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SUCCESS STORY / Crystal Hoffman, 50: From 278 pounds to 138 pounds
Former weight: 278 pounds
Current weight: 138 pounds
Pounds lost: 140
Height: 5 feet 4 inches
Age: 50
How long she's kept it off: She reached her current weight in May. "I still have about five to eight pounds to lose," says Hoffman. "However, my focus has changed from weight loss to better conditioning and performance."
Personal life: "I'm single with no children. My friends, family and co-workers have been an incredible source of support for me," she says. She works as a database administrator and lives in Marietta.
Turning point: "My family has a history of diabetes and heart disease. However, that wasn't enough," she says. "Sometimes it's silly things that make you wake you up. I was shopping for patio furniture and saw a weight limit on a chair and realized I was over that limit."
Diet plan: "I didn't follow any organized plan," she says. "I stopped eating junk food and ate more fresh fruits and vegetables," she says. "I try to make better choices, but I will indulge from time to time." Before her early morning workout she has a banana. For breakfast, she has cottage cheese and fresh fruit and oatmeal or non-fat yogurt. She snacks during the day on fruit, almonds and yogurt and has an energy bar before her evening workout. Dinner is a flatbread wrap with chicken and spinach and a spinach salad with cranberries, nuts and balsamic dressing.
Exercise routine: "Because I'm training for another triathlon, I take cycling classes three times a week, swim three times a week and run three times a week," she says. "I also do one day of strength training with my personal trainer … and one day of strength training by myself." She started out with one-mile Leslie Sansone walking DVDs and increased her distances, working up from one to three miles. When her neighbor suggested she run a 5K, "I got the racing bug," she says.
Biggest challenge: "Eating sensibly at social functions is incredibly difficult because I like to eat," she says. "I will usually have a small portion of two or three items like fruit and veggies."
How life has changed: "Before my weight loss, I was very unhappy. I had very few friends because I didn't want to go out in public," she says. "Now, I've made a lot of new friends through the gym and racing. Because I've become a happier person, I seem to be attracting positive and energetic people. I no longer look at this as a diet. This is my life now. I continue to set racing goals and have races scheduled into next year … The best piece of advice I was given during a race was 'just keep moving forward'. It has served me well in both my weight-loss journey and life."
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