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 / Nicole Henschel, 22: From 199 pounds to 131 pounds
Former weight: 199 pounds
Current weight: 131 pounds
Pounds lost: 68 pounds
Height: 5 feet 2 inches
Age: 22 years
How long she's kept it off: "I started Weight Watchers in April 2014 and hit my goal in March 2015," said Henschel.
Personal life: "I attend school at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, but I grew up in Kennesaw," she said. "I am pursuing a career in the digital marketing field … I am graduating in May 2015 with a double major in marketing and management."
Turning point: "I had tried many things that would last a week or two, but nothing that really stuck. I had just come back from spring break and was completely devastated with how I felt in my swimsuit and clothes," she said. "I was at a transition period in my life with friends, school and my job and decided to really step up and take control and make some changes in all areas of my life."
Diet plan: "I did Weight Watchers. I eat a lot of the same things because as a college student, I am all about what is cheap and easy." Breakfast is Greek yogurt or an egg-white, veggie scramble. Lunch is a salad or black bean burger. Dinner is stir-fry or a burrito.
Exercise routine: "After I finished Insanity, I continued to exercise by following my own plan," she said. "I exercise five to six days a week." She goes to the gym daily with a friend between 6 and 7 a.m. Workouts include cardio, free-weights, weight machines and longer runs on weekends.
Biggest challenge: "I think by far the biggest challenge to me is the fact that your body may not look like what you were expecting, but learning to love it anyways," she said. "I would look at all these women and think that as soon as I reached a certain weight my body would look like theirs, but that isn't the case. I have a lot of extra skin and stretch marks … these things are a reminder of the journey and hard work I have put into losing weight and that is a feat in itself."
How life has changed: "I think the biggest thing that has changed in my life is how I plan my meals and eat … I feel like I changed my relationship with food all together," she said. "I am much more confident in my abilities and myself … I think the biggest secret to success was surrounding myself with the people who loved me no matter what size I was … Once I started to see the numbers go down on the scale, I fell in love with that feeling."
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