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Tierra lost 38 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Tierra lost 38 pounds going from 210 to 172 pounds.  She focused on portion control, lifestyle change vs. diet and regular exercise.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

My name is Tierra my weight loss journey as started in 2009. The picture on the right was June 2009, before I had gotten pregnant.  This photo is also my motivational picture that helps me to get my workout in. Everyday it’s a struggle but when I look back on where I started it always amazes me.  I was 210 pounds in 2099 and now, in 2013, I’m down to 172 pounds.  When I show people my before photo, people ask me “So, you were pregnant?”.   I proudly tell them NO that’s all me pre-pregnancy and I’m proud of were I have come from. Every journey started with the first step.

My motivation for my weight loss: I had loss the sense that I was beautiful and was not comfortable in my skin. My eating habits are not the best but my focus is on portion control. I don’t like the word diet, so I have made changes to portion and creating a lifestyle change!  I love high intensity cardio workouts, so Insanity, Zumba, boxing, and jogging are my core workouts.  However, I change it up by hiking, taking pole fitness classes and weights are my new best friends.

Tierra-before-and-after-weight-loss

Sharday lost 100 pounds

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Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight love to Sharday. She lost 100 pounds and has kept it off for 4 years.  She did it with regular exercise, embracing juicing and eating fresh fruits for breakfast and lunch.  Here is what she shared with us:

I would love to share my weight loss story with all of you.  I was 286 pounds and came down to 186 pounds.  Thanks be to GOD, I have kept it off for going on 4 years this year.  I exercised and ate right.  In the end, I went from a size 22-24 to a size 12-14…And I did it in 6 months!

I was my own motivation.  I knew I had to do it for myself.  I changed my eating habits by eating fruit for breakfast and lunch.  For dinner, I ate whatever I wanted to eat between 5 pm and 6 pm.  I ate absolutely nothing after 6 pm.  Some days, I didn’t eat anything solid until 5 pm and only filled my body with water and fresh fruit juice.   I walked everywhere I went because I was in school at the time.  Then, I would go walking 2 miles a day for exercise and jogging 1/2 mile.  I would turn around and walk back to my room at night.  I would play basketball or tennis just to stay active and to keep my mind off of food.

Sharday before and after weight loss

Arneice lost over 30 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before & after story: Arneice lost over 30 pounds by changing her eating habits and working out regularly.  Here is what she shared with us:

Arneice after weight loss

I’ve lost so far a total of 30 pounds since January 1, 2013.  My motivation was really my son who’s 12 years old.  I never had any energy and I was quite cranky. I realized that because I was unhappy with myself.  It was becoming a burden on our relationship.

I started with cutting out what was familiar to me and that was pasta and creamy sauce. Then I started juicing kale, and fruit.  I do that every day still.  I now eat 5 times a day.  My eating includes protein and complex carbs like broccoli and good fats like nuts, avocados. My workout routine started basic.  I did my own routine..squats, jumping jacks, sit ups. I now do high intensity, low impact cardio and strength training in my living room 5-6 days a week!!!! To workout, I also use Hip hop Abs because it’s really fun and there not a lot of jumping around in the workout. I also use Dave Sinclair (he’s on my Ondemand via cable).  Today my meals were a chicken breast cutlet and grits for breakfast.  This is in addition to my kale, kiwi, apple juice.  My snack was almonds and pistachios.  For lunch I had chicken breast cutlets, with avocado and broccoli.  I don’t forget to drink 64 ozs of Water a day.  Basically, all I drink is water.

 

arneice weight loss before and after photos
Dec 2012, Jan 2013 and May 2013

 

Anj’ela lost 146 pounds with weight loss surgery

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Anj’ela who lost 146 pounds with weight loss surgery.  Her motivation was controlling her diabetes and being there for her grandchildren.  Here is what she shared with us:

“Just,wanted to share my story.  I had gastric bypass weight loss surgery on March 22, 2012.  I started off weighing 439 pounds and now I weigh 293 pounds.  To God be the glory!  My motivation was my grandchildren.  I have 4 children (3 are adults) and 2 grandchildren. My diabetes was out of control and I knew I had to do something before I died, so I had the gastric bypass weight reduction surgery.  Now, I just monitor everything I eat.  I have an app on my phone the gives me different exercises to do daily, but mostly I just walk and drink a lot of water.  I turned 40 on the 24th of April and I simply did not want to die.”

Anjela before after weight loss

 

 

Kriss lost 93 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story:  Kriss lost 93 pounds.  She lost the weight in 10 months by working out, changing her eating and tracking her progress.  Here is what she shared with us:

Photo: Left – July 2012, Center – December 2012 (-59 lbs) and Right – today May 13, 2013 (-93 lbs)

After battling obesity for most of my life, last summer I decided to make a change. A lifestyle change. I had not faced complicating health factors but I wanted to make a change, feel better, live longer, and make a way for my future family. By working out, changing my eating habits, and tracking my progress, I’ve knocked off 93lbs in almost 10months. Though I am not done yet, I wanted to share my journey!

Honestly, when I tell people how I did it, it seems cliche’.  LOL. It was always something I wanted to change.  There were always reasons why I couldn’t, like not being able to afford gym membership, healthy foods etc. One day I found out that I had hit 300 pounds.  I have always been a big girl but seeing that number, 300, hurt my heart. I realized I had gained 30+ pounds because I ate out more than usual. I was often idle, low key depressed and drinking alot. At that point I decided to do something different.  In July 2012, I just started walking around the UMSL campus some nights a week.  At that time I didn’t really change my diet or anything.  Then i started to use the FREE gym at my job (that has been there since before i was working there of course) that I always made an excuse about not going to.  July 29, 2012, I attended my aunt’s funeral in Arkansas. She had battled sooooo many health issues and it kind of hit me hard. The same weekend I moved into my apartment and from that moment forward i never looked back.

Kriss before and after weight loss

 

I went to the grocery store and only purchased healthy food, vegetables, chicken, brown rice, whole wheat bread, low-fat and sugar free food, etc. I did not buy any oil or flour so I couldn’t fry food.  I didn’t buy heavy snacks and chips but transitioned to fruits and applesauce and 100 calorie kettlecorn. I began working out 6 days a week…60-70 min a day. I started slow doing all cardio…treadmil and elliptical….as I got comfortable I increased my incline on the treadmil and i increased my resistance on the elliptical to begin to challenge myself.  I even increased my gym time to between 70-90min a day. My motivation came from my family just saying they were proud of me for making the steps I made.  The guy I am dating encouraged me and acted as my personal trainer in a completely different city. Many times I looked in the mirror and I saw the same person. He always told me that you may not see the change yet but the scale knows best.  He was right because even though I felt like I looked the same every week when I weighed in the number got smaller. He was truly my back bone because times when I weighed in and I didnt lose anything after working hard in the gym i would get discouraged but I was reminded that “its not in vain you see how far you’ve come, next week youre going to come back firing.” And i did. Sometimes when I was tired i took breaks.  At times I ate sweets and fried foods too but it was not the norm.  I didn’t resort to rabbit food. I enjoyed everything I ate, looked up recipes tried new things and I made a transformation. Once I truly made it up in my mind, I began to become accustomed to this lifestyle.  I made it a routine and now it’s hard to break or veer from it. Now, I work out 5 days a week, 65-75min a day. I monitor my calorie intake with myfitnesspal and right now.  I consume 1250-1350 calories a day and I burn 1230-1300 calories a day and I drink alot of water, atleast 128 fl oz a day. This is my new life, my new lifestyle. I was told I have been a motivation to many hopefully my story can be featured one day. And if the picture above doesn’t show my face well enough…here is another!  Thank you all for providing these success stories!

Jaymee lost 50 pounds

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Update 2017: We shared Jaymee‘s story back in 2013 and she’s giving us an update on how she’s lost a total of 150 pounds. She decided to have gastric bypass in 2015. “It has not been easy adjusting to this new me and this new way of life. My road has been hard, challenging, and at first regretful. Overall, It’s been worth it.”

jaymee weight loss

Highest weight: 270 pounds
Starting weight: 235 pounds
Current weight: 120 pounds

I’ve battled my weight my entire life. Overall, I’ve lost 150 pounds. In August 2015, I made one of the hardest, yet greatest, decisions of my life. I had Gastric Bypass (RNY) weight loss surgery and it has SAVED MY LIFE.  It has not been easy adjusting to this new me and this new way of life. My road has been hard, challenging, and at first regretful. Overall, It’s been worth it.

No one can live your life for you. You must live it for yourself. I’m happy now. I smile more and I’m forever grateful. Remember, if you fail there is no such thing as a perfect process. Trust your process and continue through it. You will get there. If I don’t inspire anyone, that’s OK because I inspire myself every single day.  That is good enough for me. Out of everything else in life, I CHOOSE HAPPINESS!

To my weight loss Fam, you guys are awesome. Thank you for your inspirational words and motivational support. It got me through my roughest and toughest times. I truly love you guys. Remember, if nobody else believes in you, I believe in you! Most importantly you have to believe in yourself.  – Instagram: @bypassbutterfly

jaymee before and after
“When u forget to give a damn about anyone’s opinions of u #flawsandall #istillloveme #stretchmarks #cellulite #saggyskin #effyourbeautystandards #lovingmybody”

2013: Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight love to Jaymee who has lost 50 pounds by juicing, regular exercise and cutting out sugars and processed foods.  Here is what she shared with us:

Jaymee before and after weight loss“My story: I had my fifth child June 2011.  I lost baby weight and weighed 220 pounds. After that, I went through postpartum depression and gained a whopping 50 pounds. As you can see, I am/was an emotional eater. Then in May 2012, I lost my father and gained a couple more pounds.  Weighing 273, I was emotionally drained, embarrassed about my body, and I hated what I saw in the mirror. I did yo-yo dieting for years trying anything u can think of. In August 2012, I had to get a tumor removed. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and Hidradenitis suppurativa. I take meds for all these ailments. I decided then that I had to get my life together because death was knocking at my door. I’d done a lot of research and was determined to get my life back. I started juicing and cut out sugars and processed foods!! I workout at the YMCA 5 days a week!!  To date, I have lost 50 pounds on my own.  No pills, no laxatives, etc.  This has been a very hard journey. I’ve had some slips ups but I kept moving. I know that I have a long way to go, but I am determined.”

Jaymee weight loss before and after

Angie lost more than 65 pounds

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Update Mar 2014: “Update since this post I have had ACL surgery and I am currently using my workouts for therapy. I am in the same weight range but instead of a size 14, I am a size 12 (wearing some 10’s as well). No Excuses, just Results. Weight training helped sculpting and dropping inches. Now I journal my weight loss on @bodysuccesswithangie on Instagram.”

3/23/2014 – Today’s featured weight loss success story: Angie lost over 65 pounds.  This mother of 5 tried a number of programs before finding that a modified version of the South Beach Diet and regular exercise works for her.  She is also a member of Black Girls Run.

I am a wife and a mother of 5.  I have an 18 year old, triplets who are 13 years old and a 7 year old.  I was taking medicine for heart issues due to being overweight. To lose weight, I first started with Medifast and did well. I developed an allergic reaction to the soy in the meals so I had to stop. I gained a few pounds back because I wasn’t sure what to do then. I tried and was successful with Weight Watchers but didn’t want to live counting points forever. I realized that I also had to be mindful of my health because last few blood work tests were in the diabetic range.

After researching I started doing a loose version of the South Beach Diet. I cut out carbs all the way at first. Now I eat them in moderation. My blood work is great now and I have not been on medication for over 2 years. I have not reached my weight loss goal but I am close. I’ve gone from a size 20 to a size 14.  I workout daily, usually 7 days a week. I am also a member of Black Girls Run. I have participated in at least 10 5k races.  I participate in S.O.S. Bootcamp (Sculpting our sexy) and  have also done Zumba classes. I try different things to keep it exciting. I participate in all kind of challenges to keep me motivated. Current challenge: Mr. Shut up and Train.

She was featured in the Huffington Post Healthy Living section in the Fall of 2012.

Angie Weight Loss Before After

Leslie lost 100 pounds

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Check out these great before and after photos from Leslie.  She lost 100 pounds with regular exercise and a good meal plan from her exercise instructor.  Here is what she shared with us:

“It was a hard job, but a 100 pounds later it was worth it.  I’m still going.  I worked out twice a day, 5 days a week and I ate right.  I have a supportive team and a personal trainer….Love Them!!  I never thought that I would be here, but I made it.  I followed a meal plan that was designed by my instructor/personal trainer.  I just stayed motivated and dedicated to my goal.  I was helped by some inspiring women.”

Leslie weight loss before after

What is the difference between good carb and bad carbs?

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It is not surprising to hear someone say that they are on carb-free or low carb diet.   This is because carbs are thought to be a main contributor to weight gain, and some carbs are. There are good carbs and bad carbs, and both have different impacts on a person’s health and waistline. Telling the difference between the two can become quite complex, but it is important to tell the two apart. Carbs are a vital nutrient that provides energy for the body and the brain. There are simple and complex carbs, which both are converted to glucose during the body’s digestion process.

good carbs bad carbsSimple carbohydrates are exactly that, simple. They are all single and double-chained sugars known as monosaccharide and disaccharides. They do not contain many nutrients or vitamins, and the body needs little energy to convert them into glucose. The glucose will reach the bloodstream quickly, causing a rapid spike in sugar. A person will have a sudden burst of energy, but then just as quickly feet fatigue and sluggish, once the sugar drops. These bad carbs pack an abundance of sugar and calories into the diet, without any real nutritional value. After consuming simple carbohydrates, an individual will feel hungry again soon after eating them. These simple carbs are causing an concerning increase of sugar into an individual’s diet, which can contribute to health issues and put them at risk for diabetes.

These simple carbs are found in white breads, starch vegetables and pasta, as well as baked goods. Another culprit for simple carbohydrates is soft drinks since they deliver a ton of calories and carbs without any nutrients. Added sugar is another simple carbohydrate that rushes to the bloodstream, causing an instant rush of energy. Individuals diets have a high increase of simple carbohydrates and not enough of the good carbohydrates known as complex carbs.

Complex carbs contain many chains of simple sugars; therefore it is not as simple for the body to break it down to glucose. When consuming complex carbs, a person does not get a sudden burst of energy as they do from simple carbs. Rather the complex carbs gradually break down into the bloodstream, providing them a steady supply of energy. Complex carbs also curb hunger, since they take the body a while to break down and provide higher fiber. For athletes that are fueling up on carbohydrates, complex carbs are the ones they want to be reaching for if they need to keep their energy up for an entire game or event.

Complex carbs provide the body with more fuel that will give it energy for a longer period of time. Some foods to get complex carbs into a person’s diet are nuts, legumes, whole grains and non-starchy vegetables. Though fruits are high in glucose, the ones with a low glycemic index are another great way to get complex carbs into an individual’s daily diet.  Don’t be afraid of fruit.  Fruit sugars are not seen by the body as the same as processed sugar like, white sugar and corn syrup.

By swapping out simple carbs with complex carbs, one can be on the way being healthier and weight loss.

Tiffany lost 30 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story:  Tiffany lost 30 pounds by following the Weight Watchers plan and working out at home with workout DVDs.

I was 30 pounds heavier a year ago and I’m still motivated to continue on my weight loss journey.  “The race is not given to the quick or the strong, but to the one who endures to the end.”

This time last year, I was planning a wedding so I did a quick fix diet which consisted of mostly shakes.  I lost almost 20lbs by my wedding on 6-30-2012. However, within 2 weeks of getting married, I gained back 10lbs!  So, in August of last year, I joined Weight Watchers and so far I’ve lost 23 pounds. I have about 50 more pounds to lose to achieve my goal. I also exercise at home at least 3 days a week doing the “Insanity” work out or “P90X”. I have a picture on my vision board of the body type I would like to have with my face on it.  Lol!   My kids laugh at it, but I know if I can see it, I can achieve it! Thank you Lord!

Tiffany before after weight loss