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 / Kendra Miller, 31: From 360 pounds to 175 pounds
Former weight: 360 pounds
Current weight: 175 pounds
Pounds lost: 185 pounds
Height: 5 feet 7 inches
Age: 31 years
How long she's kept it off: She started in 2009 and reached her current weight in January.
Personal life: "I'm a pre-K teacher," says Miller. "I'm a mother of two boys ages 6 and 9." She and her family live in College Park, Ga.
Turning point: "In 2008 it was about to become the new year. I was always tired and my knees were hurting," she says. One night, she went with her sister to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. "We ordered a dozen, we ate the whole box and we were joking that we were so greedy we ate the whole box. On the inside I was crying, while on the outside I was laughing." Knowing it was time for change, she set a goal, "when the new year comes I'm going to come up with a plan … I prayed God would give me guidance, prayer is very strong in my life … My first week, I [walked] five minutes a day. I had to listen to my body. I couldn't do it very long, as the weeks went by I did five more minutes, I went seven days a week."
Diet plan: Breakfast is cereal, toast, oatmeal and a boiled egg. Lunch is often baked chicken with peppers. "I love peppers, red, yellow, green — I make it colorful, make it very colorful. I love Skittles, reminds me of Skittles." She didn't know she could cook and now cooks daily. "I save a lot of money — restaurants can take a lot of money."
Exercise routine: After starting slow, walking five minutes a day, she now walks seven to eight miles daily. "Just recently I added running to pump it up a little bit."
Biggest challenge: "The biggest challenge for me was keeping it off," she says. "My second challenge was seeing myself as I really do look, mentally I still saw a big girl … My brain had to catch up with how I really looked to catch up with my body. Prayer was the key to it, the second was to look at pictures of myself side-by-side with newer photos."
How life has changed: "I am able to do more. I am more confident," she says. "My weight held me back from so many things. I love to sing, but I would wonder would be they ignoring my voice and just seeing my body? With my boys, now I'm outside playing football. I am able to do more with them without being so tired … Even today when I get stressed out I want food but I [have] to find other ways and go find the fun: play, read a book or pray."
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