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 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
Success story
Eullanda Broome, 46: From 236 pounds to 178 pounds
Former weight: 236 pounds
Current weight: 178 pounds
Pounds lost: 58 pounds
Height: 5 feet 8 inches
Age: 46 years
How long she's kept it off: Broome started in February 2015 and reached her current weight in April 2016.
Personal life: "I'm originally from Niagara Falls, N.Y.," says Broome. "My children are grown. My daughter will be 30 this year; my son will be 26 next month. I'm a supervisor at the U.S. Post Office. I live in Riverdale."
Turning point: "All my life I felt like I was overweight. I feel like I've always been dealing with weight issues; my mother was overweight. I carry it in my hips and thighs, so there was always a struggle with finding the perfect pants. … I had lost weight before and I had personal trainers. I would lose the weight, but then I would gain it back. … I was looking in the mirror and looking at pictures of myself and I wasn't happy with myself. I decided it was time to lose it and keep it off." She joined Casi's Straight Military Style Bootcamp.
Diet plan: She eats every two to three hours and has 20 ounces of water with each meal. She does not eat after 6 p.m. For breakfast, she has cereal with almond milk. Midmorning, she has a grapefruit. Her biggest meal of the day is at 11 a.m.: usually grilled chicken, a turkey burger or a wrap. "I have trained my stomach not to eat too much; if you're too full, you're eating too much."
Exercise routine: "I used to hate running." Now she enjoys it. She also does weight training, cardio and kickball.
Biggest challenge: "I don't deprive myself. If I have a craving for something, I just don't get it in a large portion. If I want some ice cream, I'll get the really small cups, that's just enough to get me some sweetness. … I don't buy nothing in my house that's junk food, I sometimes have self-control and sometimes I don't, so I don't buy it. If I don't see it, I don't crave it."
How life has changed: "I am looking sexier than ever, my hourglass shape is banging. I am able to buy clothes that I have never been able to buy, ever. … They (people) say that I inspire them to keep pushing themselves to reach their weight goals by all the weight I lost, so they inspire me to keep focused to keep my weight off."
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