SUCCESS STORY / Martha Smith, 57: From 198 pounds to 135 pounds
Former weight: 198 pounds
Current weight: 135 pounds
Pounds lost: 63 pounds
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Age: 57 years
How long she's kept it off: Started December 2015 and reached her current weight a year ago.
Personal life: "I live in Cartersville. I'm a yoga instructor and I teach ESL for non-English speakers. I have one son and this November I will be married 31 years,"said Smith.
Turning point: "I had some teaching challenges and my blood pressure got high. My doctor wanted to put me on some medications, and I told her I was going to find some other way to manage the stress. My friends said, 'you should try yoga.' I tried it at a church and then went with a friend to the Etowah Yoga Studio (www.etowahvalleyyoga.com) in December 2015. Yoga changed my mind before my body ― it changed my way of thinking."
Diet plan: "I never call it a diet. A diet has an end and I have to do this the rest of my life." Breakfast is a protein drink followed by yogurt and nuts mid-morning. Lunch is rolled lunch meat, with vegetables, hummus and a bag of popcorn. Dinner is lean protein with roasted vegetables. She started making small changes such as giving up bread, then pasta, then fries and chips. " When I quit eating bread, 30 pounds dropped off me."
Exercise routine: I do yoga seven days a week at Etowah Valley Yoga, and I see my personal trainer at Fitness 1st Personal Training Studio in Cartersville two days a week. In January, I did yoga teacher training and I finished in May. I teach at least one day a week at Etowah Valley Yoga."
Biggest challenge: "Because yoga changed my mind, there was never a time I said I can't do this because… I never felt like it was a job I always felt like it bettered me. So even now, two years later once you lose the weight I guess it would be easy to walk into a restaurant and say, 'I'll have a hamburger with french fries,' but I've just made up my mind about this…I think everybody should find what works for them."
How life has changed: "I feel healthier and happier than I ever have in my entire life. Yoga has made me less fearful to try new things. Because I was overweight, I was always embarrassed, I was the kid that didn't want to be called on to do anything. I'm not that kid anymore at 57…The confidence that it's given me that I can do this — there's so much more I can do…I am happy all the time from the minute I hit the floor to the minute I hit the bed…I was overweight my whole life, all through high school. I'm the person it took forever, I wish someone could hear my story and say at 25, I'm going to figure this out."
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 our reporter, Michelle C. Brooks at: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email Michelle: ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
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