Tamara Chaney of Conyers loses 50 pounds

By Michelle Brooks

For the AJC

Former weight: 192 pounds

Current weight: 142 pounds

Pounds lost: 50

Height: 5 feet 5 inches

How long she’s kept it off: She started in 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,” Chaney said. She’s been married for 10 years to 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 said.

“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: “The majority of my workouts consisted of 30 to 45 minutes on my Gazelle, three days a week,” she said. “I also included workout DVDs. While this was more convenient than going to a gym, it also provided an example for my family.”

“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 said.

Be an inspiration: If you’ve made positive changes in your diet and/or fitness routine and are happy with the results, 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.