Former weight: 202 pounds
Current weight: 165 pounds
Pounds lost: 37 pounds
Height: 5 feet 8 inches
Age: 31 years
How long she’s kept it off: She started in March and reached her current weight in July.
Personal life: “I work as an internal auditor for a local beverage company in Atlanta. I live with my fiance and two cats in Smyrna,” said Craggs.
Turning point: “I noticed in late 2019 that my weight was really starting to show in photographs,” she said. “In late January, I worked really hard to focus on trying to lose weight. I typically just stop eating all carbs and the weight usually melts off. It didn’t earlier this year and I was feeling very defeated. I was about to turn 31 and was nine months away from my wedding date. ... I wanted some professional guidance so that I could keep it off and end my perpetual yo-yo dieting.” She worked with metabolic specialist, Nancy Masoud at LockedIN Wellness.
Diet plan: “I had my food sensitivities. It turns out I had a gluten sensitivity so I cut out all gluten.” Breakfast is yogurt and fruit, lunch and dinner is protein and veggies — “and so much water that you think you may float away.”
Exercise routine: “Despite my yo-yo weight, I have always been into keeping a strict fitness routine. However, the pandemic sent us all home the week I started the program so I didn’t really work out from March to April. In late April, I started the Couch to 5K program and completed it. In June, I joined Orange Theory Fitness and have been going to class five times a week.”
Biggest challenge: “The pandemic definitely caused some trickiness in getting some of the foods that I needed or wanted to get started on my journey. Otherwise, my biggest challenge is patience. You don’t lose almost 40 pounds in six weeks. I did do it in 16, which is amazing, but there were definitely some patience struggles.”
How life has changed: “I feel so much better. Not only about my appearance and confidence, but just in general I am not puffy, slow, or tired feeling all the time. My relationship with food has changed drastically. I don’t reach for food anymore to solve my problems or ease my stressors. ... Be entirely prepared that a real change isn’t just a diet, but a whole lifestyle overhaul. It doesn’t mean you can never have cake again — it means that you aren’t having cake any old time you want.”
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 reporter, Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
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