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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Ajima Jackson

Alicia lost 72 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Alicia lost 72 pounds by walking and watching her portions.

Before (in the dress) and After in the Jeans (photo below).  I lost the weight by watching my portions.  I love my sweets,.  Istill eat them, only in moderation now.  Exercise?  just walking mainly.  I actually started walking as a stress reliever, and the end result was the weight started coming off.   The more I walked as I saw results.  I went from a size 24 to a size 12.  It took a year and a half..for the weight loss…best side effect I ever experienced in my life. Every now and then i did do Zumba. I drank water, water,water!! 72 lbs lighter.

I do include more veggies and I now eat a lot of baked chicken and fish.  I watch my portions and if need be (if I am having something I know I have no will power) I will reach for a salad plate or saucer.

Alicia weight loss

 

Healthy Breakfast Basics – Day 19 March Challenge

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healthy breakfast optionsSince we are not eating out during our March Challenge I wanted to give you some breakfast options.  No donuts, no egg McMuffins, no fancy coffee drinks?  Yes, I’m sure you are looking for some tasty yet healthy breakfast options.  Here are some ideas I suggest:

Proteins

  • Lean ham, Canadian bacon and other lean meats – Add them to omelets and breakfast burritos.
  • Egg whites
  • Peanut butter
  • Protein bars – check the ingredient list to find ones without a lot of chemicals/processing
  • Make your own protein bars – There are some great recipes online
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Dark Leafy Greens – Add them to your egg scramble or your green smoothie.  They are full of protein
  • Lentils, Black Beans and other beans – Beans can be added to scrambles or wraps.  They can also be made in to patties or eaten traditionally in a soup.  You can have soup for breakfast…food is food.
  • Plain greek yogurt with fruit or honey

Fiber rich foods

  • Oatmeal
  • Whole-grain cereal – I love Crackling Oat Bran.
  • 100% whole wheat bread
  • Quinoa – Have this grain with fruit and yogurt.  You can also have it with eggs or your choice of lean protein.
  • Add ground flaxseed to your juice or smoothies to make them more filling.
  • Of course you can have fresh fruits or veggies of all kinds.
  • Make whole-grain waffles, pancakes, or muffins and freeze them.  You can make them through the week.

Recipe Sources

Petra lost 40 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Petra lost 40 pounds by eating clean nutrition and exercising.

“I want to submit my “transformation” pictures. I have released 40lbs over the past 2 yrs and never gained any back. No yo-yoing, just clean nutrition and EXERCISE!  NO SUCH THING AS A SNACK! every time I put something in my mouth it was a balanced meal ( protein, fiber, good fats ie 2oz chicken breast, 6 almonds 1/2 pear would be a ” snack”. Vegan protein shakes post workout. Only water & herbal teas. Omega-3 supplements & multi vitamin. Gym 5-7 times a week. ZUMBA, kettle bells, TRX training & battle ropes.”

Petra weight loss

Nikkia lost 52 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: Nikkia lost 52 pounds by using MyFitnessPal and embracing plant-based eating.

“My name is Nikkia and I have been on a weight loss yoyo. A couple years ago, I joined Weight Watchers and started going to meetings and such. I would do good for a couple months and maybe lose 20 pounds but then i would fall back into old ways. During this time I became vegetarian and it seemed like I gained even more weight because I migrated to cheese more.  Even though I worked out some I blew up to a size 18 and 256 pounds. I knew I had to do something.  My coworker told me about an app called MyFitnessPal. It helps you track calories and workout activity.  It was the best thing ever and it works for me. Now I am at 204 pounds and have lost a total of 52 pounds so far and counting! I am now as of 2 weeks ago a full blown vegan, so we shall see where that takes me.”

nickmar13

Charlotte lost 35 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story: Charlotte lost 35 pounds.  These photos only represent part of her overall weight loss.  She started at 309 pounds and is now 229.

“It has been a long journey, starting almost six years. I gained 80 lbs with my pregnancy.  I don’t have pics from back then, but I do have comparison pics of my recent weight loss. These pics show a 35 pound difference in one year, but in total over 6 years I’ve loss 80 pounds. It was God that helped me.  I honestly couldn’t tell you how I did this, because it was not,my own strength.  I had a severe food addiction.  I exercised and ate differently. PRAYED HARD and this is me today.

309 was my higest weight, but those more recent pics of me are at 265.  I am currently 229.  I looked in the mirror didn’t like what I saw.  So since I love to dance, I put on my Gucci Mann station and danced for an hour 5-6 days a week.  It made me feel sexy and I dropped the unneeded pounds.  I ONLY DRINK WATER.  I eat an abundant amount of fruits and vegetables and I cut back on desserts.  I eat meat but it’s more like turkey chops, shrimp, fish and on occasion I have pork beef, and chicken.  I’m not done yet, but I would love to update you this summer..God Bless!”

Charlotte weight loss

Halima lost 85 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story:  My Sigma Gamma Rho soror Halima has lost over 85 pounds.  She is FIT!!  

“I thought would post my “Then and Now”. I’ve lost over 85lbs and my quest to become better “fit” is still in progress. I did not get here by any QUICK fixes or weight loss SCAMS. I made a decision to take my life back two years ago and I put in the necessary WORK to make my LIFESTYLE CHANGE. There were days and even weeks where I felt challenged, but I stayed the course and NEVER looked back. You too can MAKE FIT HAPPEN!!!

I changed by diet by starting to eat “clean”. I cut out all refined sugars, alcohol and breads from my diet. I make sure to prepare my meals each week and carry them wherever I go. I consume 5-7 healthy meals per day to keep my metabolism charged. I eat a lean protein, green vegetables and a complex carb with every meal. I started out doing cardio 4-5 days a weeks, 30 minutes a day and after a month added strength training to help burn more fat and help shape my body. I now incorporate training 6 days a week into my daily schedule and make it a point not to cancel this very important part of my lifestyle. Always staying prepared is the key to success!”

Halimamar13

Lauren lost 105 pounds

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Lauren lost 105 pounds and is fighting diabetes with healthy living.

“Here’s some inspiration directly aimed for women 40+.  I just had to make some basic lifetstyle changes; cut out junk, processed and fried foods, all refined foods (bread, rice, pasta, etc.).  I eat more plant based foods (fruit, plenty of veggies and whole grains, seeds & nuts).  Also part of my transformation is juicing and smoothies; whole lot of exercise (mainly walking and cardio), drinking lots of water (alkaline whenever possible) and my faith in God to get me through it all! #fightingtype2diabetes

I also cut out dairy and replaced it with almond and coconut milk, replaced butter with coconut oil.  I limited all meat & poultry, but eat more fish and seafood.  I do indulge every once in a while with foods I enjoy (bacon and chocolate for example) #Ihatediets #enjoyyourfood”

Lauren

Maretta lost 82 pounds

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Today’s weight loss success story: My Sigma Gamma Rho soror Maretta lost 82 pounds!  Check out the awesome video of her transformation below.

“I’ve lost 82 lbs… My diet still needs work but I’ve been watching my portion sizes. The biggest thing that has helped me is persistence. I go to the gym every day at 5am for at least one hour of cardio. I’ve also increased my water intake to 3 water jugs a day.”

maretta weight loss

What is the difference between being curvy and being fat in the Black Community?

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Question: In the black community, what is the difference between being curvy and being fat? Is it about body size, attractiveness, health…what do you think?  I hear people refer to themselves as curvy or thick a lot, but I don’t hear a lot of agreement on what that is in terms of weight or too much weight?

Oh, and the men who visit our Facebook page…many of them are quite anti-weight loss for black women.  They claim they love curves, but I think that has a lot to do with WHERE the curves are.  I don’t see too much large tummy love out there.  Are they putting women with large stomachs in rap videos now?   Yeah…ask the brothers about that.

My main concern is that I hear from people all the time who say that they don’t want to lose weight because they don’t want to lose their curves. My response is that you will likely not lose such a significant amount of weight that you will have no curves if your are curvy to begin with. You will just be curvy in a new way. The need to be curvy should not stop you from losing weight if you know that weight loss would improve your health.

What do you think?  What is your opinion?  I’ve gotten 172 responses so far on Facebook today.

logosmbwlw

 

Shekeena lost over 100 pounds

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Today’s featured weight loss success story:  Shekeena lost over 100 pounds by working out, eating clean and drinking WATER!

“Here’s my weight loss story: I’ve been over weight ALL my life. I’ve also tried every diet you can think of, but nothing worked. So I gave up on trying to lose the weight. One day I was sitting watching tv and my heart started beating really fast. That was the day I knew I had to do something, either get the weight off or die young. I go to the gym 6 days a week and twice a day Monday thru Friday. I eat clean meats ONLY, no sweets, fried foods, nor fast foods. It’s been a year since I’ve had pork and soda..WATER WATER WATER. Now I’ve lost OVER 100 pounds.  I don’t get on the scale I let my clothing do the talking.  Oh and I still have some more weight to get off, but I’m close.  NEVER give up if I can do it YOU can do it. GOD will help you see it thru.”

Shekeena