Tamu Lewis, 46, of Alpharetta lost 40 pounds

Pounds lost: 40 pounds

Height: 5 feet 3 ¾ inches

Age: 46

How long she's kept it off: Started in 2016 and then began a new program in March — she reached her current weight in July.

Personal life: "I live in Alpharetta," Lewis said. "I'm married with two teenage daughters. I'm co-founder of the Lee Thompson Young Foundation, www.ltyfoundation.org."

Turning point: "I had struggled with severe endometriosis for years. In 2016, I had to have a full hysterectomy. The hormones got all out of whack. I tried several things like cutting out sugar, a low-carb diet, and I worked with a trainer. I was doing all these things and I wasn't losing any weight — I knew something was wrong. I went to traditional medicine doctors. My blood results started showing diabetes, but the stuff they were saying to cut out I wasn't eating anyways," Lewis said. "… I started searching the internet and found Real Health Medical. I went to Dr. (Rhett) Bergeron, he got my hormones balanced. I was complaining to him about how I'm doing all these things and not losing weight. He suggested I work with their metabolic specialist, Nancy Masoud (lockitinweightloss.com)."

Diet plan: "They developed a plan for me by doing food allergy testing. Mine showed I had an allergy to chicken, kale and onions. … I already don't eat pork or red meat — that left me with white fish or turkey." Breakfast is a boiled egg, and at midmorning she has an apple. Lunch is turkey with vegetables, followed by fruit in the midafternoon, and baked fish for dinner.

Exercise routine: "I take Pilates at Club Pilates, where you work on the reformer machines," Lewis said. You work your muscles a little more because you have that resistance." She works out three to four days per week.

Biggest challenge: "I would say finding the right program that would work for me. I tried … different things I would read about — they didn't quite work, so (it took) actually finding a program that was customized based on my actual test results and what my body needs."

How life has changed: "I can get different styles that didn't look good previously," Lewis said. "… I am able to inspire other people and help other people on their journey just by sharing my experience. … It was so frustrating for me searching for a good resource probably for two years. I really want to do something to get the word out to let people know about their resources … not just weight loss, but alternative healing methods and different information about food. With internet apps and social media, there's so much — it's so overwhelming you don't know what to actually listen to or what to actually do."

Share Your Success: Each week, Success Stories focuses on an individual’s unique weight loss journey. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not endorse any specific weight loss program but includes names and links for the benefit of readers who want further information. Have you lost weight successfully with a healthy lifestyle change? If you would like to share your story with our readers, please include your email address, phone number, and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG), and contact us at: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.