Marsha Baggett, 46, of Flowery Branch lost 56 pounds

Pounds lost: 56 pounds

Height: 5 feet 6½ inches

Age: 46 years

How long she's kept it off: "I started Oct. 27, 2018, and reached my goal weight on June 1, 2019."

Personal life: "I live in Flowery Branch," Baggett said. "I'm single. … I have a dog named Turner, and he is the best. I also have a cat named Harriet, and they love each other. … I'm a special education teacher at Maxwell High School in Gwinnett County. I have been teaching 23 years and still look forward to it every day."

Turning point: "I've always been overweight. I struggled with maintaining a healthy weight, and over the years, I developed some really bad eating habits," she said. "Fall of 2018, I had a student at Maxwell in the health care program take my blood pressure, and it was extremely high. That weekend, I went to the emergency room for my blood pressure because I was concerned about having a stroke due to it being so high. I was put on blood pressure medicine that day — that was my wake-up call."

Diet plan: Breakfast is almond milk and coffee with creamer, a protein muffin, boiled egg and sausage or Canadian bacon, and berries. Lunch is a salmon burger with spinach and quinoa salad. Dinner is lean protein, half a sweet potato and roasted vegetables.

Exercise routine: "I go to South Hall CrossFit (www.southhallcrossfit.com) and work out five to six times a week," Baggett said. "The workouts combine strength, cardio and gymnastic movements."

Biggest challenge: "Believing I could make the changes in my lifestyle," she said. "In the beginning, it's hard to think you are going to make all these healthy choices and be happy. You think of all the things you can't have and how is that possible. Now, I crave healthy foods, and the way I feel makes it easy to choose to eat healthy. Another challenge was learning how to mess up and get right back to it, and not wait till next Monday to start."

How life has changed:

“I still can’t believe how amazing I feel now,” Baggett said. “The weight loss has been amazing, but the way I feel every day is even better. I don’t nap any more, and my sleep is amazing. I feel better than I did when I was 20. … I’ve also started being a nutrition coach at my gym. I’m leading others on their individual nutrition goals using the same program. … I tell people the nutrition program has changed my life, and I hope I can help others feel the same way. The biggest thing is I’m comfortable in my own skin. … I always thought I wanted to be skinny, but that changed when I found out how good it feels to be strong.”

Share Your Success: Each week, Success Stories focuses on an individual’s unique weight loss journey. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not endorse any specific weight loss program but includes names and links for the benefit of readers who want further information. Have you lost weight successfully with a healthy lifestyle change? If you would like to share your story with our readers, please include your email address, phone number, and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG), and contact us at: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.