Lenora Bryant lost 45 pounds

Height: 5 feet 9 inches

Age: 59 years

How long she's kept it off: "Almost three years," says Bryant. "I began my weight-loss journey in November 2008, just before Thanksgiving. I felt that if Weight Watchers taught me how to make it through the major eating holidays of the year — Thanksgiving and Christmas — I could make it the rest of my life."

Personal life: "[I am a] retired human resources professional with Georgia Power, a subsidary of Southern Company. Prior to that, I was a college professor at Clark Atlanta University, Emory University, and Clayton State University. My bachelor's degree is from State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton; my master's degree is from Clark Atlanta University and my PhD is from Emory University. [My] husband, Jimmy Bryant, died in September 2009, five months after I retired." She's currently a receptionist for Weight Watchers.

Turning point: "When I had to move up to a size sixteen in golf outfits," she says.

Diet plan: She replaced high-sugar snack and diet foods with high-fiber choices. She starts her day with skim milk and high fiber cereal and fruit. She makes a large salad that she can eat on all week and is on hand when she walks through the door.

Exercise routine: [I'm a] golf enthusiast, playing golf on average three times a week," she says. "Won Mid-Georgia Women's Golf Association Margaret Walsh Handicap Tournament in 2011."

Biggest challenge: Going out to eat. "I ask for a take-out box...[I] immediately put half of it in the take-out box."

How life has changed: "I am so much happier, being able to put my hands on everything in my closet and knowing that it will fit," she says. "I am healthier and have more energy, with less stiffness because I do some sort of exercise most days and no knee pain because I am not carrying around excess weight."

Check the Success Stories column next week to see how Lenora Bryant inspired her daughter, Karenga Ross, to lose 61 pounds.

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 e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com. [END]