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 Patty Murphy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
SUCCESS STORY / Gary Turner, 39: From 291 pounds to 193 pounds
Former weight: 291 pounds
Current weight: 193 pounds
Pounds lost: 98 pounds
Height: 6 feet
Age: 39 years
How long he's kept it off: He started in January and reached his current weight in September.
Personal life: "I live in Marietta with my beautiful wife, Christy, and our four cats: Darth Vader, Han Solo, Padme and Yoda," says Turner. "I am a customer experience manager."
Turning point: "I had tried in 2006 to lose weight, and lost 50 pounds but only kept it off for a year," he says. "My doctor sat me down in January 2014 during a physical and gave me a wake-up call as to what I could expect if I continued as I was at my age and weight. It was a rude awakening and made an impression … I'm very metrics driven, so I bought a Fitbit to track my steps, stairs, calories and began using the MyFitnessPal application to track everything I ate. I set a goal of walking 10,000 steps a day."
Diet plan: "I designed my own diet based on the number of calories I should consume. I started targeting 1,600 calories, and have gradually increased this to 2,500," he says. Breakfast is a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Snacks are fruit and string cheese. Lunch is Egg Beaters and turkey sausage. Mid-afternoon he has yogurt, carrots and fruit. Dinner is fish or chicken with vegetables.
Exercise routine: "I have a TV set up in front of my treadmill in our basement and I try to walk a minimum of two miles on it every day," he says. "I do my walking first thing in the morning before work so it is out of the way and I remove the excuse of being too tired after work."
Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge was finding foods that I would eat which fit into my plan, and having back-up options available. I don't always have the ability to stop and heat a meal up or get to a fridge for yogurt, so I made sure to have dry stock snacks that I could use in a pinch at my desk at work."
How life has changed: "I am on my fourth wardrobe since the start of the year. It is amazing to not have to look through the very limited options of 3XL T-shirts when now I can fit into a large," he says. "I have a lot more energy and confidence, and feel more comfortable every day. Flying is no longer a daunting task … Exercise has become as much a part of my day as eating breakfast – it is automatic … I plan to go skydiving this fall now that I am under the weight restrictions …"
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