Success story

Molly Talbert, 32. Weight lost: 80 pounds

Molly Talbert, 32: From 260 pounds to 180 pounds

Former weight: 260 pounds Current weight: 180 pounds Pounds lost: 80 pounds Height: 5 feet 7 inches Age: 32 years Howlong she’s kept it off: Started in 2014 and reached her current weight this month.

Personal life: “I live in Duluth; I am a special education teacher for high school,” says Talbert. “I had a really hard time when I was in high school, just the normal teenage social pressures, I wanted to drop out. I had a teacher that really stuck with me and pushed me. I started thinking I might be able to be that for somebody.”

Turning point: “I started and stopped so many times when I was in high school. Looking back, I wasn’t really overweight, but I’ve always had to really watch it. I was always really conscious of it. I did a lot of yo-yo dieting, quick fixes — I would lose it and gain it all back. Within six months, I would gain it all back because I wasn’t maintaining a lifestyle change. … My turning point was several things: I was dealing with a lot of anxiety. It kind of got to a point where I didn’t want to leave the house. I was feeling really, really bad about myself. … I remember seeing a picture of myself later; I realized how out of hand my weight had gotten. I think by staying in the house, I was avoiding telling myself how bad it had gotten. … I think something just clicked then.”

Diet plan: “For breakfast, I try to get a good bit of protein.” She usually has eggs and low-sodium bacon or even leftovers. Lunch is usually a salad or vegetables. For dinner, she makes fish or some sort of protein and vegetables. She has focused on cutting back sugar and dairy in her diet. Exercise routine: She exercises three times per week at Sculpting Results in Snellville. “For the first year, I did very little exercise— I really focused on just getting the diet right instead of trying to fix everything at once.” Biggest challenge: “By far, the mental switch for me… I think you get there emotionally and mentally, and once you accept that, for many of us who have struggled with weight, the changes you make will have to be a lifestyle change. Once I got here mentally, I felt it was easy.” How life has changed: “I don’t want toomuch emphasis on my happiness being directly related to weight… but as I started taking better care of myself as a whole… I ama different person now… I am very outgoing now. I amvery confident even though there are times I notice fat or flab, or whatever. I am incredibly happy now. It has helped with my anxiety. All these things I wanted to do in my life, I am doing them. I feel like I have avoice now— I amconfident enough.”

Be an inspiration: If you’ve made positive changes in your diet and/ or fitness routine and are happy with the results, please shareyour success with us. Include your email address, adaytime phone number and before and after photos (bymail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.