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Shay lost 40 pounds

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Transformation of the Day: Shay lost 40 pounds. She began her journey with the goal of becoming a police officer. However, her love for fitness has now taken over and she’s decided to become a personal trainer. Check out what she did to release the weight.

shay before and after

Hi, I’m Shay J. My weight loss journey started last year (2015). I’ve always wanted to be a police officer, but little did I know that my journey would take me elsewhere! I have inspired so many people and in turn they motivate me when they ask me how I did it and what keeps me going.

My eating habits were horrible before I started my journey! I did my research and totally did a 360! No eating late at night, no sodas, no fried foods and I cut back on breads and sweets. Now, I eat baked foods, protein shakes and Special K products. I’m a Advocare Rep. and I’m constantly doing research on how to prepare healthy meals.

I’ve been in the gym since 1/5/15 and to this day I’m still going strong! One day, I will focus on cardio, the next day will be leg day, then upper body day, and then full body day! I love to mix it up so that I wont get too use to it and get bored!

My weight loss journey has turned to fitness journey. I weighed 200 pounds when I started and now I weigh 160 pounds! I’m 5’4″ tall. My advice to others is stay consistent because thats when the results come!

I wanted to be a police officer when I first started, but now I’m pursing a career of becoming a personal trainer and I have started a fitness clothing line called Fitness Hustler! I have so many goals that I want to achieve and my journey will never end! I’m loving every minute, my energy levels have increased and I’m  so happy to be helping others to achieve their fitness goals! I have some huge goals to achieve on this journey! My ultimate goal is to open my own gym one day!

Instagram: @Shayjohnson25

Facebook page: Fitness Hustler

shay weight loss story

Ti lost 45 pounds

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Weight Loss Story: Ti lost 45 pounds. She wants to encourage you and says, “Please don’t let the negative fat shaming in the media deter you from reaching your weight loss goals.” We agree! She shared with about the lifestyle changes she made to lose the pounds and have more energy.

ti weight loss story

I do not believe that shaming motivates anyone to lose weight. Thus, I share my story in the midst of the media’s unnecessary fat shaming trend. I hope to INSPIRE people who are trying to lose weight, not shame them. I initially lost weight from a new hobby: bicycling. I did not set out to lose weight. Instead, I simply wanted to enjoy the outdoors on a bicycle. I lost about fifteen pounds from bicycling and minimal dietary changes, such as drinking more water, portion control, etc.

This led to other healthy lifestyle changes. I went to the gym more, walked/jogged around my local school track, and ate a more plant based diet. I still eat meat, however I only eat un-fried, lean meat, such as fish, chicken, and turkey. I’m about 50 pounds lighter now and still working to keep it off. It ain’t easy because I don’t always feel like working out and I LOVE sweets… LOL. However, I take it one day at a time and I stay motivated by how healthy I feel now versus back then. My complexion is much clearer, I have more stamina, and I breathe easier. Please don’t let the negative fat shaming in the media deter you from reaching your weight loss goals. If I can do it, you can do it too!

I am 5’6″ tall and I started off around 180 pounds. Now, I weigh 135 pounds….and I’m still losing! Oh— about that last picture with the cap on my head. I go to the gym like that most days LOL. Too many of us skip out on exercise because we don’t want to get our hair messed up. You go to the gym to workout, not be a beauty queen. Work IT and don’t worry about what anybody else thinks!

PS: I do volunteer work with reptiles, such as snakes, alligators, and lizards. I work with a reptile rescue and education group. Losing weight has given me the energy, motivation, and confidence to do reptile educational shows in front of many people. I also have a YouTube channel where I educate people about reptiles in English and Sign Language: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NCiEDswcf4

 

Angela lost 50 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Angela lost 50 pounds.  She is still on her weight loss journey but she wanted to share with us about how she has made progress.  She took baby steps in the beginning and now she’s doing 5k runs/walks, going to the gym regularly and has changed her eating habits to support her goals.

angela before and after

I would love to share my weight loss journey. I have lost a total of 50 lbs. I still have a 100 lbs to go and reading about the journeys of these lovely people that you feature sure does encourage me to keep going until reach my goal. My to lose weight motivation that I wanted to release the `Pause` button, to push ‘Play’ and start living my life for me without restrictions.

I changed my eating habits by paying close attention to my food portion sizes. I also make sure that I am eating five small, well balanced meals throughout the day. I stopped eating fried food and I now focus on eating foods that are baked, boiled and grilled but still taste amazing.

My workout routines started out with baby steps at first. I would work out to Zumba DVDs in my living room. As my confidence, grew I joined my local gym and now I worked out there 3 to 4 times a week. Now, I’m participating in 5k runs/walks, Zumba classes and U Jam classes.

My starting weight was 313 pounds. My current weight is 263 pounds. My height is 5`7″ tall.

My advice to others would be to just start. Release those fears that you may have and start with baby steps to reaching your weight loss goals. If you can find someone who enjoys working out just as much as you and make that person your workout buddy. If you can change your mind you will change your life.

Update: Tory lost 102 pounds

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Update: Tory (aka Latoria) has lost 102 pounds.  We last featured her story back in Dec 2013 when she was down 84 pounds, so that’s 18 more pounds released.

Tory before and after 100 pounds

Hi! Last year in December 2013 was my last submission and I would like to submit an update letting others know it’s still possible to reach your weight loss goals. 

Well, it has been an entire year and I have been very active. I’m still eating as healthy as possible. Summer 2014 was my first time wearing a two pc bathing suit and I loved it. I’ve ran 5 half marathons and countless of 5k and 10k runs. Now, I’m looking forward to run my first full marathon at the end of this year. I didn’t think it was possible. I was 266 pounds, wearing a size 20W in jeans and I could barely run 30 seconds. Now I’m 164 pounds, running, lifting weights, and eating right. Anything is possible, you just have to believe in yourself.

Instagram: @get_fit_tory

Read more about how she lost the weight from the feature article from Dec 2013.

6 New Habits That Will Help You Keep Your Healthy Resolutions

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habits resolutions

According to a University of Scraton survey, nearly 45% of Americans set a New Year’s resolution but only a measly 8% achieved their goal last year. The most popular New Year’s resolution involved weight loss.  You made your resolutions a month ago and you may already feel very challenged or discouraged.

The main reason people don’t achieve their resolutions is because they create a huge goal without taking the necessary steps in breaking it down into mini-goals. They also fail to develop the right habits to guide them to dropping that extra 10/20/30/etc lbs or eating less junk food.

Essentially, if you want to achieve your New Year’s weight loss resolutions you need to examine your life and start developing healthy new habits. Here are 6 habits you can adopt to help you become one of those faithful few who achieve their weight loss related New Year’s goals.

  • Portion Control

Rather than making a goal to just stop eating junk food or highly processed foods cold turkey, change your eating habits by cracking down with portion control. Portion control is in a way more important than what types of foods you are eating. If you overeat, even on healthy but calorie rich foods, you aren’t going to lose weight. Period.  It can be much easier to move from eating junk in moderation to cutting them out than suddenly going cold turkey (although there is nothing wrong with going cold turkey and eating completely clean from the start if you can).

The flaw with just trying to avoid junk altogether is that the deprivation is very likely going to cause you to suddenly binge on whatever you’re craving which leads to guilt. Cut back you portions overall and if you do have a craving for some ice cream, have only one serving.  Smaller portions or limited portions are a great start.

  • Not Making Excuses for Eating Bad Foods

Being completely honest with yourself is a hard skill to learn. One habit of some weight loss resolutioners is that they make some type of excuse for themselves when they slip up with their diet/new lifestyle. Not only are you fooling yourself but you’re actually convincing yourself that it is ok to give into pressure and bad habits.

A common excuse is to cave in and eat a quart of Ben and Jerry’s and then tell yourself “Oh, I’ll just run an extra mile tomorrow” or “I just won’t eat anything tomorrow”. Maybe you even blame your friends when they want fast food and you cave in. Instead, be honest. Take responsibility when you slip up but don’t beat yourself up about it. If it continues to be a problem then take a look at the lifestyle you’re trying to live and see what the problem is.  You have to dig deep and face the issue that is contribute to your bad eating habits.  Deal with things like binging, emotional eating, eating to deal with stress, etc by dealing with the non-food issues in your life.  Food addiction is also a very real thing and you may need to reach out to Weight Watchers or Overeaters Anonymous for help.

  • Being Accountable to Another Person/Group

This habit might be difficult for people who tend to treat their goals and health very privately. However, sharing yours goals and asking people to keep you accountable is a really strong tool in completing your weight loss goals. Having people in your daily life keep you accountable is the most effective way but there is an alternative.

You can also ask a fitness group, like your local zumba class or bootcamp group, to keep you accountable at your gym. If you don’t go to a gym you can also join online health forums, Facebook pages like ours and health/weight loss tracking websites (My Fitness Pal, SparkPeople and FitBit are great examples).  We even host DietBet contests online where you can join in and commit to weight loss goals in a weight loss pool for money. These online communities often have entire section dedicated to finding people accountability partners or groups.

  • Weekly Photo Diary of Progress

Often people only measure their weight loss by seeing how much they are losing on the scale. This can be misleading if you’ve taken on a fitness regimen and putting on muscle. It will seem like you aren’t losing weight very quickly when in fact you’re losing weight and replacing it with muscle.

Instead of focusing solely on the scale’s numbers, take pictures every week of your progress. Aside from health reasons, many people want to lose weight because they feel like they will look better. Being able to compare pictures will show you just how much change you are making and can be super motivating compared to looking at numbers.  Once you reach your goal weight, you can share your before and after photos to inspire others.

  • Reward Yourself

Adults really aren’t much different than children in the sense that rewards are a great incentive and motivator. Adopt the habit of rewarding yourself when you’ve achieve your goal milestones. These rewards could be anything that you enjoy and look forward to but they shouldn’t be something common in your everyday life.

Some examples could be a weekend vacation to the beach, a spa day, a shopping spree for new clothes, a makeover or whatever else you might be craving.

  • Write Down Your Goals

Last but not least, always make a habit of writing down your goal and each mini-goal/milestone. Keeping a journal, either online or offline, which tracks your progress towards your goal is a super powerful tool. Simply keeping your goal in your head not only prevents you from tracking it properly but also greatly increases your chances of not completing it.  In this day and age, you can also use online tracking tools like the FitBit.

The saying “out of sight, out of mind” applies very much to weight loss resolutions. Keep your goal lists and tracking charts in plain view so it’s always something you’re aware of.  Review your goals on a regular basis, but don’t go overboard to the land of obsession.

Reaching your New Year’s resolution isn’t impossible. With the right mindset, tools and a smart goal you’ll be able to greet the next year as a whole new person.

6 Tips for Creating Your 2015 Weight Loss Goals

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2015 weight loss goals tipsIf one of your resolutions for 2015 is to lose weight, you aren’t alone. The number one New Year’s resolution is weight loss. Sadly, according to a study done by University of Scranton, only 8% of people achieve their goals. If you are someone that does create New Year’s resolutions every year it’s safe to assume there have been goals you haven’t achieved.  There is hope! You can make 2015 a true success by keeping the following tips in mind when you create your weight loss goals.

  1. Stop the Self Hate. Change out of Love for your Body/Self.

It is absolutely no surprise that when it comes to body image women are quite often more affected by it than men. In an article by Glamour magazine it was revealed that a shocking 97% of women express some act of cruelty to their own bodies every day. It is sadly very common for women to hate their bodies. This is terrible in many aspects but when it comes to goal-setting it can severely set you back.

Think about it this way. When you hate something, how do you treat it? Do you have passion towards the subject? Do you feel excited about it? Of course not. When you hate something you generally will eventually give up all together. When you hate your body the motivation is negative and often completely based on physical appearance. Instead, if you accept your body and wish to lose weight for health reasons you will maintain your motivation and drastically increase your success.

  1. Break Down Goals So They Are Small and Specific

This second tip is one of the most important when it comes to goal-setting for success. One major error people make with weight loss resolutions is they choose one very large goal and leave it at that. For example, they wish to lose 20lbs but don’t break down that main goal into smaller goals. Instead of striving to lose 20lbs, create small goals to lose 1-2 pounds a week.  Instead of going cold turkey with processed foods you could eliminate one type of food you know you need to avoid each week until you reach your ultimate goal.

There are a few reasons why breaking down goals into small ones increases your chances of completing them. One simply has to do with human nature. Generally people are more likely to achieve a goal when it is small and easy to reach. Secondly, after achieving this small goal in a relatively short time, the person feels motivated to move up to the next goal. This process creates a pattern of success that pushes the person to finally achieve all of their small goals in order to fulfill their original large goal.

  1. Set Up a System of Accountability

It is no surprise that when we are held accountable for something we are more likely to follow through. Setting up a system of accountability when it comes to goals is very powerful and vastly increases your chance of success. There are a few different ways you can create an accountability system. DietBet and My Fitness Pal are just 2 examples of online tools that can help you with this.

One of the easiest ways is to make your weight loss goal well known amongst friends and family. Ask them to inquire about your progress regularly and remind you to keep up the good work if you slip up a bit. Another great way to create accountability has to do with social media. Once you have figured out your goal, post is up on Facebook, Twitter or whatever platform you use. Take a step further and post up a “before” picture.  (Don’t forget to include our hashtag #bwlw)

  1. Make a Realistic Timeline for Each Goal

Have you noticed how many people set a New Year’s resolution but don’t have a scheduled end date for it? Not having some sort of deadline for your weight loss will leave you knowingly frustrated and more apt to give up. Without a deadline how will you know if you are progressing as you should?

Each goal you create needs to have a timeline that is realistic and attainable. It should push you to work but not be so difficult you have to struggle. When it comes to weight loss a timeline can be a little tricky. You might plan to lose a pound a week but find you can’t or you’re losing fat but gaining muscle so the scale isn’t dropping. Don’t be afraid to tweak your timeline a bit to fit your body.  You will learn what is reasonable for you.  Also, don’t go by someone else’s timeline, because we all lose weight differently.  Figure out what works for you with trial and error.

  1. Use Tools to Track Specific Details of Your Weight Loss

With how many tools and apps are available online and on our phones, there is no excuse to not have some way of tracking your progress towards your resolution. Tracking progress goes hand-in-hand with the last tip of creating a realistic timeline. You can’t very well stick to a timeline if you have no idea how you are doing.

Tracking weight loss should go further than a scale. If your goal is to lose weight you should track the loss of weight but also the drop in your body fat percentage. Another option that is strongly recommended is to use a cloth tape measure and keep track of inches lost on your body. You can take your weight loss tracking a step further by also keeping a log of exercise and diet.  You may also want to track how you feel health wise (any improvement in illnesses or chronic issues) and how eating right may have impacted your emotions.

  1. Have a Physically Tangible Way of Knowing When Your Goals Have Been Reached

This final tip will vary based on what type of weight loss you are striving for. However, even if you are just trying to drop a certain amount of weight it is strongly recommended that instead of relying on a scale, focus on something else. Scales and just going by number of pounds lost can be deceptive and disheartening. Just as an example, if you adopt a strict workout with strength training and are trying to lose 10lbs, you may feel like you aren’t dropping weight when in reality you are just putting on muscle while dropping fat.

Rather than focusing on just a number on your scale, figure out a different method. Take a photo every 2 weeks to track changes and have a record later that you can celebrate and share with others. One great way to see progress is to purchase calipers to track body fat percentage. Another option that is incredibly powerful is to purchase an outfit in your goal dress size before you begin working on your resolution. As you work towards your goal you can try on the outfit and really see how your body is changing.

If you’ve been wanting to lose those extra pounds, 2015 is the time to finally do it. Remember that the only thing holding you back from achieving your goals is yourself. With dedication and a smart goal-setting technique you can truly beat the obstacles in your path and get the body you want.

Video of Black Women Who’ve Lost 170 Pounds or More

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Doretta weight loss storyThis is just a quick video we’ve put together featuring a few of the wonderful women who have lost 170 pounds or more and were kind enough to write to us about their weight loss journeys.  All of the women featured in this video lost their weight by changing their diet, choosing healthier foods, and exercising (no weight loss surgery). Also, a few of the stories were so impressive, we were able to help a few of the women get featured in People Magazine.

Just remember… any weight loss, regardless of how much, is positive weight loss. And, no matter how big or small your weight loss goals are, the power to change comes from within… and the women in this video are living proof of that type of change. Blessings!

Are the Green Tea for Weight Loss Claims True?

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green tea for weight lossIf you were to believe all the advertisements, infomercials and half the websites on the Internet that are connected to a product with green tea, you might think that it is the magical answer to weight loss. It can be hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to evaluating products and supplements aimed at helping people burn fat because the issue of obesity is highly charged and there is a lot of money made on diet products. The tried and true methods of reducing calories, eating healthy and increasing exercise can seem too hard to maintain, if your schedule is overburdened or your current weight and lifestyle habits make it hard to break through into healthy living. Green tea has been presented as a cure-all of obesity, but are the green tea for weight loss claims true? The answer is a resounding yes and a huge no. Understanding how green tea can assist in weight loss and how to use it to support a weight loss program will help you achieve your goals realistically.

How to spot when things aren’t what they seem

The first thing you have to accept is that the human body is not designed to lose a pound a day. The body is hard-wired to prevent starvation and will quickly seek to regain the weight loss when the chance comes, and not just regain it, but to build up an additional surplus of fat just in case it is placed into starvation mode again. This is why healthy weight loss is most often calculated at a pound every week to two weeks. This pace means that the weight loss has not placed stress on the metabolism that will create a backlash weight gain and that your habits have changed to support sustaining the healthy weight loss as well.

What green tea does

Green tea leaves are taken from the plant Camellia Sinensis which is indigenous to China and grows in many areas of Asia. The leaves are harvested and prepared with a minimum of oxidization, which preserves a high level of naturally occurring polyphenols in the leaf. The polyphenols can then be consumed by ingesting the tea or water the leaf has been steeped in. These polyphenols contain many properties that are just beginning to be understood and documented by the scientific community to support the practices the tea has been used for in traditional medicines. Polyphenols have been shown to provide support to the immune system, act as a diuretic, have high concentrations of antioxidants, and have the effect of raising the metabolic rate without also increasing heart rate. Traditionally, green tea is used to increase energy, fight off sickness and as a weight loss agent. The thought is that by ingesting regular amounts of green tea in powder, capsule or infused water the polyphenols act within the system in support of immune and metabolic functions.  However, this is a theory but one with a lot of information out there to back it up.

How to use it to support a weight loss plan

No green tea product is going to help you lose weight just by taking it alone. It’s not a magic pill.  Green tea is a diuretic, so you will experience some water weight loss but that is not permanent. Green tea has been proven in scientific studies to aide in weight loss by increasing the metabolism by up to 4%. Your metabolism is how fast your body can process fat to fuel, which is how weight is lost. Green tea has also been shown to increase energy levels, similar to caffeine, which can help you keep up with exercise routines. There is also evidence that green tea supports healthy blood sugar maintenance which is also beneficial to weight loss management.

Guaranteeing success

Green tea can play a very important role in weight loss. By using it in conjunction with calorie management and an exercise program, can help you to lose weight and keep it off.  Just think of it as any other supplement you may choose to use.  It’s a tool. One of the best ways to incorporate green tea in your diet is to use it as a substitute for sugary or high caloric drinks, such as lattes and other fancy coffees. In the end, adding green tea to your daily diet may assist you in reaching your weight loss goals in a healthy way that can be maintained, but it will not do the work for you.

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #26: Use Free Weight Loss and Fitness Apps

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Mobile apps are part of our daily lives.  Today for our Weight Loss on a Budget Tip for day 26, we want to encourage you to try some great, free weight loss and fitness focused apps. Tip #26: Use Free Weight Loss and Fitness Apps.

weight loss apps

My Fitness Pal – This is a calorie counter app, online community and database that contains the nutritional information for million foods. This app can really help you stay on track with your eating. Hundreds of BWLW members are on the site so check out this list of their usernames.  It’s FREE

Nike Training Club – This app from Nike gives you access to over 10o workouts at the click of a button.  It includes some great High Intensity Interval Training routines to help you burn calories.  You can set up goals and you’re rewarded for your progress.  It’s like a personal trainer in your pocket because there is a cool audio feature that talks to your to help you stay motivated during your workout.  Very user friendly.  It’s FREE.

Loseit – Track calories, workouts and your overall weight loss progress with this app.  You can keep track of macronutrients, sleep patterns and even your blood pressure so you see a great snapshot of your health as you work on your overall wellness.  My favorite part of this FREE app is the bar code scanning.  It saves me a lot of time when I’m logging what I’ve eaten (protein powders, dairy, etc).

Fooducate – If you want to really know what’s in your food and get some help with making food decisions based on nutrition, get this FREE app.  It will open your eyes.  Their site says that “Fooducate’s scientific algorithms grade each product and provide simple, concise explanations. Grading system developed by scientists, dietitians and concerned parents.”  They emphasize REAL, unprocessed foods.

 

6 Essential Habits for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off

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healthy habits weight lossLosing weight is really difficult to start with, but on top of that we all want to keep the weight off for good. There are healthy habits you can adopt NOW in order to increase your chances of keeping the weight off long term. Here are 6 tips that can help.

1. Don’t call what you’re doing a “diet.” This will set you up for failure immediately. Diets are quick, short term solutions for weight loss that usually are not permanent. If you are looking for permanent, long term weight loss, you need to think about it as a lifestyle change. Diets aren’t bad; they can help kick your metabolism into gear so that you can lose weight more easily. But a diet isn’t going to give you long-term success; changes in your lifestyle and food choices will.

2. Set weight loss goals. Goals are one of the most important parts of the weight loss process. The problem is, too many people say “I want to lose x number of pounds.” That is great but sometimes it’s not enough in terms of goal setting. Instead, start making your lifestyle changes gradually and make several mini-goals at a time. Sure, you can say that you want to lose 100 lbs, but it may be easier to stay motivated if you say you want to lose 10 pounds in the next 6 weeks or that you want to be able to walk a mile in addition to losing weight.

3. Reward yourself. …but please don’t make the mistake of rewarding yourself with food. If you can create rewards that are encouraging, but don’t involve messing up your lifestyle changes, they can be really good motivators. Effective rewards are desirable, timely, and contingent on meeting a particular goal. Use several smaller rewards for smaller goals, too. For example, if you went through a month of walking for 30 minutes every day, you can reward yourself with a haircut or a trip to the spa.

4. Figure out why you gained weight in the first place. Your Big WHY! – This is one of the hardest parts of maintaining long-term weight loss, but you do have to do some self evaluation. Why did you start overeating in the first place? What happened that made you want to overeat? Was there a life event/trauma? Were you struggling with a hormonal imbalance like PMS or a chemical imbalance that caused mood issues? Do you have a health issue? What happened to make you start neglecting your diet? Once you figure that out, you need to take steps that help you deal with those issues effectively later on. This will help you prevent similar issues in the future.

5. Understand portion sizes. If you understand how portion sizes are supposed to work, you’re going to be better off. We have an issue in the United States where we fill our plates to overflowing, and you really can’t do this. Even healthy foods can be bad if your portions are too big. A good rule to go by is the “fist rule.” A serving of healthy food is about the size of your fist; the smaller you are the smaller your fist is, and the smaller your portions will be. Keeping a food diary can help control your potions too.

6. Follow the 80/20 rule. You don’t have to be perfect all of the time, trust me. The key is balance and moderation. It’s going to take a lot of effort to maintain this lifestyle, so it’s okay to slack every once in awhile. If you live by healthy habits 80% of the time, slacking a little for the other 20% is okay (as long as you don’t go absolutely crazy and ruin what you did all week). Give yourself a treat on the weekend after being “good” all week.