Success story: Tamara Chaney

By Angela Tuck

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tamara Chaney, 33. Pounds lost: 50

Former weight: 192 pounds

Current weight: 142 pounds

Pounds lost: 50 pounds

Height: 5 feet 5 inches

How long she's kept it off: She started January 2009 and reached her initial goal of 145 pounds in January 2010. Since then, she's lost a total of 50 pounds.

Personal life: "I work in Midtown and live in Conyers," says Chaney. She's
been married for 10 years to her husband, Dee; they have two children, Laila, 6 and Daniel, 3.

Turning point: "I had lost and gained so many times over the years I had resigned myself to being overweight," she says. "When a co-worker, that appeared to be in good health, needed emergency heart surgery, I started to realize weight loss was about more than vanity but my overall health."

Diet plan: She joined a Weight Watchers at Work program. Breakfast is a homemade low-fat breakfast sandwich. Lunch is a frozen low-calorie meal and dinner is lean protein with vegetables.

Exercise routine: "With two small children, leaving my house to work out 3 to 5 days a week wasn't feasible. I didn't want to cut into our quality time as a family in order to go work out, so I opted for working out at home,"
she says. "The majority of my workouts consisted of 30 -- 45 minutes on my Gazelle, 3 days a week.  I also included workout DVDs.  While this was more convenient than going to a gym, it also provided an example for my family. Now my kids know when it's time to exercise and they enjoy making a trampoline out of the bed and my husband mimics my exercise moves.  I'm building a healthy foundation for them so the idea of exercising on a consistent basis won't be a foreign concept, but just a normal part of life."

Biggest challenge: "I've found that mindless eating for me usually goes hand-in-hand with social settings."

How life has changed: "The sense of accomplishment that comes with losing weight and maintaining that weight loss has built so much confidence that I didn't realize was lost when I gained weight," she says. "It catapults me to try new things and to challenge myself in ways I never thought possible."

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