Rachel C. Simmons of Mableton lost 46 pounds

Height: 5 feet 6 inches

Age: 31 years

How long she's kept it off: She started in January and reached her goal in June.

Personal life: "I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., and a U.S. Army veteran," Simmons said. She works in human resources for a transportation company at Fort Benning and travels home to Mableton on weekends. "I am a single mother of a wonderful 7-year-old son."

Turning point: "My turning point was when I went home to Pittsburgh to visit family and my father told me I was basically fat. He said it the nicest way possible, but it was a reality check," she said. "When I stepped on the scale, I was so embarrassed and disappointed in myself. I weighed 196 [pounds], and that was about the same amount I weighed when I was nine months pregnant. ... He lit the spark, and in January of this year I decided to change my diet and fitness routine because I finally admitted to myself that my weight was out of control."

Diet plan: She started with the diet plan offered by P90X (www.beachbody.com/p90x) but then came up with her own plan. Breakfast is high-fiber oatmeal; lunch is a salad with chicken or shrimp. She snacks on almonds, and dinner is baked fish with vegetables and rice.

Exercise routine: "The first 90 days, I started with P90X six days a week," she said. "After I completed that program, I started to walk, then jog outside two miles five days a week." Now in a maintenance and toning phase, she runs, lifts weights and does abdominal work three or four days a week.

Biggest challenge: "I am an overeater, and my challenge is portion control," she said. "I was raised to eat everything on my plate. ... Most dinner meals at restaurants are overly proportioned, so when I go out to eat, I share my meal with my son."

How life has changed: "I am healthier, more active and I have regained confidence in myself that I lost over the past couple of years," she said. Her plan is "to always stay active and to not consider my eating habits a diet, but a life change."

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 e-mail 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.