Sam Moody of Atlanta loses 70 pounds

By Michelle Brooks

For the AJC

Former weight:
200 pounds

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Family photo Sam Moody, shown at 200 pounds in July 2007.


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Family photo Moody at 130 pounds in April 2009. He says he feels “great all the time” after losing weight. Total weight loss: 70 pounds.

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Current weight:
130 pounds

Pounds lost: 70

Height: 5 feet 8 inches

How long he’s kept it off: 11 months. Started in March 2008, and reached his goal December 2008.

Personal life: “I work for State Farm Insurance Co.,” he said. “I live in downtown Atlanta with my fiancée, Cary Ann Nixon, and our dog, Maggie.”

Turning point: When State Farm teamed up with the 50 Million Pound Challenge (www.50million
pounds.com), Moody aimed to become the biggest loser. Moody decided that he “would lose more than anyone else in the program. I started eating healthier and really began to watch my caloric intake.”

Diet plan: “I just used to eat fast food for every meal, so I knew that any change I could do with my diet would be better than the biggie-size combo meal from any chain,” he said. “Once I found I could eat healthy at certain places, it really inspired me to try new things and vegetables.”

Routine change: Moody was ready to exercise, and Georgia was in the midst of a gas shortage. With a MARTA station near his home, he began a clean commute to his job 30 miles away in Duluth. After three months, he lost weight, and through the Clean Air Campaign
(www.cleanaircampaign
.org) he was paid to take transit. “I received my check of $180 that pretty much paid for my first three months of commuting. I enjoyed the feeling of taking transit and no longer relying on my car, so I eventually sold my car and have not driven to work in over a year.”

Biggest challenge: “I guess the first was realizing that when you eat healthier, your body can use the food and get more energy out of it than fatty foods. So I realized I was getting full faster, but I was not starving myself.”

How life has changed: “My blood pressure has lowered greatly; I feel great all the time,” he said. “I have helped the environment by not driving 60 miles a day to and from work. I have met the love of my life ... Being happy with myself definitely helped me prepare to be with someone for the rest of my life.”

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 Suzanne Van Atten, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or e-mail ajcsuccess
stories@gmail.com.