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Pamela lost 32 pounds

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Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight love to Pamela!  She lost 32 pounds.  She credits 22 pounds of her weight loss to following our monthly challenges.  Here is what she had to say about losing the weight:

In the before picture I was 202 pounds! I was losing weight slowly but it was when I started the Black Women Losing Weight challenges six months ago.  That allowed me to lose 22 of my 32 pounds. I did the exercise that was given to us in the challenges! I also go to the gym at least 3 times a week.  There, I do the treadmill for at least 45 minutes.  At the gym, I focus on a different body part each day, but I always do abs before starting my workout.

I changed my eating habits, cutting back on sodas, junk food and fried foods. Black Women Losing Weight has really been a blessing to me and I can’t wait to start the next challenge!!

What was your motivation:

I would always asked my doctor for weight loss pills because I wanted the easy way out.  Because of my high blood pressure she wouldn’t give me any.  I knew I didn’t wanna continue to take blood pressure pills, so I decided to do the next best thing which was walking going to the gym.  The weight was coming off slowly and then I ran across BWLW and that really got me motivated.  BWLW along with husband being their to support me and work out with me was the perfect combination!  Now, I have a lower dosage of blood pressure medicine.  I’m gonna continue the challenges, lose weight and get off the medicine completely!  My current weight is 170 pounds and my goal is 150 pounds.

Pamela weight loss photos

 

Bebe lost 30 pounds

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Bebe who lost 30 pounds and lots of inches.  She wrote in to share her weight loss story.  Here is what she shared:

bebe weight loss

My weight loss journey started back in 2003 at my heaviest weight.  I was 360 pounds. From 2003 to 2007, I lost a total of 160 pounds, of course I had my ups and down. The problem was I did all the fad diets and workouts out there from not eating to doing too much cardio. Sadly, I gained back 100 pounds from 2008 to 2012. I started to get depressed and unhappy with my weight, until my trainer Skip introduced me to his nutrition and workout program.  On January 1, 2013, My life changed big time.  Not only did I learn how to eat and lose weight, but he clarified a lot of workout and diet myths that I’d followed in my past. From January to May, I lost 30 lbs, 27 inches totally body and 5% body fat, Unfortunately, I got sick in May.  I wasn’t able to workout for 8 weeks and was on meds that made me gain 15 lbs and inches back. Although, I was discouraged Skip never gave up on me. On June 23, 2013 I started back on the program and since then I’ve lost 15 lbs, 2% body fat and 15 inches. I have a long way to go, but I will persist. We’ve made great progress so far in the 8 weeks we have been working together. We do mainly strength training and minimal cardio. The journey continues. If you would like to follow me on the journey to healthy body weight and composition…
Instagram: @bebeskipintoshape
My trainer has a lot of information he shares via Instagram and on Facebook
@skipfitness on IG
Skip’s Fitness on Facebook

BebeSept13

Keena lost 58 pounds

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Weight loss story of the day: Keena of New York lost 58 pounds and now she helps others to get fit and healthy.   She had to battle with a number of medical issues, like Lupus and Mixed Connective Tissue disease.  Now, she is a trainer.  Here is what she shared with us:

Keena weight loss

My name is Keena Laster. My journey towards weight loss began in June 2009. During the time, I was commuting back and forth over 4 hours a day, not eating correctly and not exercising. One day while my family members were visiting me, I began to feel weak. I was tired and unable to function. I had to go to the emergency room that night to make sure that my blood pressure was not too low. Upon my initial exam and blood work they found that my red blood cell count was down (4.7). Doctor inquired about me possibly having an accident and was bleeding internally or not. He informed me at that time that I had to stay in the hospital for blood transfusion to figure out what was wrong.

In December 2009, I was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue disease by my Rheumatologist and tested positive for Lupus. During this journey, I was prescribed anti-malaria medication, psychotropic medication (for anxiety/panic attacks) and antibiotics to fight off any types of infections. I was not taking care of my body, spirit and mind. I was required to report to the hematologist every month, the rheumatologist monthly and my primary care physicians. All of the concerns were heightened by my weight of 200 pounds and my stress levels. I struggled with weight loss and weight gain for the following year and a half. I began to realize that the symptoms that I had were better when I lost weight and changed jobs.

After my last blood transfusion, I was cleared to do low impact exercises. I developed a habit of walking around the block in my neighborhood and tried to use mass transit in NYC to get my strength back and hit the gym. I was not effective with executing exercising while on my own.

In November 2011 my family member introduced me to a personal trainer/life coach. I begin with three times weekly and started to feel great. My blood count was beginning to get higher and my red cells were developing normally. In the interim I was able to stop the fibromyalgia in the fingers by beginning with low weights and reps to develop strength and balance. For the first two months, I was at three times weekly. At the end of February 2012, I started training three days one on one training and two days with group training. My journey begin to show results by May 2013. BMI was at 29%.  I am happy to say with my results and the understanding of how to teach Pilates, Cross fit, boxing and running with the trainer five days a week, I am now a fitness trainer helping others like myself.  I am proud to share this story since I have committed myself to working towards helping others overcome obesity, bad diet practices and corrective exercises (universalfitnessbx.com). I am now at 142 lbs with 21.89% BMI and 22% body fat.

My eating habits changed drastically. I was never much of a heavy eater.  I skipped meals and ate sugary foods, junk food everyday. I researched clean eating habits through different sites.  Working with my trainer and life coach, I eliminated all foods containing refine sugar, stopped eating breads, ate a minimum of 4-5 times daily so I can train and have the ability to tone and gain healthy muscles. I cook with virgin olive oils, brown rice, eat vegetarian foods and eat lean red meats a maximum of two times a month.

Loretta lost 109 pounds

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Weight Loss Success Story of the Day: Loretta lost 109 pounds.  She put together her own healthy, effective weight loss and exercise plan.  She has even helped a friend lose 43 pounds since April.  She’s proof that if you do your research and consistently follow a weight loss regime that works for you, weight loss will come.  Here is what she shared with us:

My motivation was that I wanted to LIVE.  I learned that everything that tastes good isn’t always good for you and that I was killing myself with food. I created a healthy meal plan for me that lays out my meals two weeks at a time. I changed my eating habits by eating small, healthy meals every two/three hours and drinking plenty water. My workout routine: I workout everyday for 45 minutes to an hour. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’m doing cardio exercise.  On Tuesday and Thursday, I’m doing muscle toning. On Saturdays, I run up 5 flights of stairs 4/5 times for cardio. My staring weight was 330 pounds and my current 221 pounds. Yea!!! I started this journey on August 2011, a month after losing my mother to lung cancer. I felt off track because I was depressed about the absence of my mother and sister. I got back on track in June 2012 and I haven’t look back. I still have 30 more lbs to go to reach my weight loss goal.  This hasn’t been a easy journey but I’m motivated to lose the weight for good. One of my close friends started working out with me on April 12, 2013 and she’s now 43 pounds lighter.

Loretta's weight loss story

The Basics: What is Paleo?

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Paleo is an eating plan where you eat the foods that your body was made to eat through years of evolution. The concept is that you will be eating foods that your “ancestors” secured by hunting and gathering. You can eat foods such as fish, lean meat, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits. On this diet you will not eat foods that are made by modern means of production such as processed foods, as well as grains and dairy.  People on the Paleo plan also stay away from legumes (beans and peanuts).  The focus is on foods that are specifically made for the human body to burn fat, recognized by the body as food more than as chemicals or toxins and that help you to have optimal energy.

going paleoNow…As with ANY diet plan or meal plan YOU have to modify it to make it work for you.  There is no One-Size-Fits All Plan!

That’ being said, I do have some issues with this diet, let me say that upfront.  The first criticism I have of this diet is that it doesn’t take into account various cultures around the world and access to foods regionally.  I think it’s focused on what ancestors of people of Euro-decent would have eaten.  The diet recommended may not have been the Paleo era eating of those in Africa, South America, Asia, etc.  Availability of things like fish or certain fruits would have affected how much early people would have eating certain things.  There are a number of Paleo plans out there, so some have dealt with this issue which is great, but not many.

My second criticism is that as a long term plan, the lack of carbs and the cost of eating this way could be prohibitive for some people. I suggest that you eat any veggie or fruit you want if you are considering this way of eating long term.

Lastly, there are SO many Paleo plans and books.  Some say dairy is ok.  Some say potatoes are good in moderation.  You just have to remember that you are dealing with a theory…and that not everyone agrees with what our ancestors ate and what we should eat.  There should be no surprise about that…look at all the diet plans out there!

Ultimately, only you can decide, through trail and error, what works for your body.  Trying Paleo could help you figure that out, but it’s not going to answer all the questions and issues you have for you.

That being said, let me breakdown the basics of Paleo.  Here are some benefits that you may encounter from eating this way:

  • Removes most trans-fat and processed sugars from your diet
  • Healthy fats from fish, nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil
  • More stable blood sugar
  • Reduced allergies, especially for those with issues with dairy and wheat products
  • Weight loss due to cutting out a lot of junk and processed foods
  • Clearer skin
  • Less inflammation
  • Eating more nutrient dense foods

What foods to you avoid on a Paleo Diet?

Grains and Beans

On the Paleo diet you will completely cut out grains and legumes (beans and peanuts). Many studies say that the human body was not made for eating grains and those grains can actually harm the body, but that is still debated. However, one of the main benefits to avoiding grains is that foods that contribute to weight gain, like bread, pasta and baked goods will be avoided as well. Those of you on low-carb plans know the benefits of avoiding grains very well.  Also, there is a huge gluten-free movement going on.   Many people find themselves allergic to gluten and whole grains which can cause digestive issues and in some cases neurological issues.  Some people just feel better in general when they don’t eat grains. In order to follow this diet you will be cutting the majority of grains out of your diet and focusing more on vegetables to replace them.

Processed Foods

Many processed foods can contain nasty chemicals and preservatives that early man wouldn’t have encountered (even our grandparents’ food didn’t have some of these chemicals)  Some of these chemicals and additives can be highly addictive to people, such as MSG.  The simple carbohydrate content in processed foods is one of the main reasons why obesity and diabetes is running rampant throughout the world. Processed foods can trick the chemistry in the brain and lead to the person craving processed foods all the time. Many are also high in calorie content and fat content (trans-fat and saturated fat). On Paleo, you cut out the majority of the processed foods from your diet, if not all. It may be hard to cut out all the processed foods but over time you will learn not to eat any of those foods and what to replace them with that is Paleo approved. Remember to watch out for processed meats (read the label). Sometimes a first time Paleo dieter may think that it is ok to eat any meat however most processed meat, such as sandwich meat, is highly processed, full of sodium and not good for you.

Sugar

Refined sugar is something that you will need to avoid if you plan on doing a Paleo diet.  Concentrated sugar is not naturally meant for the body and can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels affecting various systems of the body.  High sugar consumption can lead to diabetes and many other problems, as well as weight gain. You will be cutting out all forms of sugar except for fruit which has all natural sugars.  Some people on Paleo do use Raw, unprocessed honey.

Foods to Eat on Paleo

These foods are important to consume and you will find that you are allowed to eat a good bit more than expected on the Paleo diet.

  • Meats. Any type of unprocessed meat whether it is chicken breast, beef, turkey, bison or some other form.  You should seek out the best quality that you can afford and find.
  • Fish. Fish is also an important staple of Paleo dieting. You can eat whatever type of fish that you want, however organically grown fish are highly recommended.
  • Vegetables. Any and all vegetables that are grown are a great part of the Paleo diet. You can have as many vegetables as you like. Organic and all natural is preferred.
  • Fruit. All fruit is recommended under the Paleo diet. Fruits like blueberries that are full of antioxidants are highly recommended to consume.
  • Nuts
  • Healthy, Natural Fat/Oils

You can find ideas for menus and recipes online.   There are also many books dedicated to the world of Paleo eating.

Paleo for Beginners: Essentials to Get Started

Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle

Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

The Paleo Diet Revised: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat

Lakeishea lost 45 pounds and opened a fitness ministry

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Lakeishea lost 45 pounds and opened a fitness center/ministry.  I love that she lost weight AFTER she started the fitness ministry.  It wasn’t just for others, God have her a vision to help herself as well.  She listened to that direction and has the victory in her health and fitness.  She lost the weight by helping others…that is awesome. Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Lakeishea.  I’m the 31 year old owner/instructor/motivator of Faith & Fitness Studios in North Carolina! Back in October 2012, God gave me a vision to start a fitness class that would benefit the physical, mental, and spiritual side of health for the women, men and teens in the area! So, with God, my mom, husband, step mom and friend Jessica’s help on January 1, 2013 Faith and Fitness Studios was birthed! With the program God has given me, since January 2013, I have lost 45 pounds, 4 inches off my waist, dropped 2 dress sizes and gained muscle mass in areas that I never had when I was in high school! God is so awesome and I thank him daily for giving me this vision and awesome MINISTRY to be a help for others!!!

I was 220lbs when in October 2012, God gave me a vision to start a fitness class that would benefit the physical, mental, and spiritual side of health for the women, men and teens in the area! So I started changing the way I ate first! I started eating more fruits, veggies and protein meats! Cut my calories down and started a fitness program that is changing lives in our area! I teach cardio boxing, cardio african dance, and cardio strength training classes to burn excessive calories!!

Check her out on Facebook.

Lakeishea faith and fitness studios

Sharee lost 40 pounds

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Update June 2016 – We shared Sharee‘s story 3 years ago and she recently wrote in to share an update. Since then, she gave birth and went through some ups and downs with her weight loss, but she got back on track and has lost a total of 72.2 pounds. Check out her update.

sharee before and after

I was featured on BWLW three years ago. Back then, I’d lost 45 pounds. Well, life happened, I had another baby and gained all that weight back… plus MORE! I stayed home with the baby for 18 months and just became lazy. I really let myself go and I was so depressed that I didn’t even want to be around family or go out in public. I knew I needed to do something, so I did.

I changed my eating habits by limiting my sugar and carbs intake. I rarely eat anything that is sweet. I drink close to a gallon of water each day. I didn’t use a specific plan or program. I just took the time to figure out what worked for me. Increasing my water intake has been a huge factor in my weight loss. 

At this time, I do not have a specific work out plan. I run after my two young children and work in child care, so that’s where most of my activeness comes in. However, I do plan on figuring out exercising routine soon. 

I have been back on this lifestyle journey, seriously, since December 2015. I have lost 72.2lbs thus far. I am nowhere near my goal weight, but I am closer today that I was yesterday. I went from a size XXL/XXXL to a comfortable XL. I went from a size 22/24 jeans to 16. I am 5’8″.

I know this journey can be hard, but you can do this. Remember why you want to change you life and stick with it. If you mess up, just pick yourself up and push forward. You are worth it!

Aug 2013 – Sharee lost 45 pounds on the Medifast program.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hello, my name is Sharee. My weight has been a struggle for me my WHOLE life! I have a two year old son and he was my main motivation. When I would play with my son, being that I am only 24 years old, getting out of breath in such a short period of time was a problem. I knew something had to be done! I am also a preschool teacher and that also requires a lot of moving. It became a struggle for me to get up and down. This is was NOT okay! I needed a life change and I needed it fast!

On March 15, 2013, I joined a weight control center called Medifast! Medifast has changed my life completely. I am on a Jump Start program which requires me to eat 5 of their supplement meals and then I eat a Lean and Green meal. This means that I eat anything LEAN, my favorite choices of course are baked or grilled chicken  The Green is easy…anything green. I normally choose 3 cups of raw spinach and 2 tablespoons of light balsamic dressing. I ONLY drink water, close to a gallon a day. On the Medifast program, the calorie intake is low so the only exercise that is required is light walking for an hour. Since I am a preschool teacher, I am constantly moving, running, jumping, and walking!

My starting weight at 5’7″ was 270 pounds and I currently when 225 pounds! I lost 45 lbs in three in a half months! I am still working towards my goal weight ,which is 165-170 pounds. I know that with God, my family and friends this journey will end with me on top. This journey has not been easy, but I am determined to reach my goal. Ladies, if I can do it I know you can!

Sharee weight loss story

Jonquil lost 59 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after: Nurse, college student and single mother Jonquil lost 59 pounds with diet and exercise. She knew that she needed to get healthy.  Here is what she shared with us:

Jonquil weight loss storyI was a fast food junkie and always on the go. My motivation came from a bet with my boyfriend. Whoever got to their goal the fastest won. I jumped on the bet right away because he and I are very competitive. I had to learn how to cook healthy foods and make them suitable to substitute fast food. I began to see change and so did my peers. I learned to love to eat healthy, especially on the go. I work out 5 days a week. I do 3 days of jogging and 2 days at the gym. My starting weight was 236 pounds and I am now 177 pounds. I’ve began my lifestyle change in November 2012. It’s been 8 months. I realized that dieting alone will not give me my permanent results, a lifestyle change was what I needed. I love working out now. The key to weightloss in my opinion is acknowledging your bad habits and knowing it will take time to adjust them. After I acknowledged my bad habits, I slowly learned to live without them. To this day, I fail and get back up, but I am successful with weight loss because I continue to get back up. I use weight training, whey protein, and cardio. I love my figure,  so I focus on squats and abdominal exercises, and jogging.  It works!  Eating habits: no fried foods, just baked and raw fruits and veggies. I suffer from acne and once I changed my diet, it has significantly decreased my acne.

Jonquil weight loss story

Kia lost 155 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Kia lost 155 pounds.  This 5’4″ mom has been dealing with her weight all of her life and had lap band weight loss surgery but gained the weight back.  She credits Weight Watchers, Zumba, bootcamp, walking and running as a big part of her transformation. Despite personal tragedy, she has pushed to be healthy and happy.  I think her story is moving and heartfelt.   Here is what she shared with us:

I am a married mother to two children, ages 2 and I have a very challenging,demanding career. This background information provides a little insight into what could be considered the chaos of my everyday life. It is challenging, yet can also be rewarding. It also doesn’t leave very much time for incorporating a healthy lifestyle that for 37 years, I did not employ. Change is definitely, in my opinion, one of the hardest thing for any person to accept because I believe you have to rediscover who you are! That is where my journey began!

I have been overweight all of my adult life. I started to gain weight as a pre-teen, around the age of 12. While in high school, my dad allowed me to sign up for NutriSystem. I was able to lose approximately 30 pounds, which put my weight at 168 pounds. I hated the food and the program was not sustainable because eating their food was the only key to success. Standing only 5″4″ tall, by the time I entered college, I weighed a whopping 210 lbs. The weight continued to snowball from there. When I returned home from college I weighed 260 pounds. I immediately joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. This also proved to be futile because I was not ready to change my eating habits. I loss no weight during this time. I quit!

Through the years, I tried and failed many times at all kinds of weight loss plans. Mostly crash dieting and extreme food depravation. I would lose weight for the short term, at times as much as 40 pounds, but I would shortly gain it all back plus a little more.

Kia weight loss story

I haven’t yet shared this part of my story with everyone because it is deeply personal, but I wanted to be totally honest.

By the age of 31, I was completely fed up with myself topping out at 319 pounds. This prompted my decision to go under the knife and have lap-band surgery. This has proven to be one of the worse decisions that I have ever made. Although this surgery probably assisted in me being able to get pregnant. Prior to the surgery, I did not have a consistent menstrual cycle for years. My doctor often told me that this was a side affect of being morbidly obese. After the surgery I immediately dropped 50 lbs and within a month I found out I was pregnant with my first born. I was over the moon with excitement and did not care that I had just invested a ton of money into the surgery. Within another 18 months I was pregnant again, but this time I wasn’t so lucky. I loss the son that I had prayed for after 5 months of pregnancy. This sent me into a tail spin. I had no outlet for stress. Eating was what provided comfort in any uncomfortable situation. I quickly started to put the pounds back on. By the grace of God, I was pregnant again within a year with another son who is now two years old. I never once had the lap band adjusted. I believe that even if I did adjust the band, it would not have sustained weight loss because I was not ready to change my mind about food. ]

During my second pregnancy I developed hypertension. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me at the age of 36, but I accepted it as my fate. I thought that I was just an overweight woman. I spent many years convincing myself that I had achieve the American dream because I had a husband, two children, four fish and two birds. What more did I need? I was worried about the life threatening effects of hypertension, but not enough to change my lifestyle.

On a random night out with my girlfriends, I was chatting with a stranger who happened to be really into fitness. We started to chat about my fitness journey and I have to admit I was pretty defeated. He encourage me to give it one more try, if not for myself, then for my children. The following Tuesday, January 17, 2012, I walked into Weight Watchers with a friend weighing in at 299.4 pounds. I initially only wanted to join for one month to see what it was all about, but after the first meeting I was hooked. I signed up to do it all. I wanted to work the plan to the fullest to see if I could do it. After the first week I was down 4 pound. The second week, I was down another 4 pounds. I thought that this was impossible. This continued for about a month and then the weight loss started to slow to about a pound per week. I realized then that I need to incorporate exercise into my plan. I have never been very patient, so I knew in order to stick with this I was going to need to see results… FAST!! I started doing Zumba on my WII 5 or 6 days a week with my husband and children. I followed this routine for months, barely missing a day. When the weather started to get warm, i signed up to start walking 5K’s. This changed my life. I started walking along the Chicago lakefront everyday 3 – 4.5 miles. By the end of July I was able to run the entire path, albeit slow, but I still did it. This started my “like” for running (I’m still not in love). Running for me is the time that I have quiet space, with just my thoughts and my breathing. I often cry when I run, but it’s a good cry, a release of emotion. I have found out from talking to other runners that this is a common phenomenon. Running allows me to be FREE of stress!

In September, it started to get cold and I started running on a treadmill! Boring! Yet again I had to be flexible if I wanted to stay on the path to weight loss. I was already down nearly 100 lbs, I couldn’t quit now. I joined a bootcamp with a friend. This is where I developed a love for circuit training. In October, I was referred to Andrea Nichols-Everett, who own D3: Dre’s Diesel Dome. I initially started doing the bootcamp only two days a week and I would run the other three days. After two months I was hooked and changed my program to Monday – Friday, while still running three days a week.

Today, I weighed in at 144 pounds at Weight Watchers. That puts my official weight loss at 155.4 pounds.  Slowly, but surely changing my mind about who I am has led me to change how I think about what i eat!

Jacquelyn lost 76 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Jacquelyn lost 76 pounds in 7 months by following the Weight Watchers plan and exercising hard.  Here is what she shared with us:

I’ve lost 76 pounds since Jan 1st, 2013.  My motivation is my mom,my son and my best friend. Weight watchers and exercising are the only things I used during my transformation.  I still have 40 more pounds to go.  I walk 4 miles a day and do Zumba 4 times a week.  I lift weights 2 times a week.

My motivation for losing weight was my family.   When I joined Weight Watchers, I loss 8 pounds in the first week and another 6 pounds the next week.My family cheered me on so that I didn’t want to stop. My eating habits were bad because I didnt have portion control.  My husband made me a man sized plate and I ate until it was gone and wanted more. I often went to bed full and miserable. Weight Watchers gave me the control I needed and helped me to not only understand food but underatand how it affected my body and weight loss. My starting weight was 285 on Jan 1st, 2013 and as of July 26th, I weigh 209.  I have loss 76 pounds. My workouts are continuous. At each moment of the day, I think about what I could be doing to help my journey.  I excercise about two and a half hours a day and most of that time is taken up by my daily walk/run regimen. I do zumba 4 times a week and I lift weights 2 times a week for toning purposes. My transformation took 7 months  I still want to loose avout 40 more pounds before I go into maintenance mode and I hope to do that by December of this year. My mom and my best friend are great supporters becauae we work out together everyday.

Jacquelyn weight loss story