Jim Brown, 39, of Cartersville loses 55 pounds

Print
E-mail

By Michelle C. Brooks

For the Journal-Constitution

Former weight: 220 pounds

Enlarge photo

Family photo Jim Brown weighed 220 pounds when this photo was taken in September 2007.

Enlarge photo

Family photo Brown weighed 165 pounds when this photo was taken in July 2009.

Related Health stories »

Current weight: 165 pounds

Pounds lost: 55 pounds

Height: 5 foot 10 inches

How long he’s kept it off: 3 months. “[My] initial goal was 185 and I reached that weight back in December 2008. I thought I could go a little more and I'm now at 165,” says Brown.

Personal life: “I am a network engineer and work in the Midtown area,”says Brown. He and his wife live in Cartersville and are expecting their first child, a daughter.

Turning point: “My wife didn't feel like I was serious about having a child so I made a little statement or wager: if I reached 185 [pounds], we would start trying to have children,” he says. “Since I'm going to be an older father, I want to make sure I'm around as long as possible. My father always told me children and dogs make the world go around -- it took awhile for me to see the wisdom of his words.”

Diet plan: “Every morning, I'll start the day with a smoothie and throughout the day, I'll snack on either yogurt or piece of fruit. Lunch has generally been a salad and [at] night I'll eat Thai food so I get a lot of rice.”

Exercise routine: Three days a week he lifts weights; on other days he does aerobic exercise. “Right now, I'm swimming, cycling and running to prepare for triathlons.”

Biggest challenge: “Everything was going fine. My weight loss was 18 pounds and boom — I was stuck at 202 for about 4 to 6 weeks. This is when I started researching and decided to use [an] online calorie counter and www.fitday.com. This little tool outlined the error of my ways.”

How life has changed: “My back and feet don't hurt anymore. It's not so cumbersome to go up a flight of stairs,” he says. “Of course, the one thing that has changed with the weight loss is a baby is on the way which was the ultimate goal. My secret [to success] was to meet my daughter; she was the one person I've been waiting to see.”

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 Suzanne Van Atten, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.