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 / Alecia Jones, 44: From 214 pounds to 155 pounds
Former weight: 214
Current weight: 155
Pounds lost: 59
Height: 5 feet 5 inches
Age: 44
How long she's kept it off: A year. "I started my journey on December 30, 2011," says Jones, who reached her current weight in 2012.
Personal life: "I have been married for eight years and a have a seven-year-old son … and 22-year-old daughter," she says. "I am currently employed part-time as a work-at-home customer service agent, but I am looking for full-time employment. I will be attending college to pursue my master's degree." She and her family live in Smyrna.
Turning point: "When I was over 200 pounds, my knees and back hurt something awful," she says. "When I went to the doctor (in 2009), I was told to lose weight." A year later she had lost weight, but her knees still hurt. "I knew something was wrong. In 2011, I had a chiropractor examine me and he told me that my hip had a space of almost two inches different from one side to the next, so it wasn't aligned and putting pressure on my knees." She was already reducing sugar and processed foods when her husband watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" (www.fatsickandnearlydead.com), and asked her to watch it. "I was fascinated by everything I learned in that documentary and decided to do a seven-day juice cleanse and then preceded to start my journey as a raw vegan."
Diet plan: Prior to going vegan, she eliminated processed foods, sugar and dairy. Her day starts with a green smoothie that includes three to four cups of greens. Lunch is a salad or collard green wrap. Dinner is beans with brown rice or steel cut oats with fruit. "I eat as much fruits and veggies as I want," she says.
Exercise routine: "My weight loss strictly came from diet because I couldn't exercise for the first three months," she says. "Now, I am able to walk almost four miles a day. I take classes at the YMCA such as body sculpting, spin, and yoga and I feel great! I take two classes a week and walk the rest of the days along with working in my garden growing fruits and veggies."
Biggest challenge: "I used to be a sugarholic but now I rarely eat anything sweet because I no longer want it," she says. She often makes yogurt with coconut or chocolate pudding, "but this year I haven't had a desire to eat anything sweet."
How life has changed: "It feels good to be able to walk and exercise without getting tired," she says. "I believe I was able to be successful because I had a made-up mind to treat the one body God gave me better than I had by putting good things in it. I no longer wanted to lose weight to get into some new outfit, but now, I just wanted to be healthy."
