Charles Mejeris of Riverdale loses 83 pounds

By Michelle Brooks

For the AJC

Former weight:
 320 pounds

Current weight:
 237 pounds

Pounds lost: 83

Height: 6 feet

How long he’s kept it off: Started in August 2008. “[My] goals are to reduce, if not eliminate, my need for [blood pressure] meds and keep my weight under the max, 242.5 pounds, for doing a 764-foot high bungee jump at the Macau Tower in Macau, near Hong Kong,” Mejeris said.

Personal life: “I am a mail handler for the [U.S. Postal Service]. I have siblings in Coweta, Henry and Forsyth counties.” He lives in Riverdale.

Turning point: “At 320 pounds, I was not thrilled. The before picture was in August 2008 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. I was tightly fitting into the stadium seat and the airline seat when I flew up there,” he said. “The turning point came in January of this year. I was told by my [doctor] to double up one of my high [blood pressure] meds. ... I went to see my father in Wisconsin. The bungee jump tower I visited weighed me in at their max. When I came home, I watched bungee jump videos on YouTube. One of them was at the Macau Tower. The jump is 764 feet. I want to do that, and walk on the tower’s rail-less Skywalk, but the maximum weight allowed is 242.5 pounds.” The Macau Tower is recognized as the world’s highest commercial bungee jump by Guinness World Records.

Diet plan: “Breakfast is usually a protein drink, or on weekends scrambled eggs and toast. Lunch is maybe a deli sandwich from QuikTrip, or sub or salad from Subway. If I have a burger, it’s with no mayo and no cheese. Dinner is a big salad with low-cal dressing.”

Exercise routine: “I walk one hour on a treadmill daily, and lift weights three times per week.”

Biggest challenge: “My three top challenges are reducing regular sodas, ordering lower fat choices when dining out and avoiding all-you-can-eat places.”

How life has changed: “My life is better. I have found clothes in my closet that have not fit me since the Olympic Games were in town.”

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 e-mail address, a daytime phone number and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). Write: Success Stories, c/o Suzanne Van Atten, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or e-mail ajcsuccess
stories@gmail.com.