Black Weight Loss Success

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Angelic has lost more than 70 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story:  Angelic has lost more than 70 pounds. 

Angelic 70 pounds

She says,
“My before and after picture! The before is from my company Christmas party 12/10/11 and the after is from 7/4/12. I have lost over 70 lbs the hard way-Eliminating white sugar, flour, bread, pasta, and processed foods. Doing the work—Walking, drinking 1/2 my body weight in ounces of water daily, Eating Salads, Vegetables, Fruit, Lean Meat-Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Whole grains, drinking green tea and VERY limited sweets-(6) vanilla wafers, (4) graham crackers or (8) animal crackers only, once a day!!! I got even closer to God, because I needed Him EVERY step of the way! I’m a Southern Girl that LOOOOOOVES to cook, bake and does it all DIVINELY!!! The sacrifice has been more than worth it! I’ve accomplished getting my body and energy back!!! I am SO addicted to eating right and exercising, which is a place I NEVER thought I would be!!! I get excited just seeing someone jogging down the street! To all that think they cannot do it without surgery, pills and/or potions,–I am living proof that you can!!!! Let’s get it!!!”

My Sigma Gamma Rho Soror Charlene lost 50 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: My Sigma Gamma Rho soror Charlene is today’s featured success story.  She lost 50 pounds with Weight Watchers.

Charlene sigma gamma rho

Here is her story:
I have never been skinny, but about a year ago I started to think about how lucky I am in terms of my health in relation to my weight. I have high blood pressure, but have not developed other illnesses associated with being overweight like diabetes, heart problems, high cholesterol, etc. The school where I work offered a Weight Watchers at Work program and I decided to take advantage of it. Weight Watchers and I just click. It’s not so restrictive that I feel like I can’t eat anything. It just forces you to really watch what you eat, and how much of it. So I stopped eating out and eating that good old Southern home cooking from my family. I watch salt and sugar intake. I moved from white flour and breads and pasta to whole wheat. I measure my food (I was surprised at how much food I overeat). And I eat vegetables and fruit and drink lots of water. I pretty much stick to the plan.

As far as exercise, I started with walking. I am lucky to have a Soror and friend who has truly been my inspiration. She leads a walking group and we walk in the afternoons. She is always checking on me and keeping me accountable with my exercise. Exercise is an area where I really need that extra push. I also do home videos, some strength training and spin on my exercise bike.

So far, I have lost just over 50 pounds. I am very proud and I don’t feel like I’m on a diet. I feel like I am changing my life. Here’s a cool weight loss story … I was overseeing an event at work and the person playing the music was playing the wrong track. So I ran out of the auditorium, down a long hall and up two flights of stairs before I even realized it. I would have never been able to do that a year ago. It reminded me that it’s all worth it.

Lambda Kappa/ 1994
Delta Chi Sigma Alumnae Chapter

Charlene weight loss story

Jeanine lost 70 pounds with weight loss surgery

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Today’s Weight Loss Success Story: Jeanine has lost 70+ pounds and gone from a size 22w to a 10/12.  She is a member of our online community.

Jeanine

She says,
“My journey: I am 5’2” and come from a family of plump women, so I talked my self into believing that it was okay for me to balloon up and was heading towards 300lbs. I became the biggest one in the family. My joints ached, blood pressure became a problem, simple tasks like walking a few feet became a chore and I started to have some sleep apnea issues. I got tired of feeling like 1 more lb and I would implode. I had no energy or pep in my step. One day I had a coming to Jesus with my doctor, I cried and realized I couldn’t deal with the physical ailments that were so frequent and I also didn’t want to live my life anymore being obese. I shared with her family health issues cancer, blood pressure and kidney problems runs deep and mostly related to weight. I didn’t want to die and leave my son behind and also wanted to be a positive model for him. You name it, I’ve done it! Weight watchers, LA weight loss, Adipex, Richard Simmons, lean cuisine, medifast and the list goes on. I researched lap band surgery and went to bariatric surgeon. I immediately went on 1500 calorie eating where I use the Lose It IPhone app. It was difficult but the weight started coming off slowly but surely. For me being a carb and sweet tea junkie, I had to let that go for the most part. Lots of lean protein and veggies and crystal light became my bestie. Eventually I lost 40lbs and decided to go though with surgery anyway, with the objection of my family. It’s been the best decision of my life. After a short recovery I started doing Zumba and couch to 5k on IPhone. This chunky diva never ran a day in her life! Now 2 5k’s later, receiving my zumba instructor license and Clinical Social Work license, I feel great! I can walk, jog, hike, dance which I love to do now. WLS isn’t for everyone and lapband is a tool that helped me achieve success and keep my yo yo dieting and weight loss under control. It’s not a panacea and believe you me, I have to work at it everyday! It’s a mental battle, that I have to fight daily, especially went I want to eat a tub of ice cream or another piece of cake. I still enjoy carbs and sweets but now I rarely if ever eat bread, pasta or rice. Sweets perhaps once or twice per week. I focus more on ensuring that I get enough protein in, as the nutritionist indicated that’s what will keep you full and more satiated versus empty calories. I feel better, my son is proud of me and so are the people in my life that love me. Now they tell me slow down girl! My son says: “mom why are you walking so fast?” I say I can’t help it. I’ve gone from a 22W with the buttons bulging to wearing size 10/12. My bras went from 44c to 38c. Foot went from 9 or 9 1/2 to size 8 1/2. Am I finished? no! I want to get toned and build more endurance as well as muscle. I say to others: Do what’s best for you, that makes you happy and life more fulfilling. Everyone has their opinions but at end of day it’s your life and your vote that counts. Now I often laugh when people use the word small or skinny in a sentence with my name or I walk into a store and the don’t have my size (M/L) or I get seated and I’m amazed I can fit in the seat. I am thankful for BWLW, which I saw post from friends FB page. This is the first time I have told my story to anyone other than close friends and immediate family. I feel even more free and I hope I have inspired you all to run on and see what the end will be! God bless.”

Shalonda G. has lost 107 pounds!

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Today’s Weight Loss Success Story: BWLW online community member Shalonda G. has lost 107 pounds!

shalonda's weight loss

She says,
” I have lost almost a hundred pounds. I was at a family gathering for new years’ eve party, my cousin took a picture of me and put it on facebook. I could believe that was me in that chair. When i start I was 309 pounds and now I’m 202. My goal weight is 170 because I’m 5’9. This is how i started my weight loss plan: I stopped eating fried foods, almost no bread, no sweets including chocolate. My exercise was walking at my local track field, I walked 4 miles a day. After that i did 200 steppers(steps from kitchen to den). When the track closed for repairs, i started walking around my local area. Now i have been going to Bell’s Gym in Nashville, AR. I started on the treadmill doing five miles a day. I am now walking on the ellipctical four miles a day and now im pumping weights and doing stomach exercises. Im Truly Blessed to be able to lose that weight. Thank You GOD for the strentgh to succeed.”

Jacqueline lost 74 pounds

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Today’s Weight Loss Success Story: Jacqueline lost 74 pounds by eating 6 small meals per day and getting her cardio on!

She says,
“The pic on the left is at my heaviest 330. The pic on the right I am 256…that’s a total of 74 pounds..i am also 5″11…I am 26lbs away from my first goal weight. I will be in the 100lbs lost club. It has taken me almost 4 yrs to lose the weight. I had to relearn the way to eat, which has been the hardest part. I use portion control by eating six small meals a day and exercising 5-6 days a week for an hour to hour and a half. I do lots of cardio (Zumba, elliptical, spinning and jogging on the treadmill) and now I am putting strength training in my routine. I also drink 2 liters of water a day. I went from a size 26-28 to a 14-16…I have more energy and endurance than ever before. Not bad for a 40 year old woman :)”

What is the #1 food ingredient your should avoid for weight loss?

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As you know, I’m a big fan of eating natural foods and avoiding processed junk. So today I want to talk about some important information from Dr. Charles of Fat Loss Factor. On his website he goes into detail about the #1 food ingredient secretly making us fat.

I’ve chosen to share some info on this program because I’ve been getting a lot of messages from sisters who want a step by step plan that they can follow to lose the pounds.

What’s this dangerous ingredient? High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is a man made sweetener that is cheaper to produce and actually sweeter than sugar. During our November Challenge, Avoiding white sugar is one of our goals, so we definitely are avoiding HFCS.

Here’s what makes it so harmful: When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the tasty, sugary liquid into FAT. HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin. As a result, our bodies are “tricked” into a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full. It is associated with blood sugar problems, ADD/ADHD, depression, fatigue, B vitamin deficiency, indigestion, tooth decay, and most importantly… WEIGHT GAIN.

So what’s the solution? Just avoid HFCS? Unfortunately it’s not that easy. You see, HFCS is added to so many foods that historically have not contained sugar, like peanut butter, bread, yogurt and juices. So it’s very difficult to avoid completely. Also, even if you eliminated HFCS from your diet, it wouldn’t repair the damage that has already been done. There’s another step you have to take first. This is exactly why Dr. Charles created his Fat Loss Factor program… to help your body repair the damage from toxins like HFCS… and lose a lot of weight in the process.

The video on his website will give you more details and has a lot of awesome free info about weight loss in it. The food industry is well aware that HFCS is a problem. But instead of eliminating HFCS, the corn lobby in Washington, DC has asked the FDA to change the name of HFCS to “corn sugar.” They think that just changing the name will fool us into thinking it’s healthier. So you can’t rely on the food industry to help you eat healthier foods and lose weight. You need to take action on your own. Fat Loss Factor is a great, flexible weight loss plan that is not strict or confining and there’s a money back guarantee. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Note: This program suggests the Master Cleanse (also known as the Lemonade cleanse) as part of their detox for rapid, extreme weight loss.  I think that the master cleanse can be a good cleanse for the liver, but you could very well do a juice fast for 3 days as well.  This is the only part of the program that I question.

Ada’s Rules – Online Bookclub Meeting #1

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Ada's RulesHi Ladies, I hope that you are enjoying Ada’s Rules.  I loved the book and now I’m re-reading it along with you.  I believe that any woman who was ever on a diet or is a chronic dieter should love this book.  As a black women, I could see myself as well as women in my family and my friends in this book.  I really connected to Ada’s self sacrifice and being too busy to take time for yourself.  From an age standpoint, I really could relate to the plight of her unmarried daughters as well.

So, here is our first set of book club questions from the official Ada’s Army website.  Please discuss below.

Ada has a lot of things on her plate: running a daycare center; keeping in touch with young adult twin daughters; cooking for the vestry and other responsibilities of a Preacher’s wife; as well as cooking and cleaning for her parents who are battling both hoarding and depression. We might say she has way too much on her plate—except everything she does needs doing and there’s no one else around stepping up.

1. Does Ada find any kind of joy or satisfaction in performing mundane daily tasks and simply doing her duty?

2. Which of her “jobs” seems to bring her the most pleasure?

3. Which of her “jobs” presents the greatest challenge to her sanity and self-esteem?

4. How is being overworked detrimental to Ada’s health?

5. The first rule is “Don’t keep doing what you’ve always been doing.”  Is that a rule you can apply to your weight loss efforts?

6. The second rule is “Make a plan: set clear, multiple and changing goals”.  What did that mean to you?  What are your goals and your plan?

Updated: Rochelle lost 85 pounds with gastric bypass

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Check out Rochelle’s weight loss story.

She says, “I had gastric bypass in April 2012. I was weighing 345 now I’m down to 260. I have a long way to go I maintain by not eating slider foods & waiting an hour after I eat to drink.  Everyday is a struggle but I look @ where I was & I don’t want to go back there I love me some me.  This was the best thing I could have done for myself.  I feel good.  I was a size 28. I’m down to a 18. I maintain by eating right & exercise”

Update June 2013 –  It’s been a year and I’ve lost a total of 125 pounds through weight loss surgery. I started out at 350 pounds and now I’m 215 pounds. It has been a long journey. I had to have my mind made up that I wanted a lifestyle change. I have seen so many people have the surgery and gain all the weight back (and sometimes even more of their weight back than when they started). Before the surgery, I started to exercise, cut out fried foods, cut out pork & drink lots of water.  Now, after the surgery, I continue to do the same thing. Some days are better than others but I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF!

Rochelle weight loss surgery
Updated Photo

Romans 12 Transformation: Cynthia Lost 100 pounds

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Today’s Weight Loss Success Story: Cynthia lost 100 pounds!  She has graciously given us a lot of detail about her transformation (see below).

Cynthia romans 12 transformation

Transformation: Romans 12

My name is Cynthia and I want to tell you about my Journey of Transformation. I have entitled it as such, because truly that is what it has been for me and God has blessed me on so many levels and in so many areas of my life that I cannot share them all right here. I will attempt to give a summary on my weight loss journey. I have struggled with being overweight, then obese for most of my life. From early childhood, as early as I can remember, I was always chubby or chunky, bigger than all my cousins, friends and classmates. Not necessarily the fat girl, but not average weight. Then when I married my husband in 1992 I was 185lbs and we started having children, after each child (6 kids) I put on more weight until 2007, I reached obesity, even what doctors called “morbidly obese”. When I look back with 20/20 hindsight, I see how the enemy crept in and kept me at bay, because at that point in my life, depression set in and different physical elements began creeping in. I went to the doctor because everything seemed to hurt, my back, my legs all the time, my stomach was always on fire, my head hurt, I would wake up with monster headaches, my husband said I snored like a bear and I walked (kind of hobbled along) like my grandma, I was miserable. During the doctor’s visit, it was revealed that I had reached an all time highest weight of 313 lbs, which only made me more depressed. The doctor put me on high blood pressure pills, she said I was on the borderline for possible diabetes and she prescribed Zoloft for depression. I was in a terrible place and wanted out very bad. I began to ask the Lord to help me, I can see where He was sending the message my way but I wasn’t receiving it, thus I struggled.

I remember in 2010 attending a women’s conference, where I was a speaker and I spoke from Romans 12 concerning finances and how we are not to be conformed to way the world views finances and we needed to unplug from this Babylonian system and be transformed to God’s views of finances, have our minds renewed and walk in the blessings of God establishing His kingdom here on the earth. Well, the very next day another speaker used all of the same scriptures in reference to health, how we eat, exercise and become soldiers in Christ, laying aside weights that prevent us from being all God created us to be. WOW!!! What an eye opener for me! From that day the seed of the Word was planted in my heart and I was ready for change but I just needed the tools to make it reality in my life.

I began little changes, which resulted in about a 30lb loss, but it wasn’t until October of 2011 when everything came together. Our church took on the Divine Fitness challenge at JSU, to become the church that lost the most weight over a 6 wk period and I had joined the team. I was so excited because all I can say was “Thank You Jesus” for sending the tools. My mind was made up and I had already received the Word, I just didn’t know completely altogether how to make it happen and here it was right before my face. Everything our trainer asked us to do, I tried with everything in me and I lost about 13lbs in that 6 wk period. Our church won the challenge, then the Medical Mall called and offered the church to join a 10-month challenge. I was super excited at this point and truly wanted to make this weight loss a reality. Our church joined the challenge and weighing in at 271.6 lbs, I went to work, every challenge that was proposed I accepted and I just did my best, then I would work to beat my own personal best, each day I would do a little more than I did the day before or the week before. I joined the gym at JSU and eventually enrolled in Boot Camp and what an experience! I have been challenged to physically do things I have never done before in my life, but I accepted and did my best, never making excuses, nor cheating myself. I said within myself, that as long as the Lord is my helper and gives me strength, I can do anything and anything was what we were doing. I could not do one sit up, nor push up, and it took me 28 minutes to complete my 1st mile walking, huffing and puffing long the way and about to pass out. I went home hurting and in tears, but refused to let defeat camp at my doorstep. I was working on the new me and transformation was being manifested. So each day I went back determined to at least try to do everything requested of me.

I can now do at least 60 sit ups and push ups, I can now run 3 miles in just under 45 minutes and I have lost about 60 lbs in this year of 2012. I also accomplished a few other challenges, like during the month of July and August I took on the challenge of completing 100 miles (walking, jogging, running, elliptical, etc.), and back in April of this year our boot camp class walked/ran every stair in JSU’s AAC and it took me 55 min just to go half way around one time, on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, I completed 21⁄2 rounds in that same time frame. Oh yeah, 7 minutes on the elliptical has turned into 45 minutes easy. So yes, I see major progress and I am truly becoming the creation God intended for me to be. I have been cleaning this temple with healthy clean eating, being mindful of what I eat and how much I eat, applying all the scriptures to my life, making them reality and not just words on the pages of the bible. I use temperance and moderation and I see nothing as impossible, because He said all things are possible to him that believes. My biggest struggle throughout this process has been the battle in my own mind, voices telling me that I can’t do it, but I choose to listen and believe the voice of God telling me that I can do all things. I believe God is holding my hand and guiding me every step of the way through this process and I’m so excited with a great spirit of expectation of where He’s going to lead me to. Many have asked, “what’s your goal weight” or “how much do you want to lose”, at this point in my life, I want to go wherever the Lord leads me and my goal is to reach size healthy, fit and not overweight. I’m not sure what that size is on the scale or clothing numbers just yet, because I have never been there, but I intend, with everything within me, to reach that destination, with the help of the Lord. 

Tiffany lost 70+ pounds

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Today’s Success Story: Let’s show some love to Tiffany on her 70+ pound weight loss!

Tiffany weight loss

She sent us her story via our Facebook page:
I love love love this page! So positive, inspiring, and motivating! Keep up the great work. I would love to share my personal journey. I just recently posted/uploaded a pic on my personal page that reflects me at the October 2010 Breast Cancer Walk VS. the October 2012 Breast Cancer Walk. I stopped counting after I lost 70lbs. I am NOT a slave to the scale. I witnesses my success by mostly non scale successes such as the way my clothes fit, under clothes fit (LOL), if I have to add extra holes in my belt, heavier weights I can lift, and as always PICTURES!!! Pictures never lie! I attribute my weight loss success to many things which include Jillian Micheals at home dvds which is where I started, zumba fitness(I am now a licensed zumba fitness instructor), Black Girls Run Augusta group, and my wonderful personal trainer by the name of Suprina Henley, owner of SBH Fitness in Augusta, Ga. Throughout my weight loss journey I have found a deep love and respect for health and fitness, I am now on the road of studying/preparing to become a certified personal trainer as well as a Certified Nutritionist myself so that I can accurately educate the individuals in my community and possibly even reach individuals outside my local community. I had to make a decision to become healthy for myself and my son. My family has a long history of diabetes, high blood pressure, and several cancers on my mother and father. Anyway, keep up the GREAT work and uplifting women from state to state around the globe! May God continue to bless u my sista! 🙂:)

Tiffany after photo