Niki Phillips, 48, of Kennesaw, lost 57 pounds

Success Story

Niki Phillips, 48: From 189 pounds to 132 pounds

Former weight: 189 pounds

Current weight: 132 pounds

Pounds lost: 57 pounds

Height: 5 feet 8 inches

Age: 48

How long she's kept it off: She started in late 2013 and reached her current weight this month.

Personal life: "I reside in Kennesaw. I am a single mom of two adult children. One is 28, and one is 24. I am part owner, third owner of Body and Life Transformations which opened in 2016…I am going through certification to become a personal trainer."

Turning point: "In 2013, I was going through a divorce. In late 2013, a girlfriend of

mine gave me a call and said, ‘Oh my gosh, Niki, I am at this gym. I want you to come and work out with me!’ I was like, ‘Uh, no.’ It was two miles from my house. She convinced me to come work out with her. I am pretty committed to my friends, so I went. I started a 21-day challenge with her. After the first week, I started feeling better about myself…That is where it started. I realized I’ve got to get myself back on track. I have battled some pretty major health problems…That is one of the reasons I put on additional weight. It was a challenge…It was time for me to invest in myself for a bit.”

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Diet plan: She eats five meals daily. Breakfast is egg whites or a protein shake. Snacks are almonds or almond butter and celery. Lunch and dinner are chicken, turkey or fish with brown rice and green vegetables. Dessert, when she has it, is plain Greek yogurt with chocolate chips; she drinks a gallon of water daily.

Exercise routine: "I try to workout at least three to four times per week." She does 30 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT). "I run Spartan races. I started that a year ago. I have done five races now."

Biggest challenge: I think my biggest challenge (was) knowing and understanding how much food is part of it. Eighty percent of the journey is what you eat, twenty percent the exercise…I'd always skip breakfast, I could literally go all day without eating so your body goes into starvation. I learned you have to eat to keep your metabolism going to lose weight."

How life has changed: "I never thought in a million years I'd be a business owner of a gym. Career wise it is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was coming out of the corporate industry…Owning your own business is a sense of freedom….I am a happier person." She has also started bodybuilding. "I felt it would help to expose me even more to how I can help my clients." Her advice: "Take the first step, and do something. It doesn't matter if you are walking; take the first step to say, 'I am taking control of my health and fitness.'"

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, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.