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 / Kennesha Powell, 36: From 278 pounds to 202 pounds

Former weight: 278 pounds

Current weight: 202 pounds

Pounds lost: 76 pounds

Height: 5 feet 4 inches

Age: 36 years

How long she's kept it off: "I started my weight loss journey in November 2013," said Powell. She reached her current weight in November; her ultimate goal is 155 pounds.

Personal life: "I am an operations analyst for the State of Georgia, Department of Human Services," she said. She lives in Mableton.

Turning point: "Even though I was embarrassed about my weight for years and had seen how extreme weight affected my family members, it wasn't until I stepped on the scale in November 2013 and realized I was 278 pounds — the largest I had ever been in my life."

Diet plan: "I eat five to six small meals a day. For breakfast, I make a homemade green smoothie that consists of kale, pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, ginger, kiwi, celery, beets, flax seeds and parsley. For lunch, I have lean meat and veggies. For snack, I have nuts and carrots or fruit or a granola bar. My dinner consists of lean meat and veggies or a green salad. I allow myself to eat other foods in moderation on the weekend to keep from binging and feeling deprived. I use the LoseIt app to help track the foods that I consume."

Exercise routine: She works out six days per week. She lost her first 20 pounds through walking and exercise including squats, crunches and jumping jacks. She now takes hip-hop cycling classes and does strength-training in the gym at work. She works on the 26th floor of a 41-floor building. Four days a week, she climbs all 41 flights and then goes back down to the 26th floor. "Even now when I get to the fifth floor … it's still a struggle but I keep going."

Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge was to believe I could do it. Therefore, I constantly prayed to God to help me with my unbelief," she said. Seven years ago, she set her sights on seeing her story in Success Stories. "I wrote up a profile…if a change was going to come it had to start in my head."

How life has changed: "I have more energy and confidence. I've become the co-administrator of a healthy eating group on Facebook for individuals in my hometown of Camden, Alabama. I'm excited about shopping again … I am no longer dependent on a CPAP machine that helps with sleep apnea," she said. "It was a mental thing; now I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to."

About the Author

Keep Reading

Foo Fighters closed out Shaky Knees 2024 at Central Park with extended versions of their biggest hits. The indie rock festival has moved to Piedmont Park for this weekend's event. (Ryan Fleisher for the AJC)

Credit: Ryan Fleisher

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT