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 Patty Murphy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
SUCCESS STORY / Brad Bishop, 42: From 260 pounds to 196 pounds
Former weight: 260 pounds
Current weight: 196 pounds
Pounds lost: 64 pounds
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Age: 42 years
How long he's kept it off: He started in January 2013 and reached his current weight in October.
Personal life: "I am a nuclear reactor inspector employed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an agency of the U.S. Federal Government. I work in downtown Atlanta and live in Kennesaw. I am happily married to Katrina Bishop and we have two boys, Brett, 12, and Evan, 9, as well as two Labrador Retrievers," said Bishop.
Turning point: "My wife had been encouraging me to do Weight Watchers for a long time and I just said I can exercise more … I couldn't sustain that amount of exercise with eating out all the time," he said. "My weight struggle started in my late 20s while I was still in the Navy." By January 2013 he reached a turning point. "I couldn't bend over to do anything because my belly was so big, to tie my shoes it would cut my breath off."
Diet plan: He started doing Weight Watchers with his wife. "She would bag up my lunch and put the points value on each item — I didn't have a choice those first few months," he said. "I lost eight pounds a month." On a typical day, he has thin bagels and a packet of cheese grits. Lunch is fruit, flatbread with lunchmeat, cheese and lettuce, and dinner is meat and two vegetables.
Exercise routine: "When I started, it was walking," he said. Before long, he was running a mile at a local park. "I was excited when I ran the whole way." He now runs 5Ks regularly, training with daily walking and a couple of runs during the week.
Biggest challenge: Business travel is his challenge. "A lot of times you can't take food with you so I go to the grocery store as soon as I get where I'm going."
How life has changed: "I guess I feel more confident, more self-esteem, a little more social, a little more outgoing," he said. "Life has definitely changed in the fitness aspect, I make time to do that every day … I do think I have a heightened awareness of what I'm putting into my body." On Nov. 1, 2014, Bishop ran the Garden Gallop 5K in Kennesaw. "I won a medal for being the fastest runner in my age group — it was my first race award." Earlier this month, Bishop was featured in the Huffington Post: www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/10/i-lost-weight-brad-bishop_n_6117700.html.
