Tiare Smith of Woodstock loses 130 pounds

By Michelle C. Brooks

For the AJC

Former weight: 285 pounds

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Smith family photo Tiare Smith weighed 285 pounds when she began her weight-loss journey in 2007.

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Smith family photo Tiare Smith's biggest challenge was hitting a plateau after losing 75 pounds and needing to make additional changes to continue her weight loss.

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Current weight: 155 pounds

Pounds lost: 130 pounds

Height: 5 feet 6 inches

Age: 41 years

How long she’s kept it off: She started January 2007 and met her goal April 2010.

Personal life: “I live in Woodstock with my husband and college sweetheart, Robert,” Smith says. “I spend my days motivating others to reach their healthy lifestyle goals via my blog, ScrapnFIT (www.scrapnFIT.com).” She has been featured on HGTV and has an online scrapbooking business, Classy Coordinates (www.classycoordinates.com).

Turning point: “I wanted to be fit at 40 to age gracefully and healthily,” she says. One evening, she and her husband watched “Oprah After the Show.” "They mentioned that life is always trying to give you messages,” she says. “First, in a whisper, then [life] talks to you, then it yells and then it smacks you in the face. No one wants the smack in the face because that's usually the diagnosis of an illness or disease. It just made me really think and question why weight loss [had] been so tough for me. At that moment, I thought I've got to practice my healthier lifestyle each day, it may mean small steps, but small steps make for big changes.”

Diet plan: She began with Weight Watchers but switched to her own plan, cutting out white flour and white sugar. Breakfast is an omelet. Lunch is a grilled chicken salad and dinner is lean meat with veggies.

Exercise routine: “I exercise five days a week, one hour each day. My routine includes strength-training, cardio-resistance training and kickboxing,” she says.

Biggest challenge: “If I had to pick just one thing, it would be hitting a plateau [after losing 75 pounds] and needing to make additional changes to continue my weight loss,” she says. “Willpower is not enough -- you’ve got to change your lifestyle.”

How life has changed: "No more worrying about if I am going to fit in a chair, on an airplane seat [or] in a restaurant booth. And the hugs I get from my husband now are super wonderful -- he can put his arms completely around me and that in itself made the journey worth it.”

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 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, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.