When he started: Hays Harper started in August 2012 and reached his goal in 2021.
Age: 75
Personal life: “I live in Covington, Ga. I am a Navy veteran. I served in the Vietnam War, and I did three tours over there,” Harper said. “I’m married to my wife, Jackie. We have two grown children and three grandkids. I’m retired from the city of Covington.”
The lifestyle change: “My wife has been in Take off Pounds Sensibly, or TOPS Club (https://www.tops.org), for many years. I would take her and I would just wait around. In August of 2012, she talked me into going in — I was the only man there. These ladies really encouraged and stayed behind me. A few years later another gentleman started coming. One thing about TOPS Club, you’re never brought down or anything if you don’t lose weight right away, if you have a slide back or whatever. At TOPS it’s all you: You have to make the commitment, you choose your eating plan, and everyone in the club is there to back you up, and you back them up. You make your own goal and work at that goal,” Harper said. “It took me several years, from 2012 to 2021, to reach my goal. I had a heart attack back in 2014. One thing my doctor told me was you are going to have to get your weight off, or you are going to die. That helps a lot to getting you to do what you’ve got to do. ”
Change in eating habits: “I changed my lifestyle,” Harper said. “Instead of eating, eating, eating, I read labels and eat smaller portions. I used to drink a lot of soda, now I have my Dr. Pepper fix once a week.”
Hays’ how-tos:
1. Keep busy: “I have a little shop in the back, and I tinker around with stuff and try to keep as busy as I can. Just something to keep me busy from sitting around doing nothing.”
2. Keeping it off: “The journey doesn’t end when you reach your goal. That’s when it gets really hard.”
3. Make the commitment: “You have to make the commitment to do it. Until you make that commitment, you’re never going to get there.”
Exercise routine: “I walk every day with my dog if the weather is reasonable,” Harper said. “I do some exercise at the house. I found that when I’m sitting around watching TV, when the commercials come on if you get up and march in place you get 4.5 minutes of commercials. You can do simple things like that.”
Biggest challenge: “The biggest challenge now is once I got it off,” Harper said.
Hays’ top tips:
1. Take half to go: “When we go to a restaurant, we’ll order a to-go box and put half of it for a meal later right away.”
2. Cut back on the sugar: “You’d be surprised how your taste buds taste more of the salt and sugar once you get off of it for a while.”
3. Nibbling is dangerous: “Stay busy — don’t just hang around doing nothing, that makes you want to nibble. Nibbling is dangerous.”
How has your life changed? “I sleep better. When I go to bed at night, I’m gone until the next morning. I feel better when I get up. I have arthritis, but it doesn’t bother me nearly as badly. I can move around with the doggie a little better. I just feel healthier,” Harper said. “I am an old man, but I don’t feel old much of the time.” In May, Harper was crowned the TOPS Club Inc. Georgia King. “Everybody at TOPS celebrates the fact you made it and helps you stay there,” he said. “I would just say anybody out there that has the weight problem, I would recommend this to check it out and see if it will work for you.”
Seeking readers’ stories of lifestyle changes: We’re looking for stories about changing health habits. While The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not endorse any specific programs, we include names and links for the benefit of readers who want further information. If you would like to share your story of a lifestyle change, please contact reporter Michelle C. Brooks and include your email address, phone number, and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG). You can email her directly at: ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
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