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 / Stephanie Motowicki, From 342 pounds to 215 pounds
Former weight: 342 pounds
Current weight: 215 pounds
Pounds lost: 127 pounds
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Age: 36 years
How long she's kept it off: She started in July 2011 and is still losing.
Personal life: "I am an avid animal lover and animal rescuer serving as a board member for the Humane Society of Jackson County," says Motowicki. "My husband of six years, Lance, and I share our home with our four large dogs: Duke, Dakota, Diesel and Bella. We live in Hoschton…" She works as a CPA for a regional accounting firm and blogs about her weight loss at: www.fromfattohalf.blogspot.com.
Turning point: "I wasn't living the life I wanted to live and was embarrassed to see and meet people," she says. "I had been putting off starting for over two years and finally decided on July 4th, 2011 — I was finally in the mindset to do it."
Diet plan: She follows Weight Watchers. Breakfast is a light English muffin or a bagel thin with light margarine and a banana. Lunch is a lean ham sandwich on a sandwich thin with tomatoes, fruit and yogurt. Dinner is lean meat with potatoes and vegetables.
Exercise routine: "Currently training for a half marathon on Thanksgiving weekend so I do a long run/walk on Sundays," she says. She usually walks/runs eight to nine miles every Sunday and nearly four miles per day each week. "I schedule my workouts on my calendar one month at a time."
Biggest challenge: "Biggest challenge is when you hit a plateau," she says. "Sticking with it and continuing to work toward your goal even though the scale may not move for several weeks or months."
How life has changed: "I live a much more active life and am much more involved in my community," she says. "The half marathon I am training for is to raise money and awareness for the Humane Society of Jackson County. I never would have been comfortable putting my story out there for the world to see a year ago. Now, I am not afraid or embarrassed to get out and meet people and try new things. I am willing to try just about anything. Just a couple of weeks ago I went whitewater rafting with three friends on the Chattooga River Class IV section, something I never would have done 120-plus pounds ago — and I had a blast!"
