Tammy King, 41: From 311 pounds to 153 pounds

• Current weight: 153 pounds

• Pounds lost: 158

• Height: 5 feet 9 inches

• How long she’s kept it off: nine months

• Personal life: Works as a high school math teacher and cheerleading coach at North Cobb High School. King lives in Cherokee County.

• Turning point: “This was my third time going to Weight Watchers,” she says. “I think a lot of it was just being tired of being that big and not being able to do things. I have nephews that I spend a lot of time with, and I didn’t want to embarrass them.”

• Diet plan: King followed Weight Watchers’ points plan. “I don’t like breakfast,” she says. So she usually finds something she likes and sticks with it. She typically reaches for a bagel or English muffin and tops it with peanut butter and honey and has a glass of orange juice. In midmorning, she grabs a granola bar. Lunch is a frozen dinner with a salad. In the afternoon, she has a protein bar. For dinner she eats fish or chicken, with lots of vegetables. “I always have a reduced-fat Oreo before I go to bed,” she says. “I eat one or two depending on how many points I have left. I have to have chocolate — I am fooling myself if I think I can’t have it.”

move that well,” she says. “I love to walk when it’s warm enough to go out and walk.”

• Biggest challenge: “I tried to keep my goals small and manageable,” she says. “After I got one thing under control, I added another. I rewarded myself when I made it to a goal.”

• Munchie antidote: “I did a lot of crocheting last winter. If my hands were busy, I couldn’t eat!” she says. “Last winter I made about 10 scarves. One of my big issues with losing weight is I am cold, I am cold constantly — I’ve got plenty of scarves, all colors.”

• Secret to success: “I think all the support I’ve gotten at the meetings and the people here at school have been wonderful,” she says. “Knowing all those people were supporting me and helping me along. I didn’t have anyone trying to sabotage me or push food on me, so that was a good thing.”

• How life has changed: King is enjoying the little things that come with losing a lot of weight. She can wear belts now and has developed a shoe fetish for 3-inch heels. A professed Disney fanatic, she can walk for miles across the amusement park and fits through the turnstiles easily. But the most unusual experience is: “Seeing people I haven’t seen in a long time and having to reintroduce myself. I’m introducing myself to people I’ve known for 20 years!”

• Quick dinner tip: Take 4 chicken breasts and place in a slow cooker with a small can of Rotel tomatoes, chopped onion and a packet of taco seasoning (adjust the amount of packet used to personal preference). Let the mixture cook all day and when finished, shred the chicken. For a quick dinner, use it in tacos, taco salad or burritos. King enjoys it most with black beans and rice.

— Michelle C. Brooks, for the Journal-Constitution