• Former weight: 345

• Current weight: 125

(ENLARGE)
Before: 345 pounds
(ENLARGE)
After: 125 pounds
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• Pounds lost: 220

• How long she's kept it off: 2 1/2 years

• Personal life: This Weight Watchers leader lives in Canton with her husband, John, and 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.

• Turning point: "I was in the largest-size clothes I could find," says Lusk. "I was at the point where I would have to have them made or learn to make them myself." Although Lusk was not yet dealing with any weight-related medical issues, she knew it was just a matter of time. "It comes to a point where you know there's no option, really you're facing death."

• Diet plan: As a New Year's resolution in January 1999, Lusk went to a Weight Watchers meeting. Although she had joined many times before, this time was easier because of the points system. "I never liked being told I can't have this or that. If I want a Krispy Kreme doughnut for breakfast, I can have it," she says. She started eating a lot more fruits and vegetables and reaching for healthy staples such as egg whites. This enabled her to enjoy a hearty portion size but stick to the points plan.

• Exercise routine: She began on a stationary bike and then worked up to using a treadmill and an elliptical machine. She also worked out with a personal trainer on weights. "I went from a couch potato to an exercise fanatic," she says. "I look for ways to get exercise." She and her family now find activities that are fun but burn calories, such as cycling, roller-skating and climbing up Stone Mountain.

• Biggest challenge: Nighttime eating has and always will be Lusk's biggest challenge. "I have just found that you have to find an activity to do other than the TV. I even taught myself to knit to keep my hands busy," she says. She often takes her walks in the evening to keep her out of the house, away from the kitchen.

• Munchie antidote: Although she admits that nothing really seems to stop the munchies, she reaches for low-point healthy items. She buys bags of coleslaw and mixes it with homemade dressing for a tasty treat or she buys bags of raw green beans and carries those around as crunchy snacks.

• Secret to success: Setting small goals. Before, she'd focus on the whole goal, which quickly became overwhelming and seemingly impossible to achieve. So instead, she broke it down into doable goals, focusing on 10 weeks at a time. For every five pounds she lost, she got a star at her meeting and gave herself a small reward such as a new tube of lipstick, a new cookbook or fresh flowers for the house. "It allowed me to look at it as a lifestyle change instead of a diet — a lifestyle change is permanent," she says. "The weight loss itself was a bonus from that new way of eating and living."

• How life has changed: "I love clothes-shopping!" she says. She's more outgoing and participates more in her daughter's school activities. She also enjoys those moments of realizing she's actually lost the weight — like when her daughter got very excited at being able to wrap her arms around her mother and join them together. "I have a husband who calls me his hero; he knows what a struggle it can be to lose weight."

— Michelle C. Brooks, for the Journal-Constitution

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 story with us. Briefly tell us your goal (weight loss, an athletic achievement, overcoming a health problem, etc.), how you achieved it and how long you've maintained it. Include a daytime phone number and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, c/o Julia McBee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Eighth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or e-mail successstories@ajc.com.