Shape success story shares her weight loss secrets.(Newport News (Va.) Daily Press)

Byline: Kathy Van Mullekom

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. _ Tracey Dickson calls Saturday her "free food day."

It's the day she indulges in Chunky Monkey, a Ben and Jerry's ice cream made with bananas, fudge chunks and walnuts. Or, treats herself to pizza.

"I allow one day a week to eat whatever I want," says Dickson, 36.

The other six days are different. She meticulously monitors her meals, sticking to skinless chicken breast, ground turkey burgers and baked fish.

The Hampton, Va., resident didn't always eat this way. In college, she pigged out on burgers, fries and pizza. Eventually, her weight ballooned to 150 pounds, too much for her 5-foot-3-inch frame, she says.

"I was living on garbage," she says of her two years at the Art Institute of Atlanta.

She hated her pudgy look and finally decided enough was enough. She lost 35 pounds in less than a year and has avoided …