Amy Henry, of Atlanta, loses 35 pounds

• Former weight: 185 pounds

• Current weight: 150 pounds

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‘I don’t use the word diet anymore because diets are what I did for most of my life and they were emotionally and mentally hazardous to my well-being,’ said Henry.

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‘I feel like the workouts I do now make a difference in my shape, and the food I am putting in my body is giving me the energy I need to keep up with my kids and my life.’

• Pounds lost: 35 pounds

• Height: 5 feet 10 inches

• How long she’s kept it off: 1 1/2 years

• Personal life: Henry is a nutritionist and spinning instructor at the Forum Athletic Club. She also has her own Web site: www.venicenutritionamyhenry.com. She and her husband, Steven, have two children; they live in Atlanta.

• Turning point: “I don’t use the word diet anymore because diets are what I did for most of my life and they were emotionally and mentally hazardous to my well-being,” says Henry. After her daughter was born, “this huge responsibility of being a role model for my kids prompted me to help myself. Society tells us we have to have perfect figures and be perfect, so I had to mentally and emotionally change my habits so she would look at food as it should be looked at: as fuel and as a way to be healthy.”

• Diet plan: Henry follows the Venice nutrition plan — five meals a day with a combination of proteins, carbs and fat. “The combination stabilizes your blood sugar which gives you more energy throughout the day, makes you more alert mentally, maintains muscle mass and reduces body fat,” she says.

• Exercise routine: Henry works out six days a week. She does treadmill interval running, a circuit class with cardio and weights three days a week, a 9-mile run one day per week, and she teaches a spinning class at the Forum Athletic Club.

• Biggest challenge: “I had to stop eating sweets because the more I ate, the more I would crave,” she says. “I still love cake and cookies; I just make sure they are eaten during special occasions rather than after every meal.”

• How life has changed: “I feel so healthy and strong, and I am always talking to my children about the benefits of eating ‘brain food’ and exercising,” she says. “I feel like the workouts I do now make a difference in my shape, and the food I am putting in my body is giving me the energy I need to keep up with my kids and my life.”

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