Last night, the BWLW Sisterhood chatted on Facebook while watching Chantell Johnson lose 159 pounds on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. Her starting weight was 327. We cried. We got mad at her relatives. We cheered. We were so happy for her.

On her blog, she says…
Your lifestyle must change. You can never “go back to” the life you are living now. That series of actions and decisions led you to unhappiness: Why would you ever return? Sure, I still love pizza, cookies and Chinese. That will NEVER go away. The difference between the Chantell 12 months ago and the Chantell today is moderation and planning. I’m far from being the epitome of health. There is a lot of room for growth. I take steps to achieve a lifestyle that I envision for myself in the future. I also acknowledge that I am MUCH closer to that goal then I was 1 year ago.
I was so glad to see some of the body image issues that we deal with in the Black Community dealt with on the show. Chantell’s relatives felt that she was going to get “too skinny” and that she didn’t need to lose weight. I hear all the time from ladies that are told by relatives, friends and lovers that they better not “lose their curves” or lose the booty. While I agree that our unique and wonderful curves are to be celebrated, I believe that we have to encourage one another to be healthy because it’s not about looking voluptuous. There are a lot of curvy, healthy people. However, carrying too much weight can be bad for your health as well. We all have to make that determination for ourselves and when we do, we need the support of our loved ones. In the end, Chantell inspired her mother, who had been critical of her weight loss efforts, to lose 24 pounds. I was so happy for both of them. OH…I just have to mention that she is my Sigma Gamma Rho soRhor! Love you sista!
www.facebook.com/chantell.johnson
twitter.com/chantelljohnson
Want to know how she did it? Watch the whole episode for free on Hulu.
Here is the video (from TheDailyMail):