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 Patty Murphy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
SUCCESS STORY / Melinda Mestre, 39
Former weight: 150 pounds
Current weight: 121 pounds
Pounds lost: 29 pounds
Height: 5 feet 2 inches
Age: 39 years
How long she's kept it off: Mestre started in June 2010 and reached her goal in May 2012.
Personal life: "I live in the Smyrna/Vinings area," said Mestre. "I am married and have been for the last four years. I am a fitness instructor and I currently teach at Pure Barre (www.purebarre.com) in Buckhead."
Turning point: "I won a Blast900 profile (www.blast900.com), which consists of a physical assessment. My numbers were staggering in a very negative way," said Mestre, who has worked as a fitness instructor since 1999. "I had been working out six times a week, cardio and strength training, at least one to two hours a day. I was also pushing myself during my workouts as hard as I could while keeping my calorie count low. I believed in the old saying: calories in/calories out — this obviously was not working for me. … I was in the extreme-high category for body fat and I was overweight for my frame. I had hit rock bottom at that moment. I was tired, I was hungry and I was frustrated. I was defeated. … Now it was about taking control of my nutrition. I didn't consider it dieting; I considered it a lifestyle change. I had to change my life and I had the numbers to prove it."
Diet plan: She worked with a nutritionist at BLAST900 and now eats six small meals per day. Breakfast is a nutrition bar, midmorning she has her favorite Starbucks grande, nonfat latte with two sugars and a string cheese. Lunch is walnut chicken salad; Greek yogurt in the afternoon and a chicken burger with sandwich thins for dinner. After dinner is a banana, peanut butter protein smoothie.
Exercise routine: "I work out six times a week. Three of those days are my high-intensity days and three are lower intensity," she said. She does high-intensity interval training at BLAST900, and on her low-intensity days she jogs six to 12 miles. She also does Pure Barre and yoga.
Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge was learning how to eat smaller meals and having the meals balanced in protein, fats and carbs. The first three weeks were difficult — I was hungry all the time."
How life has changed: "I am now in the best shape of my life at 39," she said. "I am leaner, stronger and considerably faster when running. … I went from a size 8/10 to a 0/2. … Again, this was not a diet, but a lifestyle change. I have been on the program now for almost a year and I am in the maintenance phase. I have not gained any of my weight back and continue to stay on track."
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