SUCCESS STORY / Keisha Lackey, 43: From 210 pounds to 147 pounds
Former weight: 210 pounds
Current weight: 147 pounds
Pounds lost: 63 pounds
Height: 5 feet 5 inches
Age: 43 years
How long she's kept it off: She started in December and reached her current weight in September.
Personal life: "I have three tweens: 14, 13 and 10, and I'm married," Lackey said. "I've been in the financial industry for 23 years." She lives with her family in Snellville.
Turning point: "It took about nine months, and if you had told me what I could accomplish in nine months, I would not have believed it. … I finally got my mind right," she said. "About two years ago, in 2015, I had a vitality check, they take your blood sugar. My results were not bad, but they were not good. I got a warning that I needed to change my lifestyle. … My husband partnered with me in doing better, something just clicked in my mind. I started seeing a part of Keisha I didn't like physically. … I would talk about getting started a lot and ask questions. I had to talk about it, I am very analytical. My sister said one day when I was talking to her, 'You know, you need to stop talking about it and just be about it.' "
Diet plan: "I try to go with eating foods with ingredients that I can pronounce — that has been life-changing," Lackey said. Breakfast is eggs with veggies. Snacks are cheese sticks, nuts or Greek yogurt. Lunch and dinner are often veggie burgers or turkey burgers with vegetables. "I used to not drink water," she said. "Water and I have a good relationship now. I learned to just take little sips of water — those sips add up."
Exercise routine: "I try to work out 45 minutes to an hour three to five days per week," Lackey said. She also walks in her neighborhood, often with her husband. "No matter what life brings my way, because life happens, I try to do something," she said.
Biggest challenge: "I knew if I came home, I wouldn't work out. I had to go right to the gym," Lackey said. "I joined LA Fitness in December — everyone joins the gym in December. … Once I started seeing the change in my clothes and my face, that motivated me to keep going."
How life has changed: "I went from a size 16 to a size six in nine months, and a lot of it was swollen fat," Lackey said. "I think my life has changed in this process. … I am more cognitive of making healthier choices." She also used MyFitnessPal.com to track everything. "I think that was a huge part of my success. … If I don't go to the gym, I just walk up and down the street for 30 minutes. … And if I don't work out Monday, that's OK, I need to do it Tuesday. … I finally got it — what works for me where I could find that consistency around enjoying exercise. … It is whatever works for you," she said, "and you work it."
Share Your Success: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, a daytime 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.
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