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 / Earl Green Jr., 44: From: 464 pounds to 284 pounds
Former weight: 464 pounds
Current weight: 284 pounds
Pounds lost: 180 pounds
Height: 6 feet 4 inches
Age: 44 years
How long he's kept it off: He started March 2012 and reached his current weight this month.
Personal life: "A native from New Jersey, I relocated and graduated (from) Morris Brown College in Atlanta Ga.," says Green. "Currently residing in Snellville Ga. with my wife, Shelley Green, our two kids, Naomi, eleven and Quentin, nine, and beloved dog, Queen." Green works as an inventory analyst for a local blood company.
Turning point: "My father made me promise him, on his dying bed in 2007, that I would lose weight," he says. "I had a health scare at the end of 2011 which brought me face-to-face with the reality of my weight problem." Green had an atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat. He was put under anesthesia to shock the heart into correct rhythm. "I asked the doctor if it could happen again, he said it could happen tomorrow. The first thing he pointed out was the weight. That really made me want to lose weight."
Diet plan: Green started with 600 calories per day. His regular doctor told him it was dangerous; his cardiologist said if he can do it, go for it. He continued while under his cardiologist's care. "Started my first two weeks with a liquid diet and puréed cabbage and fresh vegetables," he says. "After, I kept daily calories to 600 and under." Since October, he has been up to 1,500 calories per day. He starts with eggs and sausage, lunch is leftovers and dinner is baked or pan-seared tilapia with a stir-fry vegetable medley.
Exercise routine: "After the 100-pound weight loss, I started daily lunchtime walks from one mile to four miles. After almost getting hit by a car during one of my lunch walks, I decided to join a local gym. Started working out during lunch four to five days weekly and after work."
Biggest challenge: "My biggest challenge was maintaining my diet plan during weekends and holidays."
How life has changed: He was cleared by his cardiologist of any heart problems and no longer takes diabetic medicine. "I am now able to shop in regular retail stores and shop off of the sales racks," he says. "People I've known for years [do] not recognize me and [are] blown away at my weight loss because I've always been 'Big Earl'!" On March 9, Green participated in his first Spartan obstacle race (www.spartanrace.com). "Thornton athletics was very instrumental in getting me ready for that race. You've got to have a support group, of course family is very, very important. You gotta take time for yourself … In the end it's important because you'll be around longer."
