Shenyca Walker, 30, of Griffin, loses 72 pounds

• Former weight: 289 pounds

• Current weight: 217 pounds

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Shenyca Walker

Shenyca Walker, at age 29, weighed 289 pounds in June 2007. The turning point for her was when she had a hard time tying her shoes.

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Shenyca Walker

In July 2008, Shenyca Walker weighed 218 pounds. Now she says she feels better, healthier, and she loves how her clothes fit. ‘I feel like a winner,’ she says.

• Pounds lost: 72

• Height: 5 feet 5 inches

• How long she’s kept it off: “I started losing weight in October 2007 and I am still losing. I have 40 pounds to go to reach my goal,” she says.

• Personal life: “I currently live in Griffin. I am a medical secretary for a small medical practice and a house parent at a girls’ group home. My partner and I have an 8-year-old,” says Walker.

• Turning point: “I started to realize in April 2008, when my grandmother died and I could not fasten my shoes alone, that it was time to lose weight,” says Walker. “However, it took me a few more months before I began. One day, I was walking up my steps to my apartment and I had to stop midway because I was out of breath, and I knew then it was time.”

• Diet plan: “I am currently on Weight Watchers,” she says. Breakfast is an egg white omelet and fruit. For lunch, she eats a salad or a frozen meal. And dinner is vegetables along with grilled or baked chicken or fish and brown rice. “And I drink plenty of water,” she says.

• Exercise routine: “I walk two-three days a week [and] I use exercise videos two days a week or more if I can’t walk,” she says.

• Biggest challenge: “My biggest challenge has been not giving in to my negative thoughts or listening to people tell me I’ve lost too much weight,” she says.

• How life has changed: “I feel better. I am healthier and I can walk [for] longer periods of time. And I love how my clothes fit,” she says. “I am not at my goal, but just losing the first 72 pounds — I truly feel like a winner. Each day that I can walk without having to stop and put on my shoes without help, I know I made the right decision.”

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