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 / Kylee Fulton, 36: From 420 pounds to 210 pounds
Former weight: 420
Current weight: 210
Pounds lost: 210 pounds
Height: 5 feet 8 inches
Age: 36
How long she's kept it off: "I have been on my journey for a year. I am still working toward my final goals in hopes of qualifying for skin-removal surgery to complete my transformation."
Personal life: "I am married with three children — all boys. I work as a job coach and technology trainer for the disabled throughout the state. I am currently working on my real estate license and would love to get certified as a fitness instructor." She lives in Suwanee.
Turning point: "After the birth of my son, Reed, in April 2015, I decided I could no longer be this version of me. There has always been a better version trapped underneath my blanket of fat. My weight has limited so much of my life for so long, and I was just ready to begin living the life I have always wanted."
Diet plan: She began a 90-day juice fast, then transitioned to 1,200 daily calories of protein, veggies and fruit. She drinks half her weight in ounces of water daily.
Exercise routine: "I joined the J.M. Tull Gwinnett Family YMCA in Lawrenceville in June of 2015 with the expectation that I would go a couple times a week and I … began going five to six days a week. I spent 2015 lifting weights combined with Zumba for cardio, and then in spring of 2016, I began adding more weights and other higher-intensity classes such as Insanity and HIIT."
Biggest challenge: "The biggest challenge at first was stopping myself from thinking about food. After two months, though, something just clicked and it was like my mind and body rewarded me for my focus and it just became easier. Getting enough water on a daily basis was also challenging. I had to constantly have my water around and set hourly goals."
How life has changed: "My life now is much different. I no longer have to factor my size and how it might limit my life. I am ready to just go and experience everything with an endless amount of energy. I was always someone who spent a lot of energy on others but very little on myself, and finding that balance where I could take care of myself first has made me a better wife and mother."
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