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Temica lost 58 pounds

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Featured Weight Loss Story: Sigma Gamma Rho Soror Temica lost 58 pounds and helped her husband to lose 120 pounds as well.  She found a weight loss plan that worked for her, embraced healthy eating and worked out!  I see you, Soror!  Here is what she shared with us about her journey:

Temica

“My name is Temica Gross and 15 months ago I weighed 248lbs. I now weigh 190lbs for a preset weigh loss of 58lbs. I’m 32 years old, wife and mother of 1 and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.”

What was my motivation?
“I have been heavy my entire life. I can’t ever remember being under 200lbs for longer than a few months. In Oct 2012 I ordered fast food for lunch while at work and as I was eating, the grease from my sandwich was dripping down my arm. It was a disgusting wake up call. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and instantly became embarrassed at my weight. I signed up for Weight Watchers within minutes and that was the beginning of my weight loss journey.’

How did you change your eating habits?
“My eating habits changed drastically. I began to prep my meals for the week ahead of time and incorporated “clean eating” for my entire family. I was now eating more fruits and vegetables with every meal and every snack instead of unhealthy options such as chips and chocolate. I also removed meat from my diet and consumed mostly fish and vegan protein. As a result, my husband also lost 120 pounds and our 2 year old son chooses dried cranberries and almonds over cookies!”

sgrhomeekWhat did your workout routine look like?
“Each morning I would workout for 30 minutes a day with a DVD (Insanity, Walk away the pounds, Zumba) and again for an additional 30 minutes when I came home from work. I was too shy to sign up for a gym membership so working at home was all I did in the beginning. After 6 months,I had lost close to 30 lbs and I thought I needed a new challenge and signed up for my first 5K! My only goal at the time was to NOT stop running and to NOT come in last place…. I crushed both!  I was so excited when I finished that I signed up for another the very next month!!”

What advice do I have for others?
“There is a plan out there for everyone. Do not get discouraged if one doesn’t work for you. Find what’s best for you and stick with it. But please remember, this is a lifetime commitment. Strive for long term goals and not a short/fast turnaround and you will succeed.  Best of luck to you all!!!”

Instagram: @BeatbyMeek

Temica before and after

 

Cookie lost 70 pounds

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Cookie Miller on Dr. Oz

Update Dec 2017: Back in 2014, Cookie Miller shared her amazing transformation story with us. She became a personal trainer and continues to inspire the masses online. Today, Dec 6th, you may have seen her on the Dr. Oz Show. She wrote to tell us that the show is looking for a new trainer to join the team and Cookie is in the RUNNING as a finalist! Let’s support this sista.

There will be two winners and voting can be done here:
www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-oz-show-trainer-competition-voting-form
Voting is available thru this Sunday, December 10th at midnight EST. Let’s show her some love.

Check out this post for more information about how she lost the weight.

Instagram: @CookieMiller
Facebook.com/CookieMiller
Twitter.com/CookieMillerFIT

Cookie Miller

Update: Cookie is now a personal trainer and you can check out her Youtube channel! More info: Helping Others to Succeed: Congrats to Cookie

Feb 2014 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Cookie lost 70 pounds. She embraced running and training for 5k runs.  She also found out that she was suffering from a common skin condition that cleared up as she lost weight and got healthy.  Here is what she  shared with us:

Cookie weight loss

Feb 23, 2014: “Exactly one year and one day ago, I began a journey that would completely change my life and who I am as a person. I made a goal to train for a 5K run, get fit, and lose weight! I ran my first 5K in honor of my grandmother. Since then, I have run 4/5 more 5Ks, completed a #MightyMudDash and completed a 5 mile #SpartanSprint.

In the process of all of this, I have lost nearly 70 pounds and I’m not done yet! I am training for the #SpartanBeast (10-12 miles) and I will run with my mom for her first 5K this fall. The purpose of sharing my photos is to encourage anyone who wants to lose weight. I want to encourage anyone who is struggling with consistency, food addiction and any other mental blocks causing them to lose faith.

Losing the weight was always a goal, but to look in the mirror now and hardly recognize myself is almost unreal. Many people have asked me for tips and I always tell them to pray! Without God, I know I wouldn’t have come this far, because Lord knows I’ve had to pray myself through many workouts (and still do to this day)! Now that I am a year in and 70 pounds down, I realize that this journey never ends. Being fit IS my lifestyle. Eating well IS my lifestyle and I am glad about that. NEVER give up!

SKIN CHANGE:

Let me preface this by saying that neither of these pictures are filtered and I do not wear makeup. Meaning, I do not apply powder, base or whatever else to my face. I only use eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss. I literally do not know how to apply makeup (sad, I know). The point is the changes you see in my skin including skin color, dark leathery spots, dry/ashy spots etc. are a direct affect of the changes in my weight. I wanted to post this as a warning to those who may be experiencing weight gain and changes in their skin. I urge to visit your doctor as these changes in your skin are a only a sign of things to come. After having pretty “normal” skin (aside from eczema on my arms) all of my life, it wasn’t until I became extremely obese that I saw this change in my skin. I would have breakouts on my cheeks, eyelids, all around my neck and basically anywhere where there was a crease. My skin had stretched so much that it hurt to wash or try to exfoliate it. When I went to the doctor, I found out that I was pre-diabetic and that the changes in my skin were due to the weight gain.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, breast cancer, heart disease and so on ALL run in my family as in many other Black families. Many of these are preventative with a healthy lifestyle. I encourage you all to take care of yourselves and to pay attention to the signs such as changes in your skin.”

Connect with Cookie on Instagram: @cookiemiller

Cookie before and after Cookie Miller

Side Note from BWLW: Ladies, the skin condition that Cookie was dealing with is more common than you may think. Many people suffer with a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans.  It causes a darkening and thickening of the skin, breakouts, etc… and it’s related to insulin resistance  Many black women deal with this condition, including myself.  Here is some additional information. Talk to your dermatologist about your skin.  There are a number of skin conditions that affect overweight people and those dealing with diabetes and pre-diabetes.