Bonnie Rhodes lost 79 pounds

Current weight: 171 pounds

Pounds lost: 79 pounds

Height: 5 feet 4 inches

How long she's kept it off: She started in 2010 and reached her current weight in January.

Personal life: "I live in Suwanee. I work for Karate Atlanta. I've been there now for about a year and a half. I was working for Grady Memorial Hospital … I worked there for over 20 years. Now I work full time for Karate Atlanta Brookwood (in Cumming) and I am the program director." She is married with four grown sons.

Turning point: "I have been trying to lose weight my entire adult life from one fad diet to another and it never stuck. … My kids started at Karate Atlanta … I would think maybe I could lose weight doing that and it would be fun." In January 2010, she started. "I thought no problem, but I couldn't go up a flight of stairs without being winded … it was really hard." In April 2016, she had gastric-sleeve surgery. "I had lost down to about 226 pounds, at that point, but my diabetes was out of control. … I was working out several times per week, but nothing was working; they said if I had the gastric-sleeve, it would remove the part of the stomach that signals the brain to release cortisol and I'd lose weight."

Diet plan: Breakfast is a protein shake and strawberries. She snacks on fruit, nuts and vegetables, eating fish and chicken at meals. "I eat a lot more vegetables now … that is what my body wants."

Exercise routine: She works out four times weekly. "I have the wonderful opportunity to work out with Grand Master Emeritus of the American Taekwondo Association, Soon Ho Lee, ninth-degree black belt, twice a week — by the end of that hour, I am soaked."

Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge is getting out of my own way, not letting my fear cripple me and keep me from doing it. … If you let fear stop you, you are defeated before you even started."

How life has changed: "I have a lot more energy than I used to. I am not as depressed as I used to be. I used to feel sad, fat, old — I was very self-defeatist. … I am willing to take more chances. I am healthier, my blood pressure is actually a little low instead of high. … I am able to ride roller coasters, where before, I couldn't fit in the seat. I look forward to parachuting now where before, I was too big. I look forward to having a longer life. I look forward to being there for my kids. I am looking forward to living the life I want to, because my body had constraints, and the weight wouldn't allow me to do certain things. My mind wouldn't allow me to do the things I wanted to do because it was defeated too."

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, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.