Kizzy S. Robinson lost 70 pounds

Height: 5 feet 2 inches

Age: 34

How long she's kept it off: She started December 2008 and reached her goal July 2011.

Personal life: "I am a sales operation lead manager in finance at AT&T," said Robinson. "I am from Baton Rouge, La., and have lived in Atlanta for five years." She lives in College Park.

Turning point: "In November 2008, I began to have issues with twisting my ankles. I would just be walking, and I would slip and twist my ankle," she said. "I went to my doctor, and he told me I was carrying too much weight on my frame and I needed to lose weight ... I had to make a huge change ... I found the Jazzercise [in Fayetteville] and went to class. The ladies were very welcoming. I could not do much at the beginning; I would stay in the back of class and just move."

Diet plan: "After losing my battle with crash diets and quick fixes, I needed to develop a healthier relationship with food," she said. "February of this year, I went to a nutritionist and learned that you have to look at the whole picture."

Breakfast is typically an egg and wheat toast. Lunch is a salad with fish or chicken, and dinner is fish or chicken with spinach and wheat bread.

Exercise routine: "I work out six days a week," she said. "Typically, I do one hour of Jazzercise on those days. At the beginning of this year, I also added a cycle class two times a week."

Biggest challenge: "Understanding everyone loses weight at a different pace," she said. "It has taken longer than I hoped, and I sometimes get frustrated. Hitting weight plateaus when you are doing the right things can be very disheartening. I have to keep reminding myself: I did not gain the weight overnight, so it will not come off overnight."

How life has changed: "I just finished my second Peachtree Road Race, joined a softball league and a run club," she said. "It is a wonderful feeling to have people who have witnessed my transformation tell me they are amazed at my determination."

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, c/o Holly Steel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.