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Sharon lost 113 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Sharon lost 113 pounds, down from 308 lbs at 5’4″.  After a wakeup call at the doctor’s office, she wanted to avoid any serious weight-related illnesses and live a healthy lifestyle. She shared with us about what steps she’s taken to change her life.

Sharon weight loss story

I began my weight loss journey after going for a routine check up, learning that I weighed 308 lbs and being categorized as “morbidly obese”! I cried like a baby! At 5’4″ tall and suffering from pain in my back and knees, I knew that I needed to do something. There was also the fact that my weight made me a candidate for health issues such as hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease.

In April of 2013, I begin to change my eating habits and incorporate exercise in my life. My doctor also provided me with a 1200 calorie eating plan that was very helpful. As of today, I weigh 195 pounds. I haven’t seen a number like that in over 25 yrs! I’ll be celebrating my 49th birthday next month and am in the BEST shape I’ve been in since high school (1984 graduate!!!) I continue to eat healthy, which for me is mostly proteins, fruits, veggies, and lots of water. I exercise regularly, whether I’m doing workouts at home or in the office, or going to the gym. I also make sure that I also get plenty of rest.

My goal is to get to 185 pounds, as well as tone my muscles. I know that this is a life long journey. As long as I continue to do the work, as well as with the support and encouragement I’ve received, I will reach my goal!

sharon before and after

Drea lost 21 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Drea lost 21 pounds but it looks like she’s lost even more.  She shares her commitment to changing her eating habits and working out regularly on Instagram as she documents her weight loss journey.  Here is what she shared with us about her progress so far…

Drea weight loss

 

My motivation was the fact that I didn’t like how I looked in clothes. I felt uncomfortable and even the biggest smile couldn’t hide that. I was inspired by other people losing the weight, and living healthy lifestyles.

I never ate breakfast, and would go almost all day until dinner time without eating. I had to train my body and mind that it was ok to eat every two to three hours and change to healthy snacks. I went Vegan for a while and I juice most of the time. I’m always switching between vegan, vegetarian, and eating meat. I also try to stop eating a lot of carbs and sweets *processed sugars*.

I go to the gym 6 days a week and I do at home workouts. I currently started a 3 month challenge to help others lose 10 percent of their bodyweight. I am looking forward to losing 100 more pounds. I lose inches faster than pounds, so the weight I lost looks different on my body. My starting weight was 290 pounds. My current weight is 269 pounds. I am 5’6″.

This journey have taken about 6 months. I wasn’t as dedicated the whole time. I’m determined to reach my goal now.  My advice to others is to STAY focused and motivated. Sometimes life gets in the way but this is YOUR life. Find out what works for your body type and go for it. Follow my progress on Instagram @infuse_fitness. Peace and love.

Drea before and after

 

One Year Later: Christina lost 100 pounds

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Update Jan 2017: Christina lost 103 pounds with healthy eating habits and a commitment to fitness. She’s kept the weight off for more than 2 years. Check out her story.

Christina weight loss

Since 2015, I did gain 12 pounds back, but have lost 6 of those pounds. I currently weigh 200 lbs right now. I still have the goal of reaching 185 pounds… 15 more pounds to go. It looks as if I will reach my goal by the end of January or sometime in February. What got me back on track was a fitness group full of ladies like me. We have one common goal: to be fit amd fab. Their motivation is mine. It’s through us sharing our struggles that we are able to keep going.

We featured Christina‘s story back in January 2014 when she wrote to us about losing 42 pounds. Now she’s lost 58 more pounds for a total of 100 pounds gone and she shared new before and after photos with us and some info on what she did to lose the weight…

Christina before and after

Hi, I would like to update my weight loss progress. When I was at my highest weight, I was 303 pounds. Today, I’m at 203 pounds after 21 months. I’ve lost 100 lbs! My motivation was to be healthy for my son.  Now, I want to go into under privileged communities and help people with exercise and healthy eating.  What I did to lose the additional pounds was run on the treadmill at least 5 to 6 days a week.  I also did ab workouts 3 days a week, weights 3 days a week and yoga on Sundays. I learned how to eat until satisfied not until I am stuffed.  I also learned how to watch what I ate and cut back on breads. I drank apple cider vinegar and made sure I drank at least 80 oz of water a day. I had setbacks but I kept pushing.  The shows “Biggest Loser” and “My 600 lb Life” kept me on track.

Read more about how she lost the weight with Weight Watchers and exercise…

Christina weight loss story
Photo from original post from 2014. 42 pounds down.

Melody lost 138 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Melody lost 138 pounds. After a wakeup call at the doctor’s office, this health warrior found a popular weight loss program that worked for her.  When they went out of business, she took her journey further and continued to thrive.  Here is what she shared with us about her lifestyle change…

melody before and after

My starting weight was 308 pounds. Stepping on the scale at the doctors office and hearing the nurse repeating those numbers was the reason I started this weight loss journey. I didn’t know where to start at first so I went to a LA Weight Loss Center at first. With them, I lost most of my weight, 110 pounds, within 16 months. I used their cook books and learned all about portion control. As far as exercise, the only exercising I did was cardio because I was educated about exercising. After 16 months with LA Weight Loss the company went out of business and I started on my own.

As I continued on, I learned more through reading articles and journals about how important weight training is. Strength training helps with maintaining weight loss and helps with defining curves, so I started to incorporate that as well. I now enjoy taking classes that incorporate weight lifting and boxing. I also work with a personal trainer twice a week to maintain my success weight of reaching 170 lbs. I have lost 138 pounds and have kept it off for 5 years now.

My diet consists of bison, fish, chicken and turkey and vegetables with every meal. I no longer eat pork or any other form of beef. I also have cut back on sweets but allow my self a treat now and then. I also cook 95% of my meals because it helps me to keep up with what I put in my body. I post to both my Facebook and instagram about my food choices and exercise for the day in hopes it motivates others to start or continue on their own weight loss success story and always open to answering any questions. I can be reached on Facebook at Melody Chase and Instagram @without_melody

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.

Update: Aliyah lost 68 pounds

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Update: Aliyah lost the weight and has kept it off.  We featured her back in July 2014 when she’d lost 66 pounds and now she’s down 68 pounds (down from 250 lbs) and getting more toned. Here is what she shared with us about her journey so far…

aliyah weight loss story

Good morning!!! I just wanted to give an update!!! You guys featured me back in July and I’ve only IMPROVED! I’ve not only kept off the weight I lost but my body is getting toned and my skin is getting tight! I haven’t lost any more weight but I have lost inches and and have definitely gained some much needed muscle! The last time I stepped on a scale I was 182 pounds but my size 12 jeans are falling off of me and my size medium shirts are huge! I’m in love with improving my body!

Instagram: @msupshur

Read more about how Aliyah lost the weight.

aliyah before and after

3 Ways to Make Money from Sharing Your Weight Loss Journey

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make money bloggingDid you know that you can make money from documenting and sharing your weight loss/healthy lifestyle transformation? If you’re unfamiliar with online business you might be surprised that even a fitness amateur may be able to create a side income or fund their journey to better health by creating a web presence.

First off, before delving into how to make money, you will need to figure out what type of web presence you want. Maybe you want a blog or you want to work solely through a social media platform like Facebook or Tumblr. Sometimes a combination of these is the best way to go. The decision is yours but the methods you can use to share your story may differ.  I always suggest a blog and a combination of social media channels like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.  Here are 3 ways you can monetize a website using this combination while sharing your weight loss and fitness journey.

(Note: I’m not making any promises that these methods will work for you, but these are time tested methods used by thousands of bloggers and website owners for make money. All 3 of these methods take time to be built up because you do need a thriving, regular audience interested in your site’s content to make it work.)

Don’t have a blog?  Here is a great guide we put together about how to get started with creating your blog today.

3 Ways to Monetize

There are many ways you can make money by blogging and sharing your story online but there are 3 main methods that can be most effective.

  • Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs are an easy but very effective ways of making money from your weight loss journey. As an affiliate you are granted a special link from the company’s website that you share with your audience. When someone in your audience clicks this link they are directed to the company where the can buy a products or products. Every sale made through your link grants you a certain % commission.

Affiliate links can show up as ads on your website/blog or be hyperlinked into a blog post when discussing a particular product, program or what have you. Affiliate commissions vary greatly based on the company but typically if you have a fairly large audience you can make it work.  Even with a smaller audience the key is getting regular traffic and a loyal readership who will be interested in the product and services you share. This is especially true if you’re audience is apt to purchase an expensive piece of equipment like a treadmill or home gym.

More and more companies offer affiliate programs now. You can either do a Google search for fitness or weight loss-related programs or check the websites of companies you use and love (look for a site map or footer links) to find a page about affiliate programs. If you can’t find the info online, you can always contact the company and ask them about partnerships and affiliate opportunities. Also, popular websites like eBay and Amazon offer affiliate programs that are easy to sign up for. Commission Junction and ShareASale are great sites that list lots of affiliate programs from major brands.

  • Google AdSense

The Google AdSense ad network is generally the very first and most basic way of monetizing a website or a blog. Don’t be fooled though. AdSense can be super powerful despite being commonly used. The key is learning the tips and tricks to harnessing its power properly.

Google AdSense works by using ads as the name suggests. When you activate AdSense for your website or blog you are allowing Google to share ads from other companies related to your niche (in this case, weight loss, fitness, health, etc) on your page. You may have noticed yourself that many websites and blogs have Google sponsored ads on them. This is AdSense.

You can make money from using AdSense when someone on your blog or website clicks the ad. These ads are also known as “PPC” or Pay Per Click ads. AdSense is best used with a combination of other monetization methods since commission from it can be fairly low to begin with for new bloggers who don’t have a loyal audience.

  • YouTube Partner Network

With over 25,000 official YouTube partners, using this video hub to share your can give you a voice and a source of revenue. Any time you see an ad before a video on YouTube, there is a good chance that the person is part of the Google Adsense ad network via being a YouTube partner and monetizing their videos. You have to get views and post content regularly to be accepted into the program, so it takes time and work. Here is the official overview and breakdown of criteria.

In order to become a YouTube partner you will of course need a video camera/or phone that takes video, editing software/app and the time to film and edit videos. You also need to make some decisions about what you want to share and how often you want to share.  There are some GREAT examples you can follow on Youtube from women who’ve created personal brands from their weight loss struggles. DivaSlimsDown is one of my favorite YouTubers. It is definitely a more intensive process than just blogging but worthwhile if you have a passion for video, want to make workout routines, film recipes, etc.

In all honesty, it isn’t easy to become a Successful YouTube Partner. There is a lot of competition and it will require a lot of time and hard work on your part. If you succeed however, it is an amazing route to go. You can find out the criteria for becoming a Partner by clicking here.

Even if you don’t want to go strictly with video, filming some videos and uploading them on YouTube is a great method of creating content for your website/blog.  YouTube is now considered a search engine of sorts and it’s a great way tool for generating traffic if you put in the time and effort.

How to Get Started

There is a lot of information about creating online presences available on the web. We’ve decided to create a site to help bloggers on a weight loss journey, fitness professionals, personal trainers, nutrition experts and others who want to know how to have a more effective web presence and how to make the most out of their efforts.  Our new site will launch in March 2016.  Click the button to sign up for our mailing list.

Sign Up Now For More Info

If you think documenting your weight loss journey is something you’d like to tackle, your next step is to research. Don’t worry about the concept of competition in the health niche when it comes to fitness websites and blogs.  You have to find your own unique audience and niche where people want to hear from you. That means that you can really be successful but in order to do so you need a plan and a unique approach.  Check out these references to get started.

Christie lost 75 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation Story of the Day: Christie lost 75 pounds.  Learning about proper nutrition, Zumba class and a group Bootcamp helped her to shed the pounds. She was encouraged to share her weight loss story by her trainer Tiffany Brown-Bush at Fit 4 Life in NC.

Christie before and after

To start, I moved to Charlotte, NC about 3 years ago. When I came here I was weighing 262 lbs. At first I did not have any motivation to start my weight loss journey. I was just riding down Mallard Creek Rd and noticed a sign that read Zumba and had a phone number listed. I drove by the sign a weeks t before taking the time to inquire.  This is how I became an active part of Fit 4 Life. I started attending the Zumba classes there on a regular basis. Starting to see some changes, I was inspired by another great person in the F4L family to try out the bootcamp classes there as well. Bootcamp is where continued to see my body change and a little more weight loss.

After bootcamp, I again was advised on how much learning about nutrition would help me on my journey. I was a person that loved to eat cereal (any kind) and M&Ms. I ate very little vegetables and all of the wrong combinations of food. As you can tell, no real substance there. I became a nutrition client and learned more healthy options and a completely new way to eat to not only loose weight but also allow the body to heal with proper nutrients.

I have now been with Fit 4 Life more than a year and have lost a total of 75lbs.  At 5’4″ tall and much lighter on my feet, I feel better than I ever have before. I am still pushing to continue to lose as there is a goal number I have in mind to reach. To anyone else looking to change their life or lose weight, my advice has been and remains “it will not be easy, but it will be worth it.” There will be times when you don’t see the progress, but don’t give up. Just because you can’t see it immediately doesn’t mean what you are doing is not working. Use that energy to push harder, dig deeper, and go further.

I am very grateful to Fit4Life because being apart changed my life and gave me a family dynamic in a city that I was new in, and allowed me to see life from more healthy prospective. I hope this blesses and helps someone else along the way.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fit4lifetbrown

4 Ways to Document Your Weight Loss Journey

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Documenting your weight loss journey goes much further than weighing yourself every week. Relying solely on the scale’s numbers isn’t effective for two reasons:

  1. It doesn’t account for fat replaced with muscle or water loss.
  2. It is demotivating for some people.  Not seeing the number on the scale change in the way you want it to can become discouraging.

Usually people who are trying to lose weight will add some type of exercise regimen to their lifestyle. Since muscle weighs more than fat, as you start working out and drop fat, you’re also adding muscle which can skew your weight at times. This can make it seem like you aren’t losing fat or are losing weight really slowly when in fact your body is changing, you’re just simultaneously adding muscle with your fat loss. Other factors that can hinder you from seeing your process in terms of pounds include menstrual cycles, water retention, weight loss plateaus, and loose skin issues.

Here are 4 effective “non-scale” ways of documenting your weight loss journey.

  • Take Photos of Your Journey
Myya Mixon People Magazine
Myya Mixon took pictures of her journey and was featured in People magazine. She now helps others get fit and healthy. www.myyamixon.com

Taking pictures is a really effective means of tracking your weight loss. Most people wish to lose weight for health reasons but also for aesthetics which means the way their body looks is important. Taking a few “before” pictures at the start of your weight loss journey and then taking photos weekly, biweekly or monthly will allow you to see just how much your body is toning up over time.

For women it is best to strip down to a swim suit (if you are comfortable) or shorts and a sports bra. Really, the least amount of clothing the better since you’ll see more of your body. If you plan on publicly documenting your journey then you’ll be the judge of how much skin you are comfortable people seeing. You may just have the swimsuit photos for your eyes only. Take the photos in portrait format so you can see your entire body in the frame. It’s also a good idea to take photos from several angles; front facing the camera, side of the body, from the back, arms up, etc.  Get a friend to help you or use a tripod.

When you are ready you can submit your success story to us. 🙂

  • Use Instagram to Share

With nearly 300 million active users, Instagram is a super popular social media platform that allows you to easily share pictures. If you’ve followed the advice of taking pictures of your weight loss journey you’ll find that Instagram is a great way of tracking and sharing your progress.

The real benefit of sharing your journey on Instagram is creating a cycle of accountability. First off, when posting photos you’re more likely to want to stay on track with weight loss because people are watching. Secondly, by using health or weight loss hashtags you can find other Instagram-ers who are on the same journey. You can develop camaraderie and motive each other. Instagram allows you to make your profile private, so your close friends, family and those who you chose can be the only people who see your images.  Post photos of your progress, photos from your workouts, food photos and videos.  You never know how your journey will bless others and motivate them to change too. (PS: Check us out of Instagram)

  • Create a Food Journal

Food journals are really underrated but are beneficial for a numbers of reasons such as:

  • Seeing your eating trends
  • Find patterns of when you slip up
  • Keep track of nutritional intake
  • Helps with budgeting for groceries the month

The key to making a food journal work is to use it every day, for every meal and snack. It’s a habit that can be tricky to remember so setting reminders on your phone or computer will help you remember to jot down what you ate. To make food journaling even easier, consider using an online or mobile app. MyFitnessPal is a great free mobile app and website that makes tracking super easy, is fully customizable and sets reminders for you to input your meals.  There are online tools like swole.me, Spark People and Fooducate that can help you as well.

If you don’t have access to a smartphone, don’t worry. Traditionally journaling in a notebook or using a computer program like Excel is a little more work but still very effective. Use whatever method you know you’re going to use and be consistent with.

Finally, blogging is the fourth way you can track your weight loss effectively. Similar to using Instagram, blogging is a wonderful tool for creating accountability, motivating others and staying inspired. Sharing your story can help you to complete your goals for yourself and your audience. There are some added benefits of blogging however.

It allows you to create a dialog with other people as you write blog posts about health, your discoveries and your struggles. Writing is also therapeutic way of expressing yourself as you overcome the obstacles of weight loss. Finally, a successful blog can actually become a monetary asset. You can sell ad space, create e-books, review products, become partnered with companies as an affiliate and earn money from ad networks like Google Adsense.  Check out our post on how to create your own blog for more info on how to get started.

If you’re striving to lose weight consider using one of these 4 tracking methods rather than relying solely on a scale. Tracking is extremely important in goal setting and it can give you the motivation to continue your success.  However, my favorite thing about documenting weight loss journeys is that someday your story could serve as a wakeup call and your struggles could inspire countless others to change their lifestyle and reach their goals.

Shalik lost 71 pounds

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Update:

It’s Throwback Thursday and I want to tell you a little story. For the longest time, I hated the girl on the left. She was insecure, self-conscious, and had no self esteem. She didn’t take care of herself. She was lazy, had terrible eating habits, and had no drive or motivation to change. She hid behind layers of clothing and jackets because she was ashamed of her body. She settled for what was and didn’t fight for her happiness. I look at that girl on the left now and have no idea who she is. That girl didn’t love herself at all. The girl on the right though, she’s a fighter. She is as able to dig deep and find the spark of hope to fight for the girl on the left. The girl on the right loves herself and sees the potential her future holds. She knows self love and knows how to fight for her happiness. She uses the previous insecurities that once were to make positive and long lasting changes each and every day. To quote Hogarth from The Iron Giant “You are who you choose to be”. Are you a quitter or are you a fighter? Will you let self-doubt rule you or will you fight for self-love? Choose the best version of you, even if she’s unimaginable, choose her, because she’s there. Remember, it’s you vs. you, so fight for the you that you love. 💕

A post shared by ⠀⠀⠀ｓｈａｌｉｋ 💕ｗｉｌｋｉｎｓ-ｔａｔｅ (@ohsnapitsli) on

Feb 2015 – Weight Loss Transformation Story of the Day: Shalik lost 71 pounds. After a few wakeup calls and a bad breakup, she took action to create a lifestyle that let her release the pounds.  Here is what she shared with us…

Shalik before and after

I started this journey many years ago when I got on the scale at weight watchers and saw 266.6 pounds. Yes, I will always remember that .6 pounds. It was in that moment I realized that I’d “let myself go” and something needed to change. I started doing Weight Watchers and Zumba, dropped about 30 pounds and then my motivation stopped.

I was still teaching Zumba but my diet… that’s a story for another time. In the before photo, I weighed 238 pounds. I was teaching Zumba and thinking I was doing something. It wasn’t until the end of 2013 after a terrible breakup that I realized that in order for anyone to respect me, I need to respect myself. I started working out in my apartment and tracking my foods in myfitnesspal and dropped 8 pounds. It wasn’t until I started TurboFire and really developing a healthy relationship with food (eating 80% clean and fueling my body with the right amounts of the right foods) that I started to see a difference.

How did I change my eating habits and what did I stop or start eating?: I stopped eating so much junk. I also started tracking EVERYTHING I ate in Myfitnesspal. I stopped eating processed foods, artificial flavors and colors, most dairy, and soda. I also started drinking a gallon of water per day to ensure my body was being hydrated properly.

What was my starting weight and current weight?: My heaviest weight was 266.6 pounds, when I started this fitness journey. I didn’t get serious about the journey until I weighed 238. Currently, I weigh 195 pounds and feeling fantastic! Am I at my goal weight? No, but I’m proud of my accomplishment thus far.  I’m 5’7″ tall.

How long has my transformation taken?: From the beginning, 4 years. Since I started getting serious, it’s been a little over a year (13 months).

What advice do I have for others who want to lose weight?: This journey isn’t about losing weight for others, it’s about you. Deciding to take a step forward in your fitness journey is one of the most rewarding decisions you will make. Not only will you lose weight on this journey, you will regain so much confidence and self-worth. Those two things are priceless but I promise you, they will be worth the pain, sweat, and tears.

IG: @Ohsnapitsli
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebridalbestie