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, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
Success story
Paula Gipson, 29: From 152 pounds to 120 pounds
Former weight: 152 pounds
Current weight: 120 pounds
Pounds lost: 32 pounds
Height: 5 feet, 3 inches
Age: 29 years
How long she's kept it off: Four years. "I started in the fall of 2010; my fitness regimen took off in 2012," Gipson said.
Personal life: "I am a death investigation specialist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation." She lives in Lithonia.
Turning point: "My weight-loss journey began in January 2010, a month after I graduated from college with a degree in health science. During my sophomore year, until my senior year in college, I put on 35 pounds. Also, I made multiple excuses not to exercise. My biggest reason was my hair. I had worn my hair in a relaxer and wanted to keep it on point at all times. When I moved back home after graduation, my father told me that I could not be out of shape and unemployed. Therefore, it was long overdue for me to join a gym."
Diet plan: Breakfast is oatmeal with fruit and an egg. Lunch is spinach salad. Dinner is grilled fish with steamed vegetables.
Exercise routine: "I joined a gym during the first week in January 2010. I just want to say, for the record, that it was not initially love at first sight. My fitness regimen took off in November 2012, when I chopped my hair off. It was the best experience ever, because I knew I could work out harder without worrying about my hair anymore. At this time, I was running 5 to 6 miles six days a week."
Biggest challenge: "With my work schedule, it can be very chaotic working in law enforcement." She makes working out a priority.
How life has changed: "During my fitness journey, the most rewarding part is being motivated by other people and being a motivation to (others). There are some major motivations in my weight-loss journey that keep me going. First, it was the death of my aunt and uncle, who died of cardiac-related issues two and a half years apart from each other. Secondly, my job requires me to interact with the human body on a daily basis. It is a very visual experience, because I see the damage that an unhealthy lifestyle does to the body. I always tell people that the journey is not easy, but the struggle is worth it, because the results are rewarding."
