Angela Jenifer of McDonough loses 146 pounds

By Michelle C. Brooks

For the AJC

Former weight: 334 pounds

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Family Angela Jenifer weighed 334 pounds when this photo was taken in December 2005. Jenifer was on multiple medications and was extremely fatigued.

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Family Angela Jenifer weighed 188 pounds when this photo was taken in June 2010. She works out several times a week and watches what she eats, even when dining out.

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Current weight: 188 pounds

Pounds lost: 146

Height: 6 feet

Age: 41

How long she’s kept it off: “I reached my current weight in October of 2008,” said Jenifer.

Personal life: “I am an educator in a metro Atlanta school system,” she said. “I live with my greatest supporters: my husband, Ted and my daughter, Victoria. I could not have taken this journey and been successful without them.” Jenifer and her family live in McDonough.

Turning point: “I remember New Year’s Eve 2006 feeling extremely fatigued and just not feeling good in general,” she said. “I was taking three blood pressure medications at that time. I was also horrified when I went to Lane Bryant clothing store and their largest size was tight on me. ... I had to make a change in 2007.”

After losing 110 pounds on Weight Watchers, she hit a plateau, so she joined Casi's Straight Military Style Bootcamp (www.casisbootcamp.com).

Diet plan: Breakfast is oatmeal with fruit or eggs and turkey sausage. Snacks are yogurt and fruit. Lunch is a salad with tuna or chicken, and dinner is lean protein, vegetables and brown rice.

Exercise routine: She does cardio five days a week for 45 to 60 minutes, and she does strength training four days a week for 30 minutes.

Biggest challenge: “My biggest challenge is eating the right things when eating out," she said. “We eat out a lot, so if I know in advance what restaurant we are going to, I have to plan what I am going to eat.”

How life has changed: “I can easily fit into roller coasters and in airplane seats," she said. "There are so many things that people take for granted, but when you are a larger person, these things become issues. I forgot what it was like to live because I wouldn’t go to amusement parks and concerts for fear of not being able to fit into seats and crowding other people. I am also very active now. I am always looking for different road races. Being active is now a way of life. I don’t feel like myself if I go more than two days without doing some form of exercise and getting a good sweat.”

Be an inspiration: If you've made positive changes in your diet and/or fitness routine and are happy with the results, please share your success with us. Include your e-mail address, a daytime phone number and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, c/o Holly Steel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.