Daphne Clarke goes from 236 pounds to 153 pounds

• Former weight: 236 pounds

• Current weight: 153 pounds

• Pounds lost: 83 pounds

• Height: 5 feet 6 inches

• How long she’s kept it off: since November 2004

• Personal life: Entertainment lawyer. Also chairs a nonprofit organization that helps families discover their purpose, Family Freedom. Lives in Atlanta with her daughter.

• Turning point: “It was literally a confrontation with God — realizing I had used food instead of him to deal with the stress of being a single mom and entrepreneur,” Clarke says. “I decided I would look to God for strength and healing.” Clarke says she realized if she is to fulfill the plan and purpose for her life, then she must be physically fit. This new focus was an end to years of yo-yo dieting.

• Diet plan: Clarke created her own diet plan based on a friend’s suggestions. “Initially, for the first three days, I ate only green raw vegetables with protein and oranges. That was the cleansing phase. I ate it a lot but that’s the only thing I would eat,” she says. “Since then, I eat three meals per day and two snacks a day.” She eats eggs and fruit for breakfast and usually salads for dinner. During the day, carbs are usually limited to brown rice. “I used to be heavily addicted to coffee and hot chocolate, and as of today, I am clean of all artificial sweeteners and sugars.”

• Exercise routine: “I exercise six days a week and I take the seventh day off,” she says.

Her routine includes weight training and aerobic classes such as body sculpting and cardio kickboxing. Running is the newest part of her exercise program. “If you had told me last year that I would be running, I would have laughed at you,” she says. “Diligence to exercise has strengthened my abilities to be a mom and business owner.”

• Biggest challenge: “My biggest challenge was the sugar addiction. I realized I was drinking sugar and adding coffee,” she says. Once she got to the root of her problem, she slowly weaned herself off sugar. “I went from white sugar to brown sugar to Splenda. Now I don’t even do honey. It was really an addiction, not a dietary issue.”

• Munchie antidote: Although in general she doesn’t snack, she’ll reach for a hot beverage when she gets the munchies. “Usually a tea or a hot skim milk.”

• Secret to success: “It was understanding that my physical fitness was a direct link to accomplishing God’s purpose and plan for my life,” she says.

• How life has changed: “Every time I went to work out I would get some new insight into what I was supposed to be doing,” Clarke says. Her insight led to several changes in her life. “I’m now working on an upcoming television show, and I’m home-schooling.”

• Quick dinner tip: “To me there is nothing like wild Alaska salmon and romaine lettuce, Vidalia onions and cucumber. The salmon is so heavy you get full. For anyone who hates salad, or who thinks they are never going to be full, put some thick wild Alaska salmon with it,” Clarke says.

– Michelle C. Brooks, for the Journal-Constitution

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/livi...ss/081805.html