The Daniel Plan... #TransformationTuesday

You spend a lot of money and time establishing the perfect wardrobe to rock...but what happens when nothing fits?!?  Or your Higher Power has blessed you with a child you have been praying for but you’re too heavy and short-winded to enjoy "Mommy & Me" moments???  

Our feature this week is a stylish wife and mother, LaToya J. Dotson Denton, from Chicago who decided, "If I was not strong enough to make the change for me, I would have to make the change for the sake of my daughter."

LaToya didn't use a weight loss app consistently enough to even give credit to that process.  She has downloaded a dozen or so apps to her phone swearing that "today would be the day!" but always forgot to make that solid commitment. Her weight loss journey began when she committed to do the The Daniel Plan diet with her church for 21 days eating only fruits, veggies, grains, water, and herbal tea.  
She went beyond that and added an extra 30 days.  When those additional days were over, LaToya added fish and lean meats to the Daniel Plan diet.  Throughout the duration, she worked out (doing cardio and light weight lifting) 4 days a week.  Six months later...she shed 30 pounds! with this diet and exercise plan.  

"I would like for curvy girls everywhere to know that they are not alone.  Although making the choice to change is difficult (both mentally and physically), the one person that will benefit from the change is you.  I know that there are some days when you will give in to temptation, but that does not give you permission to give up.  Rome was not built in a day, so allow yourself (body and mind) to heal, get healthy, and get fit." ~ LaToya

A Mothers Love... #TransformationTuesday

Jabrill from Madison Alabama struggled with her weight most of her adult life.  Once her daughter came to her professing her desire to be healthy and fit for her first year of college, this was the perfect opportunity for them to work as a team to achieve this goal. 

Jabrill was an emotional eater and has a weakness most of us can relate to: fried food and bread.  High blood pressure sent her to the hospital many times and overcoming this condition was not just for her benefit but for her daughter as well.  "When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.  A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child." ~ Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Per the American Heart Association, uncontrolled high blood pressure can not only injure you but kill you.  If left untreated, some of the possible health consequences include:

• Stroke
• Vision Loss
• Memory Loss
• Damage to the heart and coronary arteries
• Kidney Damage

If you hate exercising, it will never be a priority.  Jabrill has found something she really enjoys...Dancing In Heels!  This is a dance class for women focusing on building strength, improving confidence, and having fun while looking sexy rocking their high heel shoes.  She has learned it's okay to have a cheat day and diets don't work...it's lifestyle change!

She has been focused on eating healthier and taking B12 vitamins have been beneficial in boosting her metabolism.  B12 is a vitamin that lies at the core of our body's ability to make DNA for new cells, form healthy red blood cells, and turn the food we eat into energy to power our metabolism.  I asked Jabrill if she had any words of wisdom for our curvy girls and she stated:

"First, you have to love where you are at with your current weight. I know its hard because of what others think, but you must to see yourself as God does THEN you can move on. CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY just like with anything else in life. And also do it for yourself; not because of what others think or for a man.  My favorite saying is by Rupaul: YOU GOT TO LOVE YOURSELF BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE WILL!!!"

Weigh-In Wednesday Roller Coaster Ride

It's that time of the week for me to face the facts...have I lost any weight for Weigh-In Wednesday?!?

Weigh-In Wednesday is exactly what it sounds like; you weigh yourself on Wednesday and some people post their results on various social media outlets.  It’s a way of motivating yourself and others to achieve health and fitness goals.  Currently, Instagram has over 11, 525 posts under the hashtag: #WeighInWednesday.  

This week I made it to three Zumba classes, pumped iron, & ate low carb meals with (1) cheat day (the chocolate chip cookies were calling my name!).  I woke up Wednesday morning, stood on the scale at the same time as last week & I haven't lost a pound...BOOM!

I weighed 4 pounds heavier than last week & my heart became heavy.  You work hard, eat right, and want to see results immediately...wrong!  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know "There is no such thing as a "quick fix" that lasts a lifetime".  I called my girls to vent because I needed some type of inspiration. One friend asked if I lost any inches and I ran to Walgreens to purchase a "Singer" 60" tape measure (retail price $5.71) to track my body measurements.  

I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to look for a scale and they had so many to choose from so I had to do some research.  I wanted the following things in a scale:  

1. I'm looking to reduce fat and build muscle...I always wanted to look like Wonder Woman!
2. I needed a scale that matched my bathroom accessories so stainless steel is a must
3. I would love a high-tech body fat scale that sent data to my apps to help track my fitness activities & caloric intake

 I went to the Consumer Search website to get the facts. I have to save up for the Withings Smart Body Analysis (retail price $149.99) that syncs wirelessly to an app on my phone so I bought the next best thing: the Weight Watchers Glass Body Analysis Scale by Conair with Muscle Mass (retail price $39.99).  

Here are the details:

• Body analysis scale measures BMI, bone mass, body fat percentage, body water and muscle mass
• Sleek ultra-modern glass design
• Large LCD readout
• Accommodates up to 400 lb.
• Includes lithium battery

I love it though I wished it had backlighting which makes it easier to read in dim lighting.  The scale can be customized for up to 4 users and the instruction manual had a Body Analysis Table.  Now I know what my BMI, body fat, body water and bone mass should be according to my height and weight and I am excited to work toward new goals for Weigh-In Wednesday.

Please comment and share your last experience on Weigh-In Wednesdays...

My Story #TransformationTuesday

The day a friend tagged me in a picture on Facebook was the moment I knew I required a transformation.

I immediately un-tagged myself and ran to the gym to renew my membership. I've always struggled with my weight.  I was instructed to eat everything on my plate versus eat until I was satisfied.  Fashion Club taught me how to walk in fashion shows.  One day I came out of my grandmothers house and she said, "your belly jiggles as you walk." LOL!  I loved my grandmothers honesty!  I was able to choose Aerobics for my high school gym class which required 3 days of cardio and 2 days of weight lifting.  I was taught how to workout...its my diet that ruins it for me every time.

I'm in the city of Chicago, and I used to love waking up every morning to run on Lake Michigan.  Since I had my daughter in 2013, I neglected to find time to work out.  That all changed when I was renewing my life insurance and I made an excuse for my weight.  I said, " I just had a baby...2 years ago" Ha!  What a joke!  You can't use the "just had a baby" excuse after the child is 6 months old.  

I began my transformation by researching the Master Cleanse.  It was a struggle mentally and I found myself WANTING to lick a Doritos by day 2.  Since I drank 8 oz of the lemonade (fresh squeezed lemon juice, cayenne pepper, grade B maple syrup and filtered water) every hour for 12 hours, I wasn't hungry.  After day 10, I reintroduced food back into my diet and I could no longer eat everything on my plate.

I had to teach myself portion control and schedule time to get fit.  LA Fitness has an app where I can see what classes are scheduled at the facilities in my area and I can take my daughter to the Kids Klub while I workout.  I'm so excited to be the "new me" and the new found energy I have without my morning cup of espresso!  My husband was worried I would lose my curves but he can see I'm just changing my way of life by eating healthier and staying fit.

I'm a better person, mentally and physically and I can't wait to keep you posted on my progress.  Do you have any advice to help me sustain this transformation?

Transformation Tuesday Campaign

Here is Manisa from the Chicagoland area showing her transformation on 2/10/2015:

She shared, "Food comes & goes; your health is your wealth".  We thank Manisa for caring to share her transformation.  Facebook informed us 1,460 viewed this post at www.facebook.com/CurvyGirlSolutions 

Help us inspire others...

Hey Fit Chicks,

I have started a Transformation Tuesday campaign for Curvy Girl Solutions & I would love to feature you!

Here is how you can participate:

1. Send a before and after picture showing your weight loss 
2. We will put them in a photo grid & post them on this blog and social media outlets (FB, IG, Google+, Twitter)
3. The picture will include any info you would like with the following hashtags: #TransformationTuesday #NoQuickFix #CurvyGirlSolutions

Our mission is to inspire others to love their curves while eating healthy & staying fit. I hope you will care to share your transformation...

xoxo