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Jessie lost 69 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Instagram Diva Jessie lost 69 pounds.  She posts her progress, workouts and photos of what she is eating on Instagram.  I love that because it can help keep you accountable and inspire others to do what you do.  Here is what she had to say about her weight loss transformation:

Jessie weight loss before and after

“I am a mother of three beautiful children, student and a newfound gym lover. I’d gotten to the point where I felt I could not lose weight because I had children. I ate whatever I wanted and didn’t work out at all after I had my kids. However, the reason I didn’t lose weight was because I found excuse after excuse not to do so. In May 2013, I was tired of being unhappy with myself so I began working out and eating clean. Since then, I’ve lost 69 pounds by just working out and eating clean.

I work out 5-6 times a week doing weightlifting and cardio. I never knew how much this would change my life. This has become a passion for me to help others find happiness through self love and taking care of their health. Obesity runs in my family, as well as diabetes. Now that I understand how important eating right and exercising is I have began to help my family and others by informing them of things to help them on a journey to better health. I started my journey at 244 pounds and I am currently 175 pounds! I’m not done yet!

This is not a quick fix it has become a lifestyle for me. To me its about so much more thank being skinny. It’s about being physically strong? Mental strong, lean and in overall good health. If I can do it with 3 kids, you can too! Just believe in yourself and keep in your mind that “Failure is not an option!”
Feel free to follow my journey on Instagram @creolebabii_fitness where I show you videos of some of my workouts, my meal preps, and pictures of my journey from start. Let’s motivate and support each other! We’ve got this!”

Jessie weight loss photos

 

Terkeisa lost 60 pounds

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Terkeisa lost 60 pounds by cutting out junk food and soda.  She embraced healthy eating and consistent exercise. Here is her weight loss story:

Terkeisa before and after weight loss

“My name is Terkeisa Brown and I’m 32 years of age. I have battled with my weight for my entire life. I’m 4’11” and at my highest weight I was 230 pounds. I decided to start losing weight in September of 2012 by cutting out sodas and McDonald’s. I started walking at least a mile a day and drinking plenty water. By November of 2012, I had dropped 25 pounds. In December of 2012, I found out I was pregnant. During my pregnancy, I wanted everything I ate to be healthy. I didn’t want to get back on the wrong track.  I had my third son on August 4,2013 and a week later I was back to walking two to three miles a day and making sure not to eat any processed foods or soda. I also ate plenty of fish and chicken.  I love the George Foreman grill so I grill everything. By my 6 week check up, I was down to 187 pounds and after that I started going to the gym 4 to 5 days a week. I started off doing nothing but cardio at the gym. Now I go 3 to 4 days a week and I still do a lot of cardio but I’m also lifting weights now, trying to tone my arms, thighs and legs. My current weight is 170 pounds.  Before and After photo: In the first pic I was 230 pounds.  In the second I was 205 pounds and the last is at my current weight of 170 pounds.

My advice to all my beautiful black women that are trying to lose weight is to start off slow and make sure that you’re mentally ready. You may fall off the wagon but you can get right back on. Make lifestyle changes! Start by taking things out of your diet that are bad for you, like fried foods, sweets and soda. Try challenging yourself to see how long you can stay on the treadmill or how many miles you can walk. Most importantly do it for you and love yourself ladies. I’m on Facebook: Terkeisa Brown and Instagram: @hellonheels81 if anyone wants to contact me!”

What You Should Eat & When You Should Eat to Lose Pounds

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timing eating weight lossThe body has a rhythm to its metabolism that is circadian, that means it follows the daylight cycle. Your metabolism doesn’t just turn on to a set speed when you eat or exercise. Depending on what time of day it is the metabolism will act slower or faster naturally (for most people, that is. Health issues can affect this cycle). This is why learning what to eat and when you should eat it to get the most from your diet is essential. As science discovers more about how our bodies work, you will be surprised to find out that some age old advice about when to eat has always been right, and there are some new findings that may  turn the typical diet advice on its head. It is important to remember that your body is also going to adjust to your cycle, so you may have a different metabolic rhythm if you work nights than someone who works days and that needs to be considered when structuring you eating times.

How many times should you eat and what should be on your plate?

Most medical doctors, nutritionists and scientists are in agreement that you are better off eating six small meals a day rather than the traditional three. You should, however, make two of those meals slightly larger than the others to maximize your metabolism. Breakfast remains the single most important meal of the day, but lunch has also proven to be important. Of all of your meals, the lunch meal should be the largest. The rest of your meal times should be much smaller, especially your final meal before sleeping. Eating this frequently provides your body with a constant food source to prevent it going into starvation mode where it will hoard fat for fear of hunger and let you get your maximum nutrition when your body’s metabolism is at its speediest (during the day when you are burning calories and moving).

Recommended times for eating lots of carbs, protein, fats, drinking water,

One surprising essential for all meals is fiber and protein. Every meal you eat, no matter what the size or time, should be balanced more towards the inclusion of fruits and proteins. When to eat your carbs and fats, which are both essential for proper body function, is a bit trickier. More of your carbs should be taken in during breakfast and more fats during lunch. Make sure the carbs you are eating for breakfast don’t come loaded with things you don’t want, such as sugary pastries and donuts.  Make sure the fats you eat are good fats, such as the Omega 3s. This means yes to the oatmeal at breakfast and yes to fish at lunch, which can also provide you with protein as well. Don’t make the common mistake of “carb loading” before or after a workout. A reasonable portion of healthy carbs will give you a good energy source for your workout but you want your body to use the existing fat it already has stored during the workout to give it a constant and controlled supply of energy to promote weight loss. All meals should include water and water should also be consumed in-between meals. Drinking water 20 to 40 min before you eat to help you feel full and make sure you don’t confuse the feeling of being thirsty with being hungry.

Eating late

Eating late is both recommended and to be avoided. You should be eating a light meal an 2 hours or so before bed that does include some carbs, but not so much fat or protein. Carbohydrates digestion aids sleep, and it will also serve to make you feel slightly fuller in the morning to prevent overeating at breakfast. Don’t load up on a huge plate of pasta though because your metabolism is much slower when you sleep and you will be more apt to store fat than to use the carbs as fuel at night.

Christina lost 42 pounds

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Christina.  She lost 42 pounds with Weight Watchers, changing her eating habits and exercising.  Here is what she shared with us:

Christina weight loss story

“Hi, I just wanted to share a weight loss story. Back in March of 2012 I found out I was pregnant. I gained 65 pounds with the pregnancy and my baby boy was born December 5, 2012.  I reached my highest weight in April 2013. I was at 303 pounds. Since then, I have gotten down to 261 pounds. I’m not done yet, but I’m excited that I have lost 42 lbs.  It has been a struggle, but I’m excited. I have about 20 or so pounds to go but I know now what my faults are and I’m working on changing those.

I’ve done Weight Watchers, but mostly I’ve changed my eating habits and exercised like crazy. Instead of reaching for chips and cookies, I replaced them with almonds and yogurts (not all the time, but enough to make a difference). I also started eating lighter at dinner instead of heavy meals. I also found out when I was eating right and my weight was stalling, I would have a dr. pepper a few times a week. Once I stopped drinking soda for a week I dropped pounds. For exercise, I did Zumba on Xbox Kinetic, walking videos by Leslie Sansone and a variety of videos on Comcast on Demand. Also, I started exercising for an hour to an hour and a half some days.  I still have some work to do but at 42 lbs down I’m excited. This page has helped me a whole lot. Thank you!” – Christina

LaNita lost 67 pounds

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Weight Loss Success Story: LaNita lost 67 pounds by working out regularly, seeking the advice of a personal trainer and changing her eating habits.  Now, she leads weight loss challenges at work and gives advice to others.  Here is her weight loss story:

The picture on the left is from Oct 2012. The picture on the right is from Jan, 1 2014.

LaNita weight loss success story

I can remember the day I decided to change. It was June 30th 2012. My little brother was having a show on a hot and humid South Carolina summer. I was dancing, drinking, and having a ball with my friends. I walked passed a full mirror and I did not recognize myself. I was unhappy with the way I looked. I knew I was beautiful, intelligent, street savvy, a good mother, an excellent girlfriend, had a great career; but these things were not enough for me. “Why can’t I stay with a diet?” “Why can’t I stick with exercising?” I don’t want to die over something I had ultimate control over.

That night as we sat in a bar and I ate on hot wings and drank a beer, I looked to my friends and told them that this was the last day I was going to live like this. “I need motivation!” All they kept saying was you just got to push yourself and stay with it. Honestly I wanted to say, but you guys don’t! I didn’t, thank god, because maybe they are happy where they are. At that moment I realized that this was not going to be a team effort. If I wanted change, I had to do this on my own. I could not expect anyone to make this change with me. When I got home, I lay in bed with my beautiful daughter and started to think back on my pregnancy. I had gestational diabetes and ended up with pre-clampsia. I ate the healthiest while pregnant then any other time in my life. That’s when it hit me. Life was my motivation, living life and inspiring a balanced life. I thank my baby girl for reminding me of that.

The next day I got on the scale at 270 pounds. I wanted to cry and fallout, but I took it as the start and that next time, it will be less. I started working out on my own around the house and outside. I started jogging and did work out videos two to three times a week. I notice about 2 months in that I was starting to get bored. The following month, I barely exercised at all. I told myself that I was going to go to the gym and get a trainer. That’s exactly what I did. I started working out at Gold’s 4 days a week and meeting my trainer once every two weeks. He taught me how to eat. Eating is always the hard part, but I felt full all day as long as I followed the plan. I eat a low carb diet with lean meats of roughly 1250 calories. I have three full meals and two snacks. My exercises include two days of strength training, two days of RPM, and in between I do fun activities with my baby girl to keep her healthy. She loves jump roping and racing! December 14 2013, was the last day with my trainer. I slowly stepped on the scale and it read 203 lbs! I was very happy. It took a year and a half to get there. It was not easy at all but losing 67 lbs felt awesome. My work is not done. I want to lose another 30. I feel great and my baby girl lets mommy know all the time that she is proud of me. I do a lot of research on foods and health now. I even give people advice and do weight loss challenges with co-workers and friends all the time. Last year, my job lost 77 lbs all together due to a challenge I started. My greatest challenge is that with this lifestyle change, I could no longer be the party girl. It took people a long time to adjust; some people even stopped hanging out with me. In the end, all I got is this one body and this one life. The party aspect can change. The best advice someone gave me when for weight loss was, “take your time and have fun with it.” That was the best advice and I give people this advice all the time.”

Weight Loss Transformation: Nakeisha lost 43 pounds

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Amazing Weight Loss Story: Nakeisha of Fit4Life Sisters wrote in to share her amazing transformation.  Her story is very inspiring and her results are awesome!  She lost 43 pounds but it looks like she lost much more.

Nakeisha before and after

What was your motivation?
My motivation is God and my family. I wanted my children to see an example of a healthy and fit mom. I want it to be “normal” for them to work out and eat right.

How did you change your eating habits?
“As far as my eating, from the start of my journey I wasn’t really strict in that area. I don’t count calories. I just try my best to make healthy food choices. I stick with lean meats like chicken, fish or turkey. I still have beef from time to time. Veggies, fruits, whole grains, etc. I just recently started eating clean. For the most part I try to eat clean 80% of the time. When I’m making healthy eating choices I google healthy meal ideas. It can be very helpful. My water intake has increased. Everyday I drink half my body weight in ounces.”

What did your workout routines look like?
“I did TaeBo most of the time because it’s such an awesome workout! For strength training, I did a variety of Jillian Michaels workouts. I tried to strength train starting out 2-3 times a week. I did some of your basic abdominal exercises. My favorites are crunches, reverse crunches, plank, toe touches, leg raises and swipes. Currently, I strength train 6 times a week. I’m working different muscle groups each day. I feel FITabulous!”

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
“185 pounds was my starting weight and now I fluctuate between 142 -145  pounds.”

How long did your transformation take?
“It took me 18 months.”

What advice to you have for others who want to lose weight?
“Hard work pays off!! Even when you think it’s not working keep pushing because it is. I’m a 32 year old mom of three children that did this at home. Regardless if you work out at home or at the gym there are no excuses. You can do this but it’s up to “you” if it happens or not. I had to push myself. I’ve attempted to do this for years and failed. What I did differently this time was tell myself I will never give up regardless of how long it takes me. This is for life. I’m also 8 months post open abdominal hysterectomy. I lost my weight with two very large cantaloupe size cysts on my ovaries. My doctor was surprised I did all of this. Thank God I got in shape because it made recovery an awesome one. It’s truly an honor and a blessing to encourage others.”

Check her out on Facebook: Fit4Life Sisters

Nakeisha weight loss

 

The Basics of Weight Loss

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basics of weight lossCertain things never change and how to effectively lose weight and keep it off is one of those areas of life. Here are the basics of weight loss that can work for almost anyone*.

Eat Real Food

If you can do nothing else but eat real food, you are more likely to begin to lose weight and see your health improve. The simplest rule of thumb about dieting is if it has been packaged, processed, sealed, doused with chemicals or otherwise prepared by a machine – don’t eat it/avoid it. If you don’t have time to cook every day, find time to cook once a week and prepare your meals in advance.  If you can’t eat the most real, natural foods…eat the best quality food that is available to you.  Read the labels to know what is in your food. Check out our Clean Foods List and get started today!

Don’t Starve

Restricting calories and starvation diets are two very different things. Don’t’ starve yourself because not only is it unhealthy, it’s a great way to gain weight. Surprised? The body has a self–preservation setting to prevent starvation that will cause it to hoard fat and make fat from whatever it gets if it is not getting nutrition on a regular basis. Starving can also slow down your metabolism.

No Fad Diets

Anything that promises you huge weight loss in a week is not the way to lose weight. You may drop more than 1 pound per week, but it will come flying back on (plus some) because losing more than a pound not only puts your body and mind into survival mode, but it means you aren’t creating a lifestyle change that will support keeping it off.  If you can’t see doing the diet as a lifestyle for the long term, you run the risk of gaining all the weight you lose right back.

Allow for Cheating

Cheating happens for a number of reasons but mostly because we all happen to live in real life. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but get back to your weight loss plan as soon as you can. You can cheat the cheating by pre-planning how you will do it. If the Donut shop is your downfall, pick the donuts you can cheat with. It can be surprisingly effective to give yourself permission to cheat with rules as a way to stay on your diet better.  Also, don’t do cheat days and cheat the whole day.  Try cheat meals twice a month or cheat snacks once in a while.

Count Calories and Read Food Labels

Read the labels on everything you eat and drink. Make sure you are aware of the calories you consume and what ingredients are making up those calories. One thing to pay very close attention to is the amount of servings per container. A product that may advertise that it only has 100 calories may have 4 servings included. If you drink or eat the whole thing, that is 400 calories. It pays to spend some time on the Internet looking up the local restaurants you go to, including the quick cheat stops, to find out the calorie content of their menu items. We have no excuse because we can look up calories and menus on our cell phones in an instant. More info on counting calories and how much food you should eat.

Shalonda lost 75 pounds

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Featured Weight Loss Success Story: Shalonda lost 75 pounds with Weight Watchers, ditching red meat and exercising regularly.  Find out more about her motivation and the details of her weight loss journey:

Shalonda before and after

“Hello, my name is Shalonda Robinson. I began my weight loss journey January 27, 2013. To date I have lost 75 pounds doing Weight Watchers. I have always had a weight issue since I was a little girl, but I never imagined I would balloon to over 300 lbs (At my heaviest I was 335 lbs.) after I had my daughter 17 years ago! It had gotten to the point where I was scared to go to sleep for fear I have a heart attack in my sleep. I was tired of my knees hurting, my feet swelling, and just generally not feeling good. I’m 42 and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger and it was only going to get worse. I want to be around for a long time, so I decided enough was enough. I still have 96 lbs to go and I’m determined to reach my goal and keep it off.

I decided to join Weight Watchers. Many people think it’s a diet but they truly teach you how to make smart and healthy decisions. I basically eat all day, but instead of snacking on a bag of chips or a candy bar, I opt for a fruit smoothie or raw veggies to satisfy that desire for crunch. I’ve cut out red meat and pork. That wasn’t something taught by Weight Watchers, however. Really, with Weight Watchers you can eat just about anything. It was a personal decision. I drink 80-96 oz of water daily. I’ve increased my fiber and multi grain intake. My exercise of choice is walking. I walk on the treadmill, while it’s been cold, for about 45 min 3-4 times a week, but I prefer walking the trails in the park. That’s just about it. I will admit, I could be further ahead, but when I slip, I don’t beat myself up over. I just dust myself off and start again. This is a battle I will always have, but I never feel defeated because it’s all in my hands.”

Shay weight loss story

Amberly lost 35 pounds

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Let’s show some love to Amberly.  She recently received negative feedback on Facebook from folks who felt it wasn’t right for her to post her bodybuilding bikini photos and be a Christian (more info in the video below).  She has also shared with us how she lost the weight and transformed her body to be competition ready and her advice for others.

Amberly before and after

“I lost 30+ lbs and celebrated by competing in the Mid-State Muscle Classic this month (Dec). I post of my transformation and meals on Instagram at @faithfitbeauty”

What was your motivation? “My motivation came from looking at other fit bodies on facebook pages, instagram profiles and staying connected to people on The Team Bombshell Fitness Social Network and Bodybuilding.com. I also had a workout partner that kept me encouraged and a NPC competitor friend from college that inspired me to compete before the end of the year. Now, I’m hooked!”

How did you change your eating habits? “I started with keeping it clean all week and allowing myself 1 cheat meal per week. Just one meal helped me not to binge. Then I started weighing food and actually prepping my meals 3 – 4 days in advance.”

Amberly weight loss photosWhat did your workout routines look like? “I started off doing a lot of HIIT exercises from the NIke Training Club app and after losing 20 lbs, I plateaud and joined Team Bombshell. The coaches with the team were able to get me smaller and tighter.”

What was your starting weight? “My starting weight was around 155 lbs. in January 2013”

What is your current weight? “I’m now around 120 pounds.”

How long did your transformation take? “I had been trying to lose weight since August 2012 with all types of fad diets. I even tried a really popular celebrity trainer/nutrition’s diet, but actually gained weight in certain phases of the diet plan. I learned a lot through that process and began to research why my body reacted certain ways with various foods. Figuring out how my body worked has helped me to continue a healthy lifestyle and keep cutting fat.”

What advice to you have for others who want to lose weight? “Don’t just ask someone to give you a health plan, but rather research for yourself on reputable sites. Pay attention to your body and how it reacts to various foods. Be consistent in your training and clean eating, fail and then allow yourself time to get it right.”

http://faithfitbeauty.weebly.com/

Amberly bodybuilding competitor transformation

Shadonna lost 100 pounds

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Weight loss surgery worked for Shadonna.  This proud mom lost 100 pounds after years of dieting and being diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure.  Here is what she shared about losing the weight:

“My name is Shadonna Cornish and I’ve been having problems with my weight for over 10 years. I tried every weight loss plan and diet I could think of, even diet pills. I continued to be unsuccessful, so I began to live with it and except it. I began to define my self as a big girl. As I did that I was ok with it for a while but about 5 years ago I found out I had diabetes. So, I tried the weight lost thing again still no success. Then 2 1/2 years ago, I was told I have high blood pressure and also heart problems. At 340 pounds I had to look at myself and I came to the realization that I was on a one way ride to death. I started to speak life into myself and told myself saying “I SHALL LIVE AND NOT DIE”!!! I began to look at the surgery and my heart was set on the sleeve but the gasic bypass was the best one for me. I was so scared and wasn’t sure I wanted to follow through with surgery but I had to keep telling myself “I SHALL LIVE AND NOT DIE”, so that meant I had to do something. On June 18, 2013, I had gastric bypass weight reduction surgery and began to live again. Today, I’m 100 pounds down and I’m so grateful I decided to live. To all the women who tried everything in your own power to lose weight and still struggling with this issue, I say that the surgery is here to help you Live AND NOT DIE… Make your choice today… My motivation is definitely my children.”

Shadonna weight loss surgery