At his heaviest in 2010, Tyrone Garrett weighed 335 pounds. Even though he was only in his mid-20s, his blood pressure and cholesterol were dangerously high. He showed off his weight loss for CNN's iReport.com, going "From flab to swag." (Photo: Tyrone Garrett/iReport)

by Jacque Wilson

(CNN) -- Tyrone Garrett's father wasn't around while he was growing up. So when Garrett's girlfriend, Whitney Hammond, told him she was pregnant, he knew he had to make a change.

Garrett, then 26, weighed 335 pounds. Like many members of his family, he had high blood pressure, but he refused to take medication. One time at work, his heart started beating so fast he could see it moving up and down through his shirt. Hammond rushed him to the doctor, who warned that he was dangerously close to having a heart attack.

"It was the scariest thing in my life," Garrett says.

That experience, combined with the arrival of baby London, on March 5, 2011, finally inspired him to get fit.

by Sterling Wise

Have you ever wondered if those minutes you spend in the gym are burning fat or just time?

INFORMATION RUNS DEEP—Panelist and organizers of the Health Awareness Symposium. Dr. Taunya Tinsley, Atiya Abdelmalik, MSN,RN, CWPC, Rev. June P. Jeffries, Rev. Dr. Judith C. Moore, Lorraine Starsky, RN, BSN and Jerry Allen. (Photos by Diane I. Daniels)

Women of all ages and walks of life converged on the William Pitt Union at the University of Pittsburgh campus ready to find practical ways to regain their physical, emotional and spiritual health and thrive through the “Take it Back” symposium.

“The mission for this conference is to begin a movement to empower and equip African-American women to take back the responsibility and authority of their own personal health and well being,” said Rev. June Jefferies, who founded the symposium along with Rev. Dr. Judith C. Moore. “This conference is the beginning of ownership over our own bodies.”

Sponsored by the Heinz Foundation, the first annual “Take It Back” symposium was held May 7 and featured professionals from varying health arenas to arm participants with life-saving information.

Panelists for the event included Lorraine Starsky, the Chronic Disease Prevention Public Health nurse for the Allegheny Health Department who spoke about diabetes; and Dr. Taunya Marie Tinsley, a counselor, educator and associate professor at California University of Pennsylvania. The symposium was moderated by Rev. Linda Williams-Moore, pastor of St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh’s Bridgewater section.

“Our goal was to invite women to come and engage in dialogue with medical, emotional and spiritual authorities,” Jefferies said. “We wanted to put something in their hands and in their hearts to motivate them that no matter what they are up against, you have the power to make a difference in your life and welfare.”

The “Take It Back” symposium is under the umbrella of “The Gathering,” which is a collaboration between Moore’s group, Sisters Saving Ourselves Now and

Jefferies’ Sister/Sista Ministries. Both have banded together to strengthen the whole African-American woman.

SETTING PACE—Rev. Linda Williams-Moore moderates and kicks off the Health Awareness Symposium.  

Jefferies and Moore cited rising medical statistics as the reason for the symposium.

Research has shown that African-American women rank highest in many serious, life-threatening diseases. Both Jefferies and Moore said 47.3 percent of African-American women over the age of 20 have cardiovascular disease; 33 percent are the reported new cases for women having breast cancer and yet 20 percent of African-Americans have no health insurance. As alarming as those statistics are, this effort is geared to educate and empower women with some very real, achievable changes that they can add to their daily routine. These changes will add quality and length to women’s lives.

Moore said the symposium left all who attended and participated excited and ready to change their lives from the inside out.

“The symposium was very successful because of the expertise and personal stories of the panelists. It left us excited about reclaiming our health and establishing the next steps to pass on this movement in African-American women and their families,” Moore said.

A follow-up event to the “Take it Back” symposium is being put together for early August and a conference/cruise is slated for October.

“This is just the beginning. We intend to keep the movement moving,” Jefferies said.

Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter  https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Download our mobile app at http://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier

Today I'm going to dole out a little tough love, so brace yourself and know that this is for your own good.

It's time that we had an uncomfortable little talk about a very important issue...

That junk food in your house.

You know the stuff that I'm talking about. The ice cream jammed into the back of your freezer. The packaged cookies that you say are for the kid's lunches. The candy stash that's leftover from the last few holidays. Those bags of crunchy, salty snacks in your pantry. The bottles of soda that you know you shouldn't drink. And the list goes on...

Here's the bottom line: If you eat junk food then you'll get fat. Junk = Fat.

Now I know that you have justified the presence of junk food in your house, so let's walk through these justifications and I'll shine some truth on it for you.

1) It's For The Kids: This is the oldest excuse in the book when it comes to keeping junk food in the house. It's flawed for many reasons, namely because you know you eat some of it. When junk is in the house you are bound to eat some of it at times. And your kids should NOT be eating junk food on a regular basis, such as in their lunches. It's not good for them and it's not good for you.

2) I Didn't Buy It: Oh, I didn't buy it. My in-laws, friend, sister, kids, spouse bought that. OK, it's still in your house. I understand why you may be hesitant to throw out food that someone else gave you, but look at the big picture. By throwing junk out of your house you are protecting your health and the healthy of everyone who lives under your roof. That's huge!

3) A Little Bit Won't Hurt: When you keep junk food in the house you're fooling yourself if you think that you only eat a little bit of it. The contents of your kitchen become the things that you habitually eat. If there's junk in the house then you habitually are eating it, and a little bit of junk every day adds up to a LOT of junk over a week or month. And you wonder why you haven't lost the weight yet...

4) It's My Favorite: I understand that there may be junk foods that you've become so used to eating that it's hard to imagine going a day or more without it. In this case, you really need to cut the junk out in order to achieve your ideal health and fitness level. Birthdays, holidays, and special occasions are the time to have a taste of your old favorite junk. And after you've stopped eating it daily you may find that it doesn't even taste as good as you remember.

5) Life's Too Short: YOLO, right? (You Only Live Once) If this is your excuse for having junk food in the house, then I've got a new one for you. YOLO, so why not live that life in a healthy, fit, attractive body that's full of energy, free from aches and pains and looks amazing?! Being fit and healthy is so much more rewarding that eating a favored junk food every day. Nothing tastes as good as fit and healthy feels.

Now it's time for you to take action. All you need is a big black trash bag and the determination to be fit and healthy. Grab that bag, march into your kitchen and start pitching the junk.

Look for anything in a package that contains processed sugar, grains and high amounts of sodium. Go get ‘em!

Wheeew! Didn't that feel great? Your kitchen is now wholesome and healthy, and your body will be too.

Eating a healthy diet, free from junk, is one side of the equation when it comes to getting into amazing shape. The other side is consistent, challenging exercise.

Zero Tolerance Policy

Watch out, or that junk food will come creeping back into your pantry. Decide here and now to adopt a zero tolerance policy when it comes to junk food in your house. Be vigilant and stay strong when your kids start to whine for their old favorites. Replace the junk with wholesome food such as fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, and lean meats.

A great way to avoid eating junk food is to enjoy wholesome homemade versions of your favorite processed foods. Fast food chicken nuggets are filled with MSG, sugar, gluten, sodium phosphates and other toxins, but not these healthy homemade nuggets. Enjoy these nuggets guilt-free! Servings: 80 nuggets

Here's what you need:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard (gluten free)
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 box Mary's Gone Crackers, gluten free crackers, ground to crumbs
1 cup nutritional yeast

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets with olive oil.

Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Place between two sheets of parchment paper and pound it down to ½ inch thickness. Trim off any excess fat and cut into 2-inch strips. Cut the strips into about 80 2×2 inch nuggets.

Arrange 3 shallow bowls next to your prepared baking pans. In the first bowl combine the almond flour, arrowroot starch, salt and pepper. In the second bowl combine the Dijon, eggs and olive oil. In the third bowl combine the gluten free cracker crumbs and nutritional yeast.

Take each chicken piece and drag it through bowl #1, dip into bowl #2 and roll in bowl #3. Place each coated nugget on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, then turn the oven on high broil for about 2 minutes to get them really crispy.

Serve with natural ketchup and mustard.

*Freeze leftover nuggets in a freezer safe bag. To reheat place on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until warmed through.

Nutritional Analysis: One Serving equals: 37 calories, 1g fat, 44mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 4g protein

Motivate your friends, family and co-workers!

Editors note: Sterling Wise is a Certified Personal Trainer, and the CEO and Founder of The Wise Decision. If you would like to learn more about the fitness coach and motivator visit http://thewisedecision.com/ or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .