Losing a relatively small amount of weight and keeping it off over time can be difficult, but these four Gwinnett County residents have each managed to maintain a weight loss of more than 100 pounds.
Their stories and motivations are all different, but they share several things in common — each tried and failed to lose weight in the past.
But they were ultimately able to change their eating habits and activity level, and, in the process, changed their lives.
This is how they did it:
Gino Marotta, Lawrenceville – 118-pound weight loss
Gino Marotta of Lawrenceville lost 118 pounds, dropping his weight from 315 to 197 pounds.
His motivation: Marotta had been overweight for years, but he set a goal on the day after his 39th birthday to lose 115 pounds by his 40th birthday. He had tried to lose weight before, but hadn't been successful
Diet: He makes his own breakfast casserole, consisting of eggs, ground turkey and hash browns. Marotta eats a frozen meal for lunch and his dinner choices vary.
Exercise: Marotta didn't exercise during the first 60 pounds of weight loss, but he now does 30 minutes of intense cardio two or three times a week. On weekends, he runs/hikes an eight-mile stretch at Stone Mountain Park.
Paul Moore, Sugar Hill – 128-pound weight loss
Paul Moore of Sugar Hill lost 128 pounds, going from 208 to 180 pounds. In the process, he gained a new career, becoming a full-time one-on-one personal coach for Weight Watchers.
His motivation: Moore had tried Weight Watchers in the past but didn't stick with it. He was taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol and was also diabetic. A comment from a relative about the fact that he was getting big helped give him the motivation to try again.
Diet: He eats oatmeal for breakfast and a salad for lunch and dinner.
Exercise: Moore runs five to six miles a week, two or three times a week.
Kylee Fulton, Suwanee – 210-pound weight loss
Her motivation: After her son, Reed, was born, Fulton was ready to make the changes necessary to live the life she's always wanted.
Diet: She started with a juice fast and then transitioned to a 1,200-calorie diet of protein, vegetables and fruit, along with plenty of water.
Exercise: Fulton joined the J.M. Tull Gwinnett Family YMCA in Lawrenceville and now goes five or six days a week, doing everything from weightlifting to Zumba to HIIT.
Vickie Crabtree, Snellville – 142-pound weight loss
Her motivation: She wasn't able to put on her own socks and had knee and back pain. The biggest motivation, however, came from her daughter, whose father had died. She said she was afraid her mother would also die. Although Crabtree had lost weight before, she had always regained it, along with additional weight. But she was determined to succeed this time and not fall back into her old habits.
Diet: She joined Weight Watchers and has continued to attend meetings even after meeting her goal. Her breakfast consists of grits, turkey sausage and fruit, or bacon, an egg and toast. Lunch is a salad or soup with a sandwich, and dinner is protein with vegetables.
Exercise: Crabtree takes double high-energy water aerobics classes twice a week and also walks two days a week.
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