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 / Scott Carlson, 31: From 245 pounds to 217 pounds
Former weight: 245 pounds
Current weight: 217 pounds
Total Pounds lost: 28
Height: 6 feet 4 inches
Age: 31
How long he's kept it off: "Since the summer of 2010 and I've added almost 20 pounds of muscle since that time," says Carlson. He reached his current weight in June 2013.
Personal life: "I am employed by the American Junior Golf Association as vice-president of finance. I am also very lucky to be married to [my wife,] Whitney Carlson. We've been married for just over six years." Whitney was featured in Success Stories on April 2, 2014.
Turning point: "I lost my father to colon cancer at the age of 16 and I've always had it in the back of my mind that I was going to live a healthier lifestyle so that I didn't end up going down the same road he did," he says. "Once I started settling in to my career and getting comfortable with my life, I noticed I was no longer the invincible twenty-something that I once thought I was. I saw a couple pictures of myself from a trip to Chicago and decided something had to be done — it was time to change … I began researching clean eating … I'm very autodidactic as I enjoy teaching myself about the things I'm passionate about, so I built my own programs based on my findings."
Diet plan: "I try to have six to eight meals per day, depending on my workload … consisting of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fats and tons of veggies. I make a juice every other day that helps me get a heavier balance of vegetables in my diet." Meals include salsa chicken and chicken meatloaf with quinoa.
Exercise routine: "I lift weights five to six times per week and try to incorporate 30 minutes of cardio three to four days during the week. I try to hike at least eight miles on the weekends when the weather is nice."
Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge was sticking with it. It's easy to get myopic and dwell on the fact that results are taking longer than you expected, but you have to set short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals for yourself … if you miss a short-term goal … get back on track and reach your long-term goal."
How life has changed: "It's almost unexplainable the impact my transformation has had on my life," he says. "I am confident in everything that I do, I have more energy at 31 than I did at 16. I now have the opportunity to inspire thousands of lives with our blog, www.heandsheeatclean.com, in hopes that no 16-year-old has to go through what I did with my father … The moral of the story is: Give it a shot. Get out of your comfort zone — you'll never know where your life will lead you until you get comfortable with being uncomfortable!"
