Billy Streck, 37, of East Point, lost 85 pounds

By Michelle C. Brooks

For the AJC

Former weight: 275 pounds

Family photos Before and after photos of Billy Streck, who lost 85 pounds.

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Family Billy Streck weighed 265 pounds when this photo was taken in July 2010. Streck gained weight while being a restaurant owner. A friend suggested he join her at Weight Watchers, and he decided to give it a try.

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Family Billy Streck weighed 170-180 pounds when this photo was taken in Spring 2011. “Since I lost the weight, I got off my medications. I haven’t been sick in over a year haven't even taken an aspirin for headaches," Streck says proudly.

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Current weight: 190 pounds

Pounds lost: 85 pounds

Height: 5 feet 9.5 inches

Age: 37 years

How long he’s kept it off: Six months; he began his weight loss journey in November 2010 and reached his goal eight to nine months later.

Personal life: Streck owns Cypress Street Pint and Plate, in Midtown (www.cypressbar.com); he’s the operating partner. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, a daughter, 3, and a newborn son. Streck and his family live in East Point.

Turning point: “We moved [back] here four years ago to open up Cypress,” Streck says. “A lot of the weight kept on coming on -- from always being around food in this business. I started to experience lots of health problems as the years went on. I was on blood pressure and cholesterol medicine; I started getting lots of headaches. I just got to a point where I was having trouble walking up the stairs to put my daughter to bed. I ran into a good friend of mine… she said ‘why don’t you go to Weight Watchers with me?' I thought it might be a good outlet to see where it takes me."

Diet plan: “What Weight Watchers did show me was how to portion my food and I had never done that before,” he says. Breakfast is a green smoothie and egg whites. Lunch is a salad. Dinner is chicken and veggie stir fry or eating out.

Exercise routine: He runs two to three times per week, two to three miles at a time. When he’s training, he runs five to ten miles at a time, five days a week.

Biggest challenge: “My biggest challenge, till the day I die, is going to be maintaining the weight – it’s just one day at a time,” he says.

How life has changed: “Since I lost the weight, I got off my medications. I haven’t been sick in over a year haven't even taken an aspirin for headaches. I ran my first 5K and ran the Peachtree Road Race. I started running a lot and I enjoyed it. I had all this crazy energy and I thought I should do something with it. I love the fact that I can run up and grab my daughter and run and play. I'm looking forward to life and being around.”

Be an inspiration: If you've made positive changes in your diet and/or fitness routine and are happy with the results, please share your success with us. Include your email address, a daytime phone number and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, c/o Holly Steel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.