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
Chana Isom, 29: From 306 pounds to 215 pounds
Former weight: 306 pounds
Current weight: 215 pounds
Pounds lost: 91 pounds
Height: 5 feet, 7 inches
Age: 29 years
How long she's been at it: Started in 2012 and started again last year after recovering from knee surgery.
Personal life: "I am a claims adjuster for a cellphone insurance company in Alpharetta; I have a boyfriend." She lives in Kennesaw.
Turning point: "I knew that, this time, I wasn't going to give up. I knew that I needed to lose weight. I know that I want to have children in the next couple of years. I knew that, in order for me to live a healthy lifestyle for myself, I needed to be healthy for my child. … Plus, I will be the big 30 this year. I knew that I could not be the same carrying over 300 pounds with my height. I was always athletic when I was younger. Losing weight, the majority of it is a mental thing. … I think this time I just told myself, 'This is it, Chana.'" She took classes with wellness coach Jacynta Harb (sparkleanewyou.com).
Diet plan: Breakfast is eggs and turkey sausage or bacon. Lunch is taco salad without chips, and dinner is fish or chicken with vegetables.
Exercise routine: "I normally go to a boot camp four times a week." She also walks at a local park.
Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge was getting rid of the foods I love; I was a big pasta and rice girl. … I know my body. … Those kinds of foods are not good for my body. Not that I will never have it again; it just can't be my typical, everyday foods."
How life has changed: "It's funny, when you think you're not losing weight, other people see it all the time. Everybody is always like, 'You're getting so skinny.' I'm looking at them like, 'I'm skinny?' [I'm] not used to the compliments. Jacynta says work on just saying thank you. … Now, I'm realizing I have put in the work and I'm acknowledging I am proud of myself. … Jacynta tells us to go at our own pace; this is a lifelong journey. I am human, I may have a slip-up here or there. I know that I have to keep going. I cannot turn back and go to that 300-pound girl again. I just would tell other people, it doesn't happen overnight. It is a day-to-day process — you can't give up, however long it takes you."
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