Billy Ross of Senoia loses 37 pounds

Height: 5 feet 9 inches

Age: 34 years

How long he's kept it off: A month. "I started January 1, 2011 on my quest to get healthy," Ross says.

Personal life: "I work from home as an IT professional for Bank of America. I have four beautiful children: Kylie, 13, Billy Jr., 11, Ansley, 6 and Liam, 4. My wife is very supportive and is now working out a lot herself; she looks awesome but she always has to me. I think of my family the most when I run." Ross and his family live in Senoia.

Turning point: "I was watching a bowl game on December 31, 2010 and saw myself in the mirror on the way to the restroom holding a beer and a chicken wing and thought, 'who the heck is that guy with the gut?' Don't get me wrong - I like still like beer and wings, but I enjoy them better now because I don't have them all the time and I don't have a gut anymore."

Diet plan: He follows his own plan. Breakfast is oatmeal or an egg substitute omelet. Lunch is a tuna wrap. For dinner, "I do most of the cooking and I love to do so," he says. "I cook a lot of crock pot meals from taco soup to pork tenderloin. I also make a baked ziti in the oven that will make you slap your mom -- but seriously portion control is how I handle the whatever-I-want dinners."

Exercise routine: "I run between six to nine miles a day, six days a week; I also lift weights at least twice a week," he says.

Biggest challenge: "Mentally telling myself that it's OK to take an hour a day for myself," he says. "When you have four kids, if you're not working you're doing something for them."

How life has changed: "So, of course I get the weird looks and comments when I don't snarf down an appetizer, my food, then my kids' food and four beers at a meal anymore," he says. "I now just eat the amount of my order that gets me full and push my plate away and that's always an interesting conversation starter. But I've also noticed that those that criticized me are also the ones that have all of a sudden become interested in working out."

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 Holly Steel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.