SUCCESS STORY / SHERYL CAUTERO, 52

> Former weight: 224 pounds

> Current weight: 150 pounds

> Pounds lost: 74

> Height: 5 feet 4 inches

> How long she’s kept it off: Nearly two years. “I started Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet (www.cookiediet.com) in October 2005 and reached my goal in April 2006,” says Cautero.

> Personal life: “I work as a senior group project manager and senior executive assistant to the president and CEO of a large advertising firm in Buckhead,” says Cautero. “My husband, Charlie, and I moved here from West Palm Beach, Fla., a little over a year ago.” They live in Milton.

> Turning point: “After looking at a photograph of me that was taken at my stepson’s wedding, I felt ashamed that I had let myself get so heavy. I stared at that photo and sobbed,” she says. “For the better part of my first 49 years, I had been on every diet you could name. I was determined to spend the next 50 years thin instead of fat. A friend of ours had been on Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet and she was getting miraculous results, but I was very skeptical; I couldn’t imagine eating cookies during the day and then just having dinner. With much coaxing, I decided to try Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet. I had results like no other diet I had ever experienced. I consistently lost two to three pounds each week. My doctor kept a close eye on me the entire time, and he was equally thrilled by the results.”

> Diet plan: For breakfast and lunch, she eats the meal-replacement cookies, which come in oatmeal raisin, chocolate, blueberry, banana and coconut. For dinner she eats a low-fat dinner of lean protein and two servings of vegetables. “Of course I always save a cookie for my snack in the evening. Drinking lots of water plays a big role in helping to keep satisfied,” she says.

> Exercise routine: “It wasn’t until after I lost all the weight that I started to exercise. Walking works the best for me, and a little weight resistance training,” she says.

> Biggest challenge: “The biggest challenge always is the little voice you hear inside that encourages you to go ahead and have a little, it won’t hurt,” she says.

> How life has changed: “My life has always been wonderful, but now when I look in the mirror I really love what I see —- I feel beautiful,” she says.

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 to 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.