mom’s encouragement, the trainers at D1, my son’s motivation, Donna’s D.I.V.A.s and realizing I’m worth it, I’ve lost almost 100lbs. I was a size 24 and now I’m a size 12! (height 5’11″). In April 2011, I WAS FEATURED IN EBONY MAGAZINE!! People ask me how long has it taken? I have decided to take things slow! There’s no rush because I don’t want to gain it back like before. I have lost 25lbs per year and have practiced maintaining it and then I go on to the next loss.
My goal weight is still 160 pounds. I don’t want to be too skinny, my body is not meant to be tiny. I want to be moderate, elegant, and beautiful. I’m concentrating on losing fat, not lean muscle. I receive so many compliments and everyone wants to know the secret to my success. My advice for other people is to stay away from that “quick fix” stuff. (I.E. slimming tea, herbal medicine, pills, etc.) If you can control what you eat, you will lose weight fast, safe and effectively.
