Mark E. Teems loses 128 pounds

Height: 6 feet 2.5 inches

Age: 47

How long he's kept it off: Three months. He started in February 2010 and reached his goal in December.

Personal life: "I work as a material controller at Lockheed Martin Corp.," Teems says. He has been married for 25 years and has two children age 23 and 17. He also has two dogs and a cat and lives in Powder Springs with his family.

Turning point: "I decided on February 22, 2010 that I wanted to stop being fat and unhealthy," Teems says. "A friend told me about the 11-day diet."

Diet plan: "I eat four small meals a day -- never [eating] past 5:00 p.m.," he says. When he was on the diet,  for 11 days he ate combinations of his favorite foods. Then for three days he'd take a break and eat what he wanted. A typical day began with turkey and cheese slices and a garden salad. The second meal was usually chicken and pastrami slices; the third meal was sausage, peanuts and baked beans and the fourth meal was milk with hard-boiled eggs and apples. "I'm not on the diet at this time. I just eat smaller portions and exercise," he says.

Exercise routine: "I now walk an average of 10 miles a day, seven days a week," he says. "I hike at Kennesaw Mountain when the weather permits. I do some weightlifting now."

Biggest challenge: "It's hard [skipping] meals with my family -- they eat later than I do," he says.

How life has changed: "I decided to stop actively dieting when I lost 140 pounds. I was being told by family, friends and co-workers that I was looking sickly. I am presently averaging between 180 to 185 pounds. [Before losing weight,] I had high blood pressure (150/100), asthma, sleep apnea and night sweats. Since my weight loss, I no longer take blood pressure medication... I have never felt better than I do now. One other by-product of my weight loss was that I grew a whole inch. I was 6 feet 1.5 inches before and 6 feet 2.5 inches at my last physical. My doctor attributed it to compression on my vertebrae lightening."

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.