Black Weight Loss Success

The Official Blog of the Black Women Losing Weight Community. Tips, articles and weight loss resources for African American Women.

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LaShawn lost 50 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: LaShawn lost 50 pounds.  She went from a size 18 to a size 8 by eating smaller portions and working out regularly.  Here is what she shared with us:

My name is La Shawn and I just wanted to share my story in the hopes that it might inspire other sisters to begin their own weight loss journey. I also want to testify to how even small consistent efforts can yield significant results.  I just want encourage others to not be discouraged about where they may be now and that they can achieve results by starting out with small , consistent efforts over time.

In 2010 (the picture on the left), I weighed over 200 pounds and decided that I wanted to make a change. I started by using a smaller plate at home and sharing a plate with my fiancee when we went out to eat.  Also, more specifically regarding diet, I incorporated eating chicken and tuna and I cut out fast food. I also increased my water intake.

For exercise, I started out riding a stationery bike for 30 minutes a day three times a week. I later added Stairmaster, weights and kettlebell exercises. This routine enabled me to go from a size 18 in 2010 down a size 8 at this present time.

I started out at 218 in 2010 and lost 50 pounds from then to now. My motivation was as I said above that I just decided it was time to make a change and start taking care me and ALWAYS being there for everyone else and putting myself last.  Thank you so much for allowing me to share 🙂

LaShawn weight loss story

Beth lost 62 pounds

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Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight love to Beth.  She lost 62 pounds by making healthy food choices, running and she is now a Zumba instructor.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hi!! My name is Beth Jones. I am 48 years old.  About 16 months ago, I decided to take full control of my life. I began making healthy food choices and exercising 5-6 days a week.  This has helped me to lose 62 pounds and go from a size 20 to a size 10. I became a pescatarian (vegetarian who eats seafood only…no other meat) in 2011.  I try to stay away from fried foods and sweets. I drink protein smoothies daily to add more protein to my diet. I joined the Savannah Pacers, a running club in my city, and have completed 2 5k runs, a 10k, and a 1/2 marathon so far. Zumba also helped me so much that I am now a Zumba fitness instructor!!  Also, I co-founded a health and fitness club at my middle school where I teach 8th grade math. I feel fabulous and strong and healthy and want to continue to help others find their personal best too!

Beth Zumba Instructors

Mia lost 31 pounds

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Mia lost 31 pounds with a low carb diet and the help of a good friend.  Here is what she shared with us:

Hello my name is Mia and I would like to share my story.  I started my transformation in February 2012. I’ll never forget going to Miami with my girlfriends for a birthday celebration. After the trip, I remember looking at pictures we had taken and I was so unhappy with what I saw. I needed to do something to get this weight off. One of my girlfriends suggested we all go on a diet at the same time.  She showed us what to eat and how much we should eat.  This required eating a lot of meat, something that I didn’t care for. However, in order to get the weight down I buckled down and did it. For the first week I only ate a very low carb diet consisting of meat (chicken, fish, turkey and shrimp) along with 5 calorie drinks. After that first two weeks I weighted myself. I went from 161lbs to 150lbs and I was so proud that I had achieved that.  I continued with my new eating habits and added vegetables and fruits. Within months, I was down from 161lbs to 130.  I have been able to maintain my weight loss and I must say that it feels great.  I hope that my story will help encourage others to stick to their plans. It may be a struggle at first, but don’t give up! Your goal is one less snack or fast food meal away! Stay encouraged, have faith in yourself and believe your goal can be reached.

Mia weight loss low carb

Mia lost 54 pounds

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Mia lost 54 pounds by eating right and exercising! Let’s show her some Black Women Losing Weight Love.  Here is what she shared with us about how she did it:

Hi my name is Mia and I am a huge fan off your page. I recently lost 54 pounds and I feel really awesome!  I did it with dieting and exercise! I want to lose 80 more pounds and I’m working hard to achieve my goal.

I was motivated by my two boys who are 5 and 2 years old. I want to be a healthy mom for them. I cut out eating junk food and started to eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal. I also increased my water intake too. I started doing an hour of walking at least 4 times a week.  After a while, I started doing a full body workout at the gym at least 2 times a week (out of my 4 day workout schedule).  I started at 325 lbs now I weigh 271 lbs. I started my mission October 2012 and through continued diet and exercise I’d like to lose 70 more pounds. Thank u so much!!

Mia weight loss story

Aziza lost 150 pounds with weight reduction surgery

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Aziza went from 300 pounds to 150 pounds with weight reduction surgery.  She says that she had to change her mind, habits, and lifestyle to lose the weight, because surgery is not magic.   Here is what she shared with us about her journey:

My weight loss story: Where do I start, it seems like I became overweight overnight.  With one pregnancy, I went from 155 lbs and a size 9/10 to 215 lbs and a size 18.  What a shock it was for me.  All my clothes were a size 10 except maternity clothes. I thought even though I gained almost 100 lbs, that after delivery I would go right back to my normal weight, but that was not true at all. My son weighed only 7lbs, so all that weight belonged to ME. Instantly I was faced with the shame of being overweight, not knowing how to dress as a full figured woman, not to mention I was fresh out of high school and only 19 years old. All I knew is that I wanted to be normal again, look and feel normal again. So, I looked to instant weight loss gimmicks, for instance DIET PILLS. Not having any example around me of anyone eating right and exercising, I looked to a fast and not so healthy quick fix. By the time my son turned 2 yrs. old, and after trying several different diet pills, I did lose weight and went down from an 18/20 to 170 lbs and a size 12. That actually felt good! However, if anyone knows anything about diet pill and weight loss, it’s not permanent. Shortly after, I met the man of my dreams, got married, had 3 more babies, and ate myself up to my heaviest 300lbs a size 4x/ 24.

In my opinion, there are many different avenues to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. With anything you do, you must discipline yourself and stick to it, whether it be Weight Watchers, P90X, Jenny Craig, Slim Fast, Gastric Bypass, Fit for Life, The Atkins Diet, Gastric Sleeve, Tae Bo , The Cabbage Diet, LAP-BAND or Bow flex. These are just a few ways that can become a chosen tool to help defeat obesity. After about 5 years of prayer and research, the tool I chose was to undergo Gastric Bypass Laparoscopic Surgery on June 9, 2009. I AM NOT PROMOTING SURGERY, NOR AM I A SPOKES PERSON, OR ADVOCATE GETTING OTHERS TO HAVE GASTRIC WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY. This was a personal choice that I used as a tool, to kick start me in the direction of healthy living. Though I have been very successful, I did have to change my mind, habits, and lifestyle. Surgery is not magic; again it is just a tool that I chose. I have maintained a size 7/8 by working out 4 times a week, eating a low to no carb diet and staying focused and motivated to never let obesity be a part of my life ever again.

Aziza weight loss surgery story

Rita lost 65 pounds

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Let’s show some BWLW love to Rita.  She lost 65 pounds going from 357 to 292 pounds after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I know how challenging MS can because my father had it (he died in 2001 from brain lesions).  Here is what she shared with us:

After being diagnosed with MS, I chose a treatment plan of food & faith. I started with a low calorie/low carb diet. I continued with low carb & have lost 65 pounds. We started a walking challenge last month & I walked over 50 miles. Next month the goal is 100 miles.

I am in ministry. My motivation is for my outside to reflect my spirit. Since starting, many people have asked what I’m doing. Seeing people go from not walking to joining our 100 miles a month challenge is motivating. I’m also motivated by the numerous messages I receive from those diagnosed with MS. I walk for those who can’t.

I changed eating habits by avoiding processed foods and learning to eat green veggies other than beans, greens, & cabbage. I started my eating plan in October. I didn’t work out until February doing, 45 minutes on the elliptical. Now, I walk between 20-25 miles a week, with one day of circuits.  Started at 357 pounds. Currently, I’m 292 pounds. It took 9 months for me to lose the weight.

Rita weight loss success

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

Courtney lost 186 pounds with weight loss surgery

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Let’s show some love to Courtney!  She is a long time member of BWLW and was one of the first people featured on our Facebook page (before we had a blog).  She lost 186 pounds after having vertical sleeve weight reduction surgery about 7 years ago.  She wrote to us to update her story:

“My name is Courtney and I have been big all my life.  At 21 years old, I changed my life by having weight loss surgery! I had the vertical sleeve procedure in 2007.  Then, I was wearing a size 28-30.  Now, I’m in a size 6-8 and I weigh 140 pounds, down from 326 pounds!!! I had a baby in December 2011 and I still maintained my weight.  I’m over joyed with the healthy me.  I had the surgery because that was my last hope after trying everything under sun and spending lots of money! So, if it works for you great!! Thanks so much for your time!”

courtney weight loss surgery

 

Sylvia lost 56 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss before and after story: Sylvia lost 56 pounds using My Fitness Pal as a calorie counter, running, aerobics and strength training.  Here is what she shared with us:

My name is Sylvia and I am from Atlanta, GA.  I have struggled with my weight for years. But during graduate school I was stressed and in an unhealthy relationship which started the weight gain spiral.  In 2009, my mother passed away and I lived across the country from my family. Needless to say getting and staying motivated was tough.

I had the goal of losing weight for years but this year something finally clicked. I weigh in every week and post my results on a door that I walk by everyday. I also created a “thinspiration” wall of quotes, pictures and weight count down chart; essentially its a vision board. I use the My Fitness Pal app to track my food and a calendar to track my workouts. In addition, once a month I post my weight loss progress on Facebook.  For me, all of these tools together have helped with my accountability.

Eating habits – I use a calorie counter (My Fitness Pal). I try to stick to a 1500 calorie diet. A food scale, measuring cups, sandwich and snack bags are your best friends. You will be amazed at what a “true portion” once you start using them. I did try juicing (one meal) for two weeks until I got to a point where I liked fruits and vegetables. I don’t believe in restricting foods because it makes you binge. Everything in moderation.

Exercise – I started running in 2010 but I became a runner in 2011. I joined Black Girls Run-Atlanta and they helped me train for races. I started with a 5k, got hooked, and now I run half marathons. I also like cardio kickboxing and step classes. Additionally, I lift weights at the gym. If you really want to see results, lift heavy weights and read body building articles. Strength training is what truly changes the shape of your body.

In 2009, I was 240 pounds. Now, I weigh 184 pound. A 56 pound weight loss over the course of four years. I try to encourage people not to worry about how long it takes. Just know that with time and hard work, you will achieve your goals.

Sylvia weight loss success

Jennifer lost 51 pounds

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Let’s show some Black Women Losing Weight Love to Jennifer.  She has lost 51 pounds since April 2nd of this year and is striving to lose 49 pounds more!!  Here is what she shared with us: “I’d like to share my story.  I’ve lost 51 pounds since April 2, 2013.  How did I do it?  Just by stopping drinking soda, cutting out sweets and with an intense exercise regiment.  I also eat clean. I went from 386 pounds to 335 pounds.  My goal is to lose another 49 pounds and maintain my new lifestyle. My motivation was when my doctor told me that I could not have another child due to my weight.”

Jennifer weight loss before and after