Patrice Dawkins-Jackson lost 24 pounds

Patrice Dawkins-Jackson, 32, of Roswell, lost 24 pounds

Former weight: 177 pounds

Current weight: 153 pounds

Pounds lost: 24 pounds

Height: 5 feet 7 inches

Age: 32

How long she's kept it off: Four months. "I started May 2011 and reached a healthy BMI [body mass index] in October 2011," says Dawkins-Jackson.

Personal life: "I am blessed to be the wife of Kirk Jackson and mother of a handsome little prince, Kaden Preston. I reside near beautiful historic Roswell," she says. "I am a first-grade teacher at Dunwoody Springs Elementary."

Turning point: "I knew that I was gaining weight because I could not fit into my clothes and did not have a lot of energy," she says. "When I went to my godson's christening [in the before photo], I struggled with finding anything to wear and look nice. When I saw the pictures from it, I was devastated. My mother-in-law asked me, was I pregnant in the picture. At that point, I was determined to reclaim my energy and life."

Diet plan: "I do not follow a diet program. I log everything into my My Fitness Pal app (www.myfitnesspal.com) which makes you very conscience of your food choices," she says. Breakfast is almond milk with multi-grain cereal and fruit. Lunch is soup, salad and Greek yogurt. Dinner is a shrimp taco with rice and broccoli.

Exercise routine: She does Zumba on her Wii three to four times a week, weight training one to two times a week and lots of daily walking.

Biggest challenge: "My greatest challenge has been turning down foods that I really would enjoy, but won't eat them because of the calorie count," she says. "Also, not drinking my calories."