Black Weight Loss Success

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weight loss journey

Joy lost 21 pounds

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Today’s weight loss story: Joy lost 21 pounds and fought off high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  She knows that slow and steady wins the race and you can see your health improved just with a loss of 20 pounds.  Here is what she shared with us:

Joy weight loss photos

“I began taking my weight loss seriously in January 2013. I have always been physically fit, but various life crisis caused me to loose control of my eating habits.  My eating and health declined after loosing my father and brother seven months apart in 2009. I gained a lot of weight. My blood pressure was high and my cholesterol level was extremely high as well.

I knew that my family has a history of diabetes of high blood pressure. I loss my mother in 1991 at age 50 to complications of diabetes. In 2009, I lost my my father at age 67 due to complications of high blood pressure and a stoke and my brother at age 44 due to complications of diabetes and high blood pressure. When I saw myself getting into a size 16, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

My Transformation Plan:  January 2013: My beginning weigh-in was 181 lbs.  I began to use more sensible portion control when it came to eating. I eat six meals a day. I incorporate a lot of fruits and veggies into my eating plan along with fish and chicken.  Also, I exercise 5 times a week for 1 hour and a half. I incorporate all times of exercises.

  • Mon: Five mile walk
  • Tue: Strength training upper body
  • Wed: Spinning Class
  • Thursday: Strength Training lower body
  • Friday: One hour of Pilates

November 2013: Down 21 pounds. Now I weigh in at 160 pounds.

I feel great & have more energy!! Every time I exercised, I thought of my family members and how young they were when they passed. I thought of my own high blood pressure issues and the doctor telling me that I need to take care of myself. I committed myself to being healthy and staying fit!! I hope this motivate someone else to keep trying and don’t give up.”

Ashisha lost 65 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Ashisha lost 65 pounds in 7 months.  She lost the weight by working out at home and changing her eating habits.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

“Hi, My name is Ashisha. During my weight loss journey, I’ve lost a total of 65 pounds. I’ve always been slim, but over the last 5-6 years I gained weight. Reaching a high of 190 lbs as seen on the pic on the left, I decided that I was not going to reach 200 pounds.  I started on Sept. 2012 and 7 months later, in April 2013, I reached my 50 pound goal. Today, I weigh 125.5 pounds.  That’s a total of almost 65 lbs. I changed my eating habits and started eating healthier. I limited breads & pastas, chose baked meats vs. fried, drank lots of water  vs. sodas or juices.  I also added more green veggies & fresh fruit to my diet,  but no sweets. I limited my calorie intake to 1500-2000 calories a day, including what I ate  and drank. I walked on the treadmill at home 6 days a week for 30-45 min, as well as did jumping jacks, crunches, used 3 lb dumbbells for my arms and did leg lifts 6 days a week. I even tried planks but never mastered them. My kids, husband, and other weight loss success stories I would read about were my motivation during times of tears and wanting to give up. If I could do it, anyone can. I would tell anyone if they want to do it; DO IT and don’t look back.  Get yourself a good support group and just do it. I look at old pics and thought “there’s no way I was that big”. I love it when I see people that haven’t seen me since my weight loss and they don’t recognize me at first.” Check her out on Instagram: @hishaw

Ashisha weight loss success story

Quita lost 22 pounds

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Let’s show some love to Quita on her 22 pound weight loss.  She embraced working out with DVDs and eating right.  Here is what she shared with us:

Quita weight loss photos

“My motivation was me turning 30 years old and not loving my outer appearance. Earlier this year, I was 178 pounds and now I weigh 156 pounds. I do Insanity workouts, drink Shakeology protein shakes, and watch what I eat. Now I cook way more healthier foods, take vitamins and drink plenty of water. I wanted to give up so many times but when I saw people twice my size dropping the unwanted pounds and looking fabulous, I knew I could do it as well.  My advice is don’t give up! Have faith and keep going the results will be wonderful. I have more more confidence.  I feel sexy again. I enjoy dressing again and I just feel good period.”

Daesha lost 62 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Daesha lost 62 pounds over the course of the last year.  This bright college student gained the pounds while at school as many women in college do.  After a medical wakeup call, she made the commitment to change her lifestyle and get healthy.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

Daesha weight loss story

“Started my journey on November 27, 2012. I’ve always been overweight, however, when I got to college at Mississippi State it escalated even more due to family problems. Being in college made it that much harder to eat healthier. By sophomore year, my weight topped a big 245 pounds and that still wasn’t enough. By the middle of sophomore year, I could no longer breathe at night laying down and I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux disease at the age of 20. That did it for me. I begin to drink up to at least 8 bottles of water a day and stayed away from sweets and greasy foods. I no longer eat at fast food restaurants. I did Zumba every day in the beginning of my journey.  Now that I know my body better i incorporate jogging about a mile and fast walking the the other mile totaling 2 miles a day, 3 when I push myself. I do strength training at least two times out the week. I workout 5 days a week and I have a “cheat meal” every weekend of my choice (no fast food). I’m currently a junior in college.  While I’ve lost 62 pounds so far with this transformation still in place. Starting weight was 245 pounds and my current weight is 183 pounds. My advice to people is to never give up and make sure that you’re losing weight for yourself and no one else. I advise taking lots of pictures and measuring yourself also because the scale doesn’t always show all of your hard work. Good blessings to everyone making a change for the better and moving yourself unconditionally.”

Bev lost 79 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Bev lost 79 pounds and is now a Zumba instructor.  In 2 years, this proud mom of three has gone from a size 26 to a size 8.  Read her story and find out how she did it:

Bev weight loss story

“My name is Bev and I have lost 79 pounds! When I turned 37, God blessed me with another little Boy (my older children were 22 and 18 at the time). I was too big to chase after the little guy, once he started walking. I decided to change my eating habits, and start working out. It has been a slow process, as I have been on this weight loss journey for 2 years.I keep a watchful eye in my portions, and have banned sugar from my household. I love to experiment with fresh produce.

My workouts are hard…I make them that way because I love to sweat now..lol.  In the beginning, I started going to the gym with my sister. Now at first, I wanted to kill her, because my first class was a Spin Class. I think that I may have cursed her the entire class!  I then started going to Boot Camp classes; where I met some pretty amazing people! They encouraged me to keep working out and eating better. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Eventually, I became a Gym Rat, hitting the gym as much as 6 days a week. Sometimes, I would go twice a day.  My classes consisted of: Boot Camp, Weight Lifting, Kickboxing, spinning, and ZUMBA! I loved Zumba so much, that I became a Licensed Instructor. I don’t get to go to the gym too much any more, so I walk when I can. I usually walk 5 miles and do some type of strength training 4-5 days a week. My strength training consists of LOTS of planks, abs, and squats (my fave) And if its raining, I practice Zumba. I’m constantly moving!  My starting weight was 244 pounds and in a size 26. I am now 165 pounds and in a size 8.

Slow and steady wins the race. We must LEARN how to live a healthier lifestyle. Don’t give up, and don’t make excuses! I have a small group here on FB, and U encourage others to live as healthy as they possibly can. It’s called WE WALK, because not everybody can Zumba, or do Boot Camps…but we can walk, and just 10 mins a day does wonders!  If I could give ANY advice…it would be to learn about your body. Learn what obesity is doing to your body. Keep a great support system, and most of all; LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO CHANGE YOUR HABITS! I loved myself back then…but I love myself enough to NEVER go back!”

Tabaitha lost 53 pounds

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Today’s featured success story: Tabaitha lost 53 pounds and she’s kept the weight off since 2011.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

Hi! I want to be a inspiration to the ladies to keep going! My name is Tabaitha and I’m 53 pounds down and counting.

My motivation for losing the weight is I wanted to feel like myself again after gaining over 80 pounds while pregnant with my daughter.

I changed my eating habits by eliminating white sugar, sodas, friend foods & breads. I replaced them with baked or broiled lean meats and lots of green veggies on the side.

My starting weight was 213 pounds and my current weight is 160 pounds.

My workout routines consisted of 45 min of cardio, 5-6 days a week and light strength training.   I did a mix or the elliptical and the treadmill. When I would use the treadmill I would set the incline high to make me really work but I would power walk. I’m still not to the point where I’m running yet but I’m working on it. When I use the elliptical I up the cross ramp a little too. You just want to constantly challenge your body. Every week go up a notch in speed, weights or reps.

My transformation started off slow with me losing 23 lbs in 2010 over the course of 4 months and then took off in 2011 with me losing 30 lbs in 2 months

My advice to the ladies is to be consistent with your workouts and nutrition. Nutrition is the most important part. Drink lots of water and stay positive! I’m not done with my journey I’m losing my last pounds and getting lean & toned. Just keep going  🙂Tabaitha weight loss photos

Tabaitha weight loss story

T’Ericka lost 50 pounds

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Featured before and after story: T’Ericka lost 50 pounds and found her true self.  After struggling with weight loss and low self esteem since childhood, she was able to make lifestyle changes that are about more than just losing pounds.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey: T'Ericka weight loss photos “Many people have been asking and inboxing me about my weight loss and the question that stood out to me most was ‘Why I did it and what motivated me to stay on track?’. So, here is my story: Growing up I’ve always been the chunky girl. I LOVED to eat (I still do lol) but then I didnt know how bad it was until I started started getting teased EVERYDAY for my weight. Tt bothered me but I always kept it in.  I turned 12 and I was into modeling so my mom took me to a nearby agency, only to hear from the lady that I was very pretty but too big to be a model for her. That crushed me and from that point on I had the lowest self esteem. I ate myself into being unhealthy. I used to ask God to make me skinny (lol) so that people could like me (smh). In school I always wanted to do different things but instead I put myself in the background because I thought everyone would be judging me on my weight. I really disliked who I was!! I always thought the world only welcomed skinny people!! Then I got older and wanted to make changes so I lost weight the fast way. Then I started dating my guy and gained it all back, which put me in my lowest self esteem EVER!! (I tried not to show it but I truly gave up on myself) I didn’t go out much. I didn’t take some opportunities because I was really in a BATTLE with myself! I was unhealthy physically and mentally! However, last year I had enough. I wanted to be at my full potential. I wanted to start a journey that would be a lifestyle change for me. It wasn’t just about losing weight, it was also about gaining who I knew God wanted me to be! I ate better and really started getting my business together. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week for an hour. I do cardio (40 mins) and weight training(20 mins)! I’ve added lots of fruits and green vegetables to my plate and cut out a lot of red meat (I eat red meat occasionally). I rarely go to fast food restaurants because that once was my weakness! Im just really enjoying this lifestyle change. I feel great! I wanted to be the best T’Ericka Tifany-Joy Mullen There was!! I WANTED THIS FOR ME!!! That’s why this 50 pound weight loss means so much to me! It makes me feel accomplished! I feel like I graduated from who I was and walked across the stage to who I always knew I had the potential of being!! I not only burned away some pounds but I burned my past hurts, my low self esteem, etc. I am still a work in progress but I refuse to go back to who I was physically and MENTALLY. This Journey wasn’t just about weight loss it was about gaining me back!! God Bless!

Tanya lost 80 pounds with weight loss surgery

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Tanya who has lost 80 pounds.  This petite 5 foot tall lady was dealing with polycystic ovarian syndrome, insulin resistance and high blood pressure.  Weight loss surgery worked for her.  Here is what she shared about her weight loss journey:

Hi my name is Tanya and I just wanted to share part of my weight loss journey. My highest recorded weight was 301 pounds at 5 feet tall. I suffered from pcos (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which causes one to be insulin resistant, along with a slew of other problems. I also was suffering from high blood pressure. While in school, preparing to be a medical assistant, I noticed I was eating more, moving less and tiring easy.  I was opting for the elevator from the first floor to the second floor. Not liking this feeling or the way I looked, I was motivated to do something…but what? I had already failed at every diet under the sun so I decided to talk to the surgeon who had previously removed my gallbladder and have gastric bypass surgery.

On 12/18/12 my surgery was performed. Now, almost 10 months later, I’m down 80 pounds. I eat dramatically different now; low carb, low fat and very small portions. I also workout five times a week. Recently, I added strength training to my exercise program. It’s not a quick fix.  Surgery is not a easy way out.  There are plenty of days when I want to give up but I don’t want to go back to high blood pressure.  My blood pressure  has been great since the day after surgery. I also don’t want to trade my size 18 jeans back in for size 28. God has blessed me. I have none of the bad side affects associated with gastric bypass surgery. Even though I suffer from severe depression and bipolar disorder, for the most part I’m happy knowing that I’m on the right track to a healthier me.

Tanya weight loss story

Patrina lost 31 pounds

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Patrina lost 31 pounds.  This proud mom and grandmom used her grandson as motivation to fight obesity. Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Patrina (PJ) and I’ve been living the healthy lifestyle since April 2012. I weighed in at 205 pounds. I am now at 174 pounds. It’s been a journey but one I will not give up on. I’m 37 years old and I have a 3 month old grandbaby that I want to see grow up and play with. He has been my motivation as well as not be a statistic for obesity. I want to lose about 30/40 more lbs. I went from a 16w and now wearing a size 14 comfortably. Trying to get to a size 10/12 and about 155/160. Took a physical for insurance and they stayed I am in perfect healthy just need to lose weight because by their charts I’m obese.

This picture is a 6 months difference. I did this with diet and now exercising 5 times a week. Still have 20 more pounds I want to lose.  This page/pictures and stores have been a great motivation to me. Thanks for creating this page for Black Women.

Trina weight loss story Patrina weight loss photos

Yvonne lost 43 pounds

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Update May 2016 – It’s been almost 3 years since we shared Yvonne’s story. She gained many pounds back over the years, but a year ago she made the decision to change her life again. She’s lost a total of 70 pounds.

yvonne before and after

“I was featured once before on your site in 2013. Basically, I’d gone on a diet and began exercising, which led to losing 43 pounds. My reason for wanting to lose the weight at the time was to be able to fit into my clothes again. Shortly after being featured, I went back to all my old eating habits. Needless to say, all my weight returned and then some. My blood pressure also began to elevate. I was tired and drained all the time. I really didn’t even want to go to the doctor’s for my yearly physical. Finally, I got up the nerve to go, and suprisingly I was given a clean bill of health. I made up in my mind that day to take charge of my health. As of May,  it’s been a year since I re-started my journey. I have lost a little over 70 lbs. I refuse to look back!”

yvonne weight loss story

Oct 2013 – Since April 2013, Yvonne has lost 43 pounds after years of yo-you dieting.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

“I’m on a journey to a healthier me. I will be 43 years old in November. For the past 12 years, I have been a yo- yo dieter. I never wanted to put in the time to exercise and always wanted a quick fix. In April 2013, the elevator at my job was down and I had to walk up the steps. I felt like I was going to pass out half way up and I was totally disgusted with myself when I got to the top of stairs. To top it off, I had to teach on the heart that afternoon. I kept hearing my own words that day. I said, ” The heart is a little bigger than an adult fist and it pumps five liters of blood through the body every 8 seconds.” I knew my heart had to be having difficulty doing such a job and I had not done any cardio in years to help strengthen it. I started exercising consistently from that day forward! I could barely walk a mile, now I run 3 miles a day, 4 times a week. I cut out sodas, chips and junk food and I have lost 43 pounds. I have 40 pounds to go. My starting weight was 250 pounds. (It even hurt to type that) I feel great and everyday I’m excited to be on this journey (a lifelong journey)! The following photos are from April, August and September!”

Yvonne weight loss success story