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 / Simone Jordan, 40: From 227 pounds to 162 pounds
Former weight: 227 pounds
Current weight: 162 pounds
Pounds lost: 65 pounds
Height: 5 feet, 5 inches
Age: 40 years
How long she's kept it off: She started "in 2012 weighing in at 227 pounds, trying everything and anything," said Jordan. She reached her current weight in June.
Personal life: "Currently I live in Loganville, Ga. I am married to my husband, Mike, for five years and we have a 2 ½ year-old-son, Hayden," she said. "I have been employed with Verizon for 18 years; my current position is records manager. I am also a team Beachbody coach (www.fitby40simone.com)."
Turning point: "Back around 2009, I realized that I needed to get healthy and started to get into shape. Unfortunately, I ruptured a disc in my lower back and exercising became a thing of the past … I had back surgery June 2011 and it was unsuccessful, causing me to be 100 times worse than I was … One week later, I received the worst news a mother could receive: my 19-year-old-son had been murdered. I was forever changed … I began to eat my pain away. Within three months, I gained over 50 pounds." She had another back surgery followed by a pregnancy.
Diet plan: Breakfast is oatmeal with bananas. Later for snacks, she has carrots with hummus. Lunch is a shake with almond milk, banana and peanut butter. She snacks on apples and turkey and dinner is grilled chicken and vegetables.
Exercise routine: "I currently follow the 21-day fix extreme workout program and I work out seven days a week, 30 minutes a day."
Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge was and is getting out of my own head. When I say that, I mean that I struggle a battle every day with my grief. Exercise has become my therapy."
How life has changed: "Words cannot describe how my life has changed. I have become such a different person. After my son was murdered, I isolated myself from the entire world. I disconnected and didn't plan to change," she said. In October 2014, she won the Ultimate Health Transformation Beachbody challenge. "I am now like a flower that is starting to bloom. I am coming out of my shell. I am growing and learning about myself every single day. I have learned to embrace my story and share it with the world. I want the world to know that there can be life after death if you choose life … It is very hard to get emotionally healthy if you are not physically healthy."
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