Former weight: 272 pounds

Current weight: 234 pounds

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‘I have post-polio syndrome, my right arm and my right leg are very weak,’ she says. ‘I had polio when I was 11 and my right side was paralyzed. With treatment, I realized a complete recovery. I was absolutely normal until the age of 40; then, I gradually got weaker until I am almost at the stage I was at when I was paralyzed the first time. I can only walk with a walker.’ Two years ago, cooking became very difficult for Ragans. ‘It was impossible for me to prepare a healthy meal. My daughter-in-law found Fresh ‘n Fit cuisine.’ Rosalind Ragans, 75, went from 272 pounds to 234 pounds.

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‘Now I have learned to appreciate the taste of vegetables without salt.’

Pounds lost: 38 pounds

Height: 5 feet 4 inches

• How long she’s kept it off: Started the Fresh ‘n Fit cuisine program (freshnfitcuisine.com) in the spring of 2006 and is still losing.

• Personal life: “I live with my children now. I am still able to take care of myself, but I cannot drive,” she says. “Even though I am a retired art educator, I am still working. I write art textbooks for the McGraw-Hill Cos. I am an artist as well.”

• Turning point: “I have post-polio syndrome, my right arm and my right leg are very weak,” she says. “I had polio when I was 11 and my right side was paralyzed. With treatment, I realized a complete recovery. I was absolutely normal until the age of 40; then, I gradually got weaker until I am almost at the stage I was at when I was paralyzed the first time. I can only walk with a walker.” Two years ago, cooking became very difficult for Ragans. “It was impossible for me to prepare a healthy meal. My daughter-in-law found Fresh ‘n Fit cuisine.”

• Diet plan: “I never used to eat in the morning. Now I get a good healthy start,” she says. Ragans orders fresh, pre-made meals from the Fresh ‘n Fit cuisine program. She loves the blintzes and fresh vegetables along with chicken stuffed crepes. “I think the convenience of prepackaged meals has a lot to do with my staying on track,” she says.

• Exercise routine: “I cannot exercise,” she says. “I walk laps around the house to keep my legs going.”

• Biggest challenge: “Giving up salt,” she says. “Now I have learned to appreciate the taste of vegetables without salt.”

• How life has changed: “I am much healthier than I was when I began,” she says. “Before, we could not get my blood pressure regulated even with medication, and my sugar was always zigzagging. All kinds of health problems have eased up. And of course the weight loss has enabled me to move more easily. For example, putting on socks used to be impossible because I just couldn’t reach my feet.”

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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 story with us. Briefly tell us your goal (weight loss, an athletic achievement, overcoming a health problem, etc.), how you achieved it and how long you've maintained it. Include a daytime phone number and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, c/o Jamila Robinson, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Eighth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.

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