DEBORAH MATHEWS, 41: From 310 pounds to 146 pounds

•Current weight: 146 pounds

•Pounds lost: 164

•Height: 5 feet 2 inches

•How long she’s kept it off: Mathews has been losing weight since she opted for gastric bypass surgery in May 2004. She reached her goal weight in October.

•Personal life: Mathews has worked at Piedmont Hospital in the human resources department for 17 years. She works as a compensation analyst. She and her husband, Warren, live in Alpharetta.

•Turning point: “My father was terminally ill with cancer in late 2003. Neither me nor my sister had given him any grandchildren, and I knew at my size I couldn’t,” says Mathews, who’d struggled with weight her whole life. She decided to consider gastric bypass surgery and quickly learned in the required pre-surgery counseling sessions that she still had to face the reasons why she overate.

“Everybody has different triggers. What I’ve learned about myself [was that] with the issues and concerns I had growing up, food was always there for me, it was dependable — it was the one thing in my life I could control.”

•Diet plan: “This surgery does involve a diet change, because the weight will not stay off if you return to your eating habits,” Mathews says. She starts her day with a banana or a mini bagel. Lunch and dinner are usually a chicken breast or fish or a frozen low-carb dinner. Following a healthy diet and keeping portions small is crucial to long-term success. “Surgery is just a tool — you still have to be willing to limit your intake,” she says. “The occasional cookie or snack is fine, but it can’t be a daily part of your life — and as far as I’m concerned, it’s gone from my life forever. I took a sip recently of [a diet soft drink] and it tasted like battery acid.”

•Exercise routine: She works out at the fitness center at Piedmont Hospital three times a week, and especially loves water aerobics and the elliptical machines.

•Biggest challenge: “Following through with my exercise,” she says. “Working at Piedmont, there’s lots of places to walk.”

•Munchie antidote: She can no longer eat and drink at the same time, so to stay hydrated, she keeps a cup of ice chips at her desk. An added benefit is that chomping on ice chips helps alleviate the urge to eat when stressed.

•Secret to success: “The self-esteem that I have gained from losing this weight,” she says. She’s also learned valuable coping skills that will help keep her from turning to food for comfort. “I’m learning how to turn a situation around so I’m not a victim,” she says. For example, when someone hurts her feelings, she’s learned a creative technique. “Rather than getting upset, just look right back at them and say ‘Ouch!’; let them know they hurt your feelings. It can start up a dialogue because most of the time people don’t mean to [be hurtful].”

•How life has changed: “Most of my health problems are gone,” she says. “I was released immediately from the endocrinologist for diabetes. My reflux is gone. Asthma is gone — I don’t take medicine for asthma anymore. I am much healthier. I think I added 20 years to my life.” And although she hasn’t decided yet about a baby (her father died without grandchildren), she can make that decision without weight being a factor. “I lost my mother when she was 43. I was convinced that was going to be my fate, too. I’m married, I’m happy — it doesn’t have to be that way.”

—Michelle C. Brooks, for the Journal-Constitution