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 / Diona R. Watson, 34: From 368 pounds to 222 pounds
Former weight: 368 pounds
Current weight: 222 pounds
Pounds lost: 146
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Age: 34
How long she's kept it off: She reached her current weight in October.
Personal life: "I am single and looking forward to my new active lifestyle," says Watson. She works as an auto liability claims adjuster and lives in Dallas, Ga.
Turning point: "Initially, I went from 368 pounds to 220 pounds and kept it off for over five years," she says. "Then (in April 2009), I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and told to ignore all food rules as I needed to keep my weight up while undergoing treatment. During chemotherapy, I got down to 206 pounds. However, once I finished treatment, I continued to ignore all food rules and ballooned back up to 289 pounds. I finished chemotherapy August 11, 2009 and I began working out June, 2013." She blogs about her experiences at: http://lymphomasavedmylife.blogspot.com/
Diet plan: "I am not on a diet plan; I still eat all of the things I like," she says. "Instead of eating six cookies, I have one." Breakfast is a vegetable omelet, lunch is a Caesar salad with salmon or shrimp, and dinner is sauteed kale with sea bass. She snacks on string cheese with deli roast beef and drinks apple cider vinegar mixed with cinnamon, lemon juice, honey, and hot water and makes green smoothies.
Exercise routine: "I found while in the gym that I just didn't know what to do, as I've never been active or athletic. I couldn't really afford a personal trainer. So, I made some sacrifices," she says. "I turned off my home phone and cable and stopped my $10-per-day Starbucks habit. I now use that money to pay for personal training sessions. We work out four to six times per week." She also does 30 to 60 minutes of cardio two to three times per week.
Biggest challenge: "I read somewhere: What you eat in private, you wear in public. When I feel the urge to cheat, although no one else may know, I will and my body will show it. The biggest challenge for me has been wanting the weight off yesterday," she says. "It's challenging to learn patience, appreciate the new me, and not rush things as this is supposed to be a lifestyle change and not just a short-term habit."
How life has changed: "As a cancer survivor, life is awesome. I wake up every day filled with joy and happy to be among the living; I'm truly blessed," she says. "It's very important to me to stay away from things that are carcinogens and can possibly lead to a relapse [so] I'm doing this the old fashioned way … My newest favorite quote is: If you don't treat your body well, where will you live?"
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