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Mashea lost 65 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Mashea lost 65 pounds in approx. 5 months with healthy eating and lots of exercise.  She was motivated by a diagnosis of diabetes to totally change her eating and exercise habits.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

mashes weight loss

I started my journey in February 2015. I began by changing my eating habits. I also started working out 3 to 4 times a week. My motivation was that I was diagnosed Diabetes. I didn’t take it seriously until I lost a family member that was my age.

I changed my eating by cutting out fast food, junk foods, fried food and I stopped drinking everything but water. Also, I started in taking more fruits and veggies and eating 6 small meals a day. I drink a gallon on water if not more each day.

I use to make up every excuse you could thing of for why I couldn’t work out. Then I found a track with a park right next to it. My kids and I would go there and they would play as I walked or ran 3-4 miles, 3-4 times a week.

My starting weight was 325 pounds I am now down to 260 pounds. I’m still working to get an additional 60 lbs off of me. I’m 5’9″ tall. I’ve started my journey this year so it’s been less than 6 months.

My advice to others is you can do anything that you put your heart and mind too. Yes, it gets hard at times but I keep pushing myself not only for me but for my children and my family. My Instagram is @weewee_31

mashes before and after mashea before and after

Gertrude lost 94 pounds

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Update 2017: Gertrude is still going strong. It’s been more than 2 years since we featured her and she’s kept the weight off.

Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Gertrude lost 94 pounds.  This UK author and mother of 2 got a wake up call in the form of a friend’s brutal honesty and decided that it was time to lose the weight and change her lifestyle for good.  Now she is helping others to do the same. Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

gertrude before and after

Hello, my name is Gertrude Nyirenda and I’m 36 years old. I am married and I am mother to two wonderful boys. My weight loss journey started on June 8, 2013. I had been invited to a barbecue where a friend’s brutal honesty made me realise just how unhappy I had been. She merely pointed out what I had known all along. I was obese weighing in at 17 stone (238 pounds) and I needed to lose the weight.

For seventeen years, I had battled with trying to lose weight, only to put it on again. I embarked on a journey involving lifestyle change. I came up with what I call the ABCs of weight loss. By committing to my new lifestyle change, I managed to lose 91 pounds. My start weight was 238 lbs and my current weight is now 144 lbs, it took me 1 year to lose the weight and have managed to maintain my weight for 9 months now. My height is 5’4″.

My ABC plan is very good and helpful to anyone who would like to embark on a weight loss Journey. Every battle we encounter starts in the mind and if you can win it in your mind you are half way there. No one can change a made up mind. I have written a book entitled ‘Weight Loss Wars’. It chronicles my journey, or rather (my weight loss wars), I suffered from anorexia and bulimia in my late teens, and then being obese most of my adult life. Finally to experience a sweet and total victory of reaching a healthy goal weight the healthy way. My website is www.weightlosswars.co.uk and my book is also available on Amazon.

My eating habits before I started my Weight Loss Wars journey consisted of: I would often skip breakfast as this would justify my reasons for eating more throughout the day. My excuse being that since I skipped breakfast, I can have an extra slice of cake. I ate out most of the time as I found cooking my own meals too strenuous, so I would often eat things like pizza, fish & chips and steak bake. I never really cared about what I ate. I had a bottle of coke every day and never drank water at all. Looking back now, I never even gave myself a chance to feel hungry because I was always eating or snacking on crisps and cakes. M&M chocolate peanuts were my favorite.

How I changed my eating habits: Now my meals are structured and I never miss breakfast. I usually have a bowl of bran flakes with a banana slices and 150mls of semi skimmed milk, with a cup of tea (no sugar) with 50mls of semi skimmed milk. I only snack on fruit. Lunch is usually a salad or a sandwich and a pot of muller light yoghurt. For dinner I have vegetables and whatever meat the rest of my family are having. For example, I will have a home cooked curry but with vegetables or steak with vegetables Throughout the day, I drink water. I drink 4 bottles of the 500mls small bottles taking sips thought the day. In a nut shell, I eat healthy 6 days a week and I have one day when I treat myself sensibly.

For exercise: when I started my journey I was 17 stone, I had a very bad back (sciatica) so I could only walk, I used to walk for four miles, 5 days a week, then when I hit a plateau, I increased my walking distance to 5 miles, 5 days a week. It used to take me 2 hours to walk that distance but now it only takes me 1 hour 15 mins. I absolutely love going out for my daily walks.

FB page: Weightlosswars

gertrude weight loss

Barbara lost 44 pounds

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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…

barbara before and after

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 barbara weddingcome. (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.

Barbara's daughter Morgan lost 53 pounds.
Barbara’s daughter Morgan lost 53 pounds.

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/

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

Rhonda lost 110 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Rhonda lost 110 pounds.  She lost the 55 pounds she gained during pregnancy and an additional 55 pounds on top of that.  Her story should serve as inspiration to anyone who wants to lose lingering baby weight.  Here is what she shared with us…

Rhonda before and after

Hi, My name is Rhonda Jackson. I’m 39 years old and 5’4″ tall. I’ve been battling my weight all my life. I had my baby in March 2014. I’d gone from 225 pounds to 280 pounds at delivery. After I had her, I was the same weight when I went for my 6 week check up and I was not happy. I said to myself, I’m not young anymore and I want to live healthy for my baby. So, on May 1st, 2014 I decided that it was now or never.

I started walking 5 miles a day, and in the cold months I hit the gym. I do hour of cardio and a half hour of weights. I also embraced clean eating. No fast, fried or junk foods for me. I enjoy fruits, salads and poultry.

I currently weigh 170 lbs and I’ve actually lost 110lbs since my journey began. May 1st is my One Year Anniversary. This is my journey and it will always be a struggle. I tell people to do what works for you. I had to find what works for me and that’s when I started to see a difference. I hope and try to inspire others on my IG page @MzzJaxon and Facebook. I think it’s working cause I get a lot of inboxes asking how I did it, which makes me feel good. My journey will continue for the rest of my life. I’ve learned that it’s lifestyle change.

rhonda weight loss

Tammy lost 47 pounds

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Update Dec 2015 – Tammy wrote in to let us know that she’s lost 29 more pounds since April for a total of 76 pounds gone.

Just wanted to give an update on my journey. I have finally made my goal weight. Now, I’m just working on tightening and toning my body. It’s hard to lose and maintain weight, but I have made it to 171 pounds and I am happy here. I just need to continue to eat right and exercise on a regular basis. Your blog really helps a lot of women including me. Keep up the great work.

tammy before and after

April 2015 – Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Tammy lost 47 pounds. She was determined to lose the weight before her 40th birthday.  She shared her before and after photos and some notes from her story with us.

tammy before and after

My name is Tammy and I have been battling my weight all my life. I was determined that I was not going into my 40th birthday overweight. Smaller portions, walking and no more late eating is how I started this journey. I have a ways to go until I reach my goal but I know I can make it. One day at a time.

What was your motivation?
I was motivated by not wanting to turn 40 years old and be overweight. I also suffer from high blood pressure and very much wanted to resolve that for myself. I’ve dealt with my weight all of my life and when I started to have health issues I knew that I didn’t want to be overweight any longer.

How did you change your eating habits?
I started eating smaller portions, walking regulary and cut out eating late. I went to a nutritionist for a few months to help get eating habits together.

What did your workout routines look like?
I began my journey by walking for 30 minutes a day. Now I am working out 3 to 4 times a week and I really enjoy it.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
247 pounds was my starting weight. I am currently 200 pounds and still going.  My height is 5’3″.

How long did your transformation take?
I started in September of 2014.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
You have to start somewhere. Nothing is easy or overnight.

Instagram: @BABYGIRL976

 

Rena lost 120 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Rena lost 120 pounds.  After weathering cancer and other serious life challenges, she took a look in the mirror and decided it was time to change her life.  She took action and is now inspiring friends and family to change their lifestyles too.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

rena before and after

Age: 43
Starting Weight in 2013: 310 pounds and a size 24W
Current Weight in 2015: 190 pounds & a size 12
Height: ‘5’7 1/2″

My Advice: Love Yourself Enough To Eat, Live & Be Healthy
My Affirmations Are: “I Motivate Me” and “Fitness Focused”

My Motivation is myself because I was the only one who saw something different that no one else could be responsible for but me. I’m a lung cancer survivor, who have been thru it all. I at some point started giving up on life as well as what I looked like because I was sick. I became depressed and started shuting myself off from family, friends and the world to the point of attempted suicides. Then one day I went to put on some clothes and they didn’t fit and I hated what I saw in the mirror. So, I decided to change what I saw. It started off slow and inconsistent. I started and stop several times. Then one day I said I’ve got to change for me.

I started doing research online about fitness, healthy eating and what supplements I would take to help me. I started walking 20 minutes for about 3 days per week. Slowly, I started seeing results. Then my walking went from minutes to miles. I started walking 2 miles, 4 miles and now I’m up to 6 miles, 3 days per week if the weather is permitting. I also take Pilates once a week and workout in the gym twice a week for toning and core strengthening.

I drink cold pressed juice once a month as a system detox for 5 days. I food prep on Sundays. That consists of kale salads, garden salads with grill or baked seafood (shrimp & various fish) and baked chicken. I eat a high fiber, low fat oatmeal for breakfast or low fat greek yogurts. For snacks, I love celery with organic peanut butter or organic apples with the peanut butter. I also make several infused waters with (mint leaves, watermelon, oranges, lemon lime, cucumbers and blueberries).

I currently have set a personal challenge for myself that is a 90 Day challenge, where I cut out some carbs (no bread, potatoes and pasta), no refined sugars (candy, cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes, sodas, juice and ice cream) and no alcohol (it’s nothing but empty calories). I’d rather eat a good healthy meal. I am on day #37 of my personal 90 Day Challenge.

I started posting on social media about my personal fitness journey and I’ve have friends and family ask how I lost my weight and for advice and help with fitness. So, I started a group on Facebook called “Fit Focus Friends”. I made the groups “private” because some of the members post pictures of themselves working out and are not as comfortable with everyone seeing there pictures. Social media can be very mean to people.

Rena weight loss

Ni’cola lost 113 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Author Ni’cola lost 113 pounds.  After the loss of a loved one from heart disease, she decided that it was time to change and address her weight.  She created her own weight loss program and embraced lots of exercise to lose the pounds.  Here is what she shared with us…

Nicola before and after

My motivation was the loss of my sister from heart disease, and the day that I realized I was 300+pounds. I used to have constant chest pain and headaches.

I started off eating like I was on the HCG diet, but without the shots and or pills. I consumed 500 calories a day for 3 months and stopped drinking energy drinks. Doing that alone, I lost 20 pounds in a month. Then, I moved up to 1000 calories a day for 2 months, 1500 calories for 2 months and then I started to eating smaller portions without calorie monitoring and not eating after 7 pm. I have incorporated exercise and now I have lost 113 pounds.

I work out 4 times a week. I prefer outdoors, so I either walk 2.5 miles or I try to do the 5 mile trail if I have time. I close out with 100 reps on the rowing machine. Lately, I am doing a leg machine trying to tone my legs up.

I started off at 306 pounds and now I weigh 193 pounds.  I’m 5’9″ tall. My weight loss journey has taken 3.5 years so far, because I keep plateauing. Every time that happens, I take a sit out period and start up again.

My advice for others: Don’t give up. Find out what works best for you. Everyone is different. You can’t try everything others do and get upset if it doesn’t work. Weight loss is like trial and error. Also, remember that change is your friend. What may have worked for you 6 months ago, may stop working now. Keep changing up and the results will come.

Instagram: @mz_nicola
Blog: FromthepenofNicola.com
Website: NicolaCMitchell.com

Brittany lost 116 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Brittany lost 116 pounds.  This young lady committed herself to exercising and eating right to lose the weight.  She has maintained her weight loss since 2010, which is no easy task.  She shared with us about how she did it…

brittany before and after

My name is Brittany Ware and I’m 25 years old. In the photo on the left, my weight was 315 pounds and on the right I weigh 199 pounds (I am 5 foot 7 inches tall). I feel much better after my weight loss and my goal is to lose 20 more pounds.

My motivation for losing weight comes from the fear of having diabetes or high blood pressure. Each day I drink 3 liters of water and ate 1200 calories per day. I have also cut out fried foods. For me, healthy eating looks green. I have plenty of vegetables,  baked chicken and no pork. I work out at least 3 days a week, doing cardio. For cardio, I like to get on the treadmill and elliptical machine. Walking is also great cardio for me.

When I wanted to give up, I was inspired by the progress that I’d already made with my weight loss journey and I then realized giving up just wasn’t worth it.   My transformation ultimately took place in 2010 and I have maintained well over a 100 pound weight loss since then. The advice I have for other individuals seeking to lose weight is to never give up. Although they may reach a plateau with their weight, the inches will still come off just as well with time.

Anissa lost 160 pounds with surgery

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anissa before and afterUpdate Oct 2015 – Anissa lost the weight and now she’s raising funds to remove a significant amount of loose skin.- I had the gastric bypass March 17, 2009. In four months, I had lost up to 186 pounds but I wasn’t healthy. I wasn’t eating and I was real depressed. I still didn’t like the new me at a lighter weight and hell I’d lost a whole person. At the time, I thought that once I lost the weight the opposite sex would be interested in me. However, over time I had to realize that I had to like and love me before the rest of the world could.

anissa gofundmeThese days I have found who I truly am. I have found my worth and I know that I’m overly blessed to have gone through my struggles to get to this point in my life. I took a body fat test and found out that I have 144 pounds of lean body muscle and 54 pounds of body fat – 198 pounds total (down from 360 pounds). I am so proud of the accomplishment that I have made, but there is only one thing that is holding me back. It is a constant memory of how bad I abused my body, i.e. the extra skin that I have hanging from my arms, stomach, and thighs.

So, I’m asking for help!! I am asking for $1 to go to my gofundme account. This will go to saving up for the surgery to complete the journey. I’m asking only $1, but if you feel led to give more then I’m overly honored and grateful. You can find me on Facebook: anissaboston, Instagram at @boston79ak, and gofundme.com/cuttingthefat.

Mar 2015 – Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Anissa lost 160 pounds with gastric bypass surgery and by changing her lifestyle.  Eating clean, working out and learning how to shop for healthy food were huge factors on her journey.  Here is what she shared with us…

anissa before and after

My weight loss motivation was my children. I didn’t want them have to experience the life of obesity as a life long experience as I did. Who inspired me was a young lady named Cierra Murphy. I knew her when she was in high school and as she graduated and went on to college she took her life back.

I had lost my job and all I had were food stamps coming in so I took a class that the county posted and they taught how to shop the perimeter of the store and how to read labels. So, I stated to read labels when I shopped. If enriched or unbleached was the first word in the ingredients, I didn’t buy it. Eventually I cut out bread and ate more veggies. I introduced kale into my life too. I ate in for each meal, having a protein and vegetables.

For exercise, I walked at least two miles daily. I would walk to the gym which was about a mile going and coming and work out. Then I added Shawn T’s Focus T25 program. When I found employment, my job was my exercise because I was wrapping pallets by hand and standing. With work, I was walking daily at least 8 miles on top of the focus T25 in the morning.

My starting weight was 360 pounds and my current weight is 200 pounds with a body fat percentage of 27.18%. I’m 5’5″ tall. My transformation is on still going today but it will be seven years total on St . Patrick’s day of 2015 since I had the gastric bypass surgery and 17 months of eating clean as a lifestyle. To take everyday as a new day. If you can get to 12 pm with eating clean, then tomorrow push your self to get 12:15 pm. Don’t stop keep pushing. Know in your heart that you can do all things. Get past yourself and push pass your pain.

Instagram: @boston79ak

anissa weight loss