• Former weight: 265 pounds

• Current weight: 175 pounds

Family photo (ENLARGE)

BEFORE: Houston weighed 265 pounds when she started her diet plan. Her weight in this photo was 245 pounds.

Family photo (ENLARGE)

AFTER: Houston, 58, weighs 175 pounds.

PHOTOS: See other before and after pictures sent by users like you! ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE | new TEN | Inspirations | Inspirations II | Readers photos Upload your own photos! Topic: Atlanta's weight loss resource Be an inspiration: 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 email address, a daytime phone number and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, c/o Suzanne Van Atten, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com. More success stories Sonya Moste, 41, of Fayetteville lost 60 pounds  Dick Jones, 53, of Alpharetta loses 72 pounds  Derrick Williams, 37, of Dunwoody sheds 75 pounds  Sherrie Cline, 44, of Cartersville loses 72 pounds  Hannah Conheady, 19, of Lawrenceville sheds 102 pounds  Sara Corcoran, 39, of Johns Creek sheds 114 pounds  Jennifer Sabatier, 34, of Atlanta loses 80 pounds  Mickey Ruffalo, 57, of Woodstock loses 65 pounds  Jane Walters, 51, of McDonough sheds 38 pounds  Vivian Lawson, 46, of Kennesaw loses 71 pounds  Back to Health

• Pounds lost: 90

• Height: 5 feet 6 inches

• How long she's kept it off: Started August 2005, when she retired and is still losing. Her goal is to lose 100 pounds total.

• Personal life: Houston works at Grayson High School part time. She lives in Snellville with George, her husband of 22 years, and their two teenage sons, Harris and Morgan, along with a black Lab, Comet, and a cat, Chip.

• Turning point: "When I retired, I just decided I was tired of being fat!" says Houston, who struggled with weight most of her life. "It was slower in the beginning, but since August 2007, it has seemed pretty easy."

• Diet plan: "I started taking [prescription] Xenical [a weight-loss medication that blocks fat absorption in the gut] and quickly learned it was better to leave off as much fat intake as possible," says Houston, who occasionally takes over-the-counter Alli, a Food and Drug Administration-approved weight-loss drug. For breakfast, she eats Grape Nuts cereal and fruit. Lunch is a meal shake or a salad and dinner is grilled meat, chicken or fish with salad.

• Exercise routine: Three days a week, Houston watches her nephew's daughters, ages 4 and 16 months. "The most exercise I get is chasing after the two little great-nieces I keep," she says.

• Biggest challenge: Her biggest challenge was getting started and staying on track. "But once you start getting results, it gets easier and easier."

• How life has changed: "I feel better and I love all the compliments I've been getting," says Houston. "Plus, everyone that has known me for a while says I look 20 years younger." Her jeans size has dropped from 28 to 12. "Live lean and you will be," she says.