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Jan lost 120 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Jan lost 120 pounds by switching to a plant-based diet.  Just another example that eating more fruits and veggies and less junk and processed food works!

Jan weight loss
Jan weight loss

She said,

“I lost 120 lbs from 310lbs to 190 lbs. since Janurary 2012 eating mostly plant based diet and green jucing. I had Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Congestive Heart Failure and Sleep Apnea. I exerecise 5 days a week with body pump, spin bike, zumba, and nike training training. I’m no longer taking any medications.”

Day 5 – Recipe Resources for BWLW’s October Challenge

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It’s Day 5 and I’m loving this month’s challenge.  I’ve been able to maintain my 9 lb weight loss from our September challenge and I feel better.  I’m able to run up stairs with ease (had to chase my dog) and my breathing feels even clearer.  I feel great.  I wanted to share a few of the websites that I’m getting my daily recipes from to keep my diet diverse and interesting.  A lot of people complain of boredom when they take out all the junk and negative foods out of their diets.  You’ve got to keep your eating interesting.  Enjoy!

The Naked Kitchen’s Pledge to go Veg Meal Plans

The Clean Eating Mama’s Breakfast Recipes

Clean Eating Vegetarian Recipes on Yummly

Clean Eating Chelsey – Vegan recipes that are gluten-free and corn-free

Also, Here is a great article from Livestrong.com on how to eat clean as a Vegetarian.  Great advice.

Pamela lost 30 pounds in 60 days!

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Pamela is today’s featured success story!

She says, “60 days ago I started on a journey, no meat, no dairy, no bread, no sugar, nothing white.. and 60 days straight in the gym sometimes while doing Insanity in the morings or afternoons as well. It was difficult but God saw me through I begin to love veggies that I had never tried and I begin to love to work out again. I went from 207 to 177 I feel great I am still striving for 25 more and I will be at my goal weight. I just signed up for my 1st triatholon next year and my life has only begun. I will be 44 years old in November and this Grandma has a plan to stay fit and healthy and in 2014 run a 1/2 marathon.” Great job, Pamela!!!https://www.facebook.com/pamela.hendersonwhitfield

Tianna lost 26 pounds!

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Today’s Featured Transformation comes from Tianna who lost 26 pounds.

She says, “Thank You so much 🙂 …I became a Vegetarian..I work out 1 1/2hrs 4 times a week…1hour on the treadmill and 30min with weights…I had the help of family and friends who encouraged me with Love and Guidance. ♥” Thanks for sharing your photos with us, Tianna!!

October Challenge – Meatless, Clean Eating, 5 hours of Exercise

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Hey Ladies!!! It’s time for our October Challenge.  We will begin on OCT 1, 2012 with 3 goals – Meatless, Clean Eating, 5 hours of exercise each WEEK.

I hope you consider all of the goals, but ultimately it’s up to you what you chose to do.  If you only want to do 2 out of the 3 for example, that’s fine.  If you want to eat fish, that works too.  The goal of our monthly challenges is that Black Women Losing Weight members try new positive habits that can enhance their weight loss efforts.  You are committing to these lifestyle changes for a whole month!

Determination is KEY!!  I will post resources and links daily on our Facebook page, online community, and here on the blog to help you stay on track.


What do I have to do to participate?

  1. Decide what parts of the Challenge you want to commit to. – Meatless Eating, Clean Eating, 5 hours of Exercise EACH Week.
  2. Each Saturday you will check-in and give a status of how the week has gone within our online community, www.blackwomenlosingweight.com.  You can do this as a blog post or status message on your profile page.  You can also post to our Facebook page to let your BWLW sisters know how the Challenge is going for you.  This is how keep each other accountable and encouraged.  You will also be able to discuss the challenge every monday night during our LIVE weight loss support chats.

October Challenge Goals – This is what you are committing to!

  • We are going MEATLESS for 31 days – That means no fish, no chicken, no pork, no beef, no bison…no flesh foods.  If it has a mom, we aren’t eating it.  In essence we are going vegetarian for 31 days.  You will need to consider how you can cook more and plan your meals.  I will provide a number of resources for you daily via Facebook and here on our blog.I suggest that you take a B12 supplement or B-Complex supplement at least 3 times per week while going meatless.   Most multivitamins have B12 in them as well.If you are wanting to continue our September Smoothie Challenge for another month, please do so as part of the meatless goal.  Oh, Eggs are optional.  It’s up to you.
  • We are committing to CLEAN EATING for 31 days –  What is clean eating?   When you eat clean you will be eating unprocessed, whole foods that are cooked in ways that don’t add a lot of extra chemicals and toxins.  We are talking  fruits, vegetables, tofu, soy, whole grains, lots of water, healthy dairy, fresh juice, and lean meats.We will be working to avoid fried food, white flour, artificial ingredients, soda, commercial juice and sugary drinks, processed sugar (white sugar, corn syrup), foods with preservatives and extra chemicals, saturated fat, and trans fat.
  • We are committing to WORKING OUT FOR 5 HOURS EACH WEEK – You can work out at home with DVDs.  You can work out in the gym.  You can walk at work or in your neighborhood.  It’s up to you.  Running, yoga, weight lifting, walking, jumping rope, pilates, spin class, zumba…the choices abound.  The goal is that you commit to 5 hours of exercise each week.

Challenge Resources – Here are a few links to get you started.

Meatless

Clean Eating:

Exercise: Free Workout Videos Online

 

Day 12 – September Smoothie Challenge – Consider Going Vegan

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Hey, Black Women Losing Weight Sistahood.  I hope you’re having a great day.  To recap day 12 for me, I continued to have 2 smoothies per day and fresh veggie juice at lease once per day as well.  As we are on our September Smoothie Challenge, I’m working to go VEGAN.  I’ve been a vegetarian or vegan in the past and I’ve found that it is the best for my body.  I think that more people should consider the vegan lifestyle in terms of eating or at least incorporate parts of the lifestyle (I still wear leather, eat honey, etc…I’m not a complete vegan).  I’ve also found that I don’t have to do as much exercise to maintain my weight loss when I’ve been vegan or vegetarian in the past.  I thought I’d give you a few reasons to consider going vegan or vegetarian since we are all incorporating more fruits and veggies into our diet, two pillars of these lifestyles.

  • Avoid toxins and chemicals that your body doesn’t identify as food.
  • Avoid antibiotics fed to animals.  Over exposure to antibiotics is causing a health issue for some people who’s bodies don’t react to them anymore.
  • Avoid exposure to hormones used to make animals mature faster so that they can fatten up quickly for market
  • Weight loss is typically seen when people adopt a vegan or vegetarian diet.   These lifestyle eliminate many unhealthy foods that tend to cause weight issues.   Sure, people still eat some fried food and un-complex carbs, but as a lifestyle many unhealthy foods are discouraged.
  • Being vegan saves more than 100 animals a year
  • The meat industry causes a lot of pollution in terms of animal waste.  You can help save the environment by eating less meat.
  • Eat less saturated fat that will clog up your arteries
  • Live Longer: Michael F. Roizen, MD, author of The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat. ”People who consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and more disability at the end of their lives. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy and slow down your immune system. Meat eaters also experience accelerated cognitive and sexual dysfunction at a younger age.”

Today’s Recipes

From Celeb Chef Marcus Samuelsson – Vegan Super Duper Green Kale Smoothie Recipe
  • small bunch of kale (approx 2 cups)
  • 1 kiwi
  • handful of frozen mixed berries
  • juice 1/2 lemon
  • juice 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup acai berry juice
  • 1/2 cup filtered water
  • 1 tbsp agave nectar (or any vegan sweetener)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Simple Honeydew Smoothie

  • 2 cups chopped honeydew melon
  • 1 cup plain almond milk
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 ripe banana
  • honey to taste.
End of Summer Smoothie
  • 1 cup fresh ripe strawberries
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1 ripe fresh peach or nectarine
  • 1 cup frozen mango
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Try the The Semi-Vegetarian Jumpstart

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Sistas, everyone wants quick weight loss. Everyone always wants shortcuts when I give them the advice to eat clean and exercise. Well, let me give you a healthy “shortcut”. Take these suggestions and do them all together for 30 days. I call it “The Semi-Vegetarian Jumpstart”. It’s not for everyone, but you may be able to make some of these suggestions work for you.

  • Make 70% of your diet raw fruits and veggies.
  • Eat raw, un-roasted nuts and flax seed for fats
  • Only drink water, freshly made juice or smoothies and hot tea. Eliminate all soda and sugary beverages.
  • Don’t eat any dairy.
  • Don’t eat anything with processed sugar or corn syrup.
  • Only eat lean meats. Eat meat during only one meal per day.

The funny thing is that when I suggest this, people go crazy. What about protein? What about calcium? There are sources of protein other than meat. There are sources of calcium other than milk products. The real question is how much real, unprocessed food are you eating. What eating like this will do is give your body the vitamins, nutrients and fiber that it’s not getting from processed food. That will allow your body to release waste and cleanse. Go Semi-Vegetarian and see what it does for your health.

Of course, if you’ve gone to the doctor and have been told not to eat certain fruits and veggies, or if you have allergies or medical issues that prohibit you from eating this way, this is not for you. Don’t hurt yourself trying to lose weight. What I’m offering is advice and my opinion. You have to do your research and check in with your doctor to find a plan that works for your individual health needs.