Farredeh Baughcum of Monroe loses 43 pounds

By Michelle Brooks

For the AJC

Former weight: 
187 pounds

Current weight: 
144 pounds

Pounds lost: 43

Height: 5 feet 9 inches

How long she’s kept it off: Five months. She began Weight Watchers in January 2008, met her goal in October 2008, and lost 24 more pounds.

Personal life: “I live in Monroe, with my husband, Alan, and my two girls, Brinley [age 4] and Braylon [age 3],” Baughcum said. “I’m a former Gwinnett County high school teacher and now stay-at-home mom.”

Turning point: My best friend, Lindsay, asked me to go to Weight Watchers with her in January 2008. ... It was that light-bulb moment that people talk about,” she said. She made a commitment to herself to follow the Weight Watchers plan and to start using her gym membership.

Diet plan: Breakfast is oatmeal and coffee. Lunch is a frozen, low-calorie meal. “I wish I could say I eat grilled fish [or] chicken and veggies every night, but I don’t. I do try to cook as healthy as possible, and I eat whatever I cook for my family. But the major change here is portion control.”

Exercise routine: She goes to the gym five days a week for classes, weight lifting and circuit training. “When I started Weight Watchers in January 2008, I had 30 percent body fat, and currently I have 20 percent body fat.”

Biggest challenge: “The biggest challenge was actually reaching my goal,” she said. At first, the scale wasn’t moving, but her clothes were getting loose. “After about six months, the weight just started falling off and people really started to notice my new shape.”

How life has changed: “Life is great because I feel great,” she said. “I’ve done things this past year I never thought I could or would do.” She ran her first 5K in April 2009 and her first AJC Peachtree Road Race last July, finishing in 1 hour, 1 minute. “For me, someone who doesn’t love running, these are huge accomplishments. I feel so proud to have not only completed them, but completed them well.” This October, she plans to walk the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk.

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, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or
e-mail ajcsuccessstories
@gmail.com.