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.
Erik Hill, 33: From 415 pounds to 224 pounds
Former weight: 415 pounds
Current weight: 224 pounds
Pounds lost: 191
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
Age: 33
How long he's kept it off: He started in February and reached his current weight Nov. 20.
Personal life: "I have been working for a Duluth-based software company called Horizon Software International for the last seven years," says Hill, a quality control analyst. "I live in Dacula, Ga., and have been married to my beautiful wife, Amanda, for almost eight years. We are expecting our first child together in June, and we are very excited."
Turning point: A terrible sinus infection in January sent him to the doctor. "I never go to the doctor's office unless I am really feeling bad," says Hill. "Well, I felt worse after the visit after they weighed me and I tipped the scales at 415 pounds. That moment I decided it was time to do something." Overnight his lifestyle changed. "I probably, easily, was consuming around 3,000 calories a day if I had to guess. If not more than that some days when I would venture to the buffets or knock down 40 to 50 wings with a bowl of blue cheese to dip them in … I used to struggle so bad with working my eight-hour day behind a desk at work, then coming home and sitting on the couch and doing nothing … Once the weight started coming off, all of that started to change."
Diet plan: "Being that I was so far overweight, I started slow," he says. He started by eliminating fried foods and sodas and not eating past 8 p.m. He also tracks his calories with MyFitnessPal. Breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal with a banana or granola. Lunch is salads or soups. Dinner is grilled chicken with vegetables or a wrap.
Exercise routine: He runs, hikes and walks five to six days a week usually three to four miles on the treadmill or at local parks on weekends.
Biggest challenge: "I think the hardest thing for me was the change of routine: accounting for everything I consume, and getting myself to the gym even on the days where [I didn't] feel all that great."
How life has changed: "I am an avid bowler, and my average has gone up nearly 20 pins a game in the past year. Living my life now is so amazing 'cause I can pretty much do anything I want without getting winded just going from sitting to standing," he says. "The most amazing thing is that all of a sudden I am going to be a dad. This has been the biggest payoff. I do not know if weight had anything to do with it not happening sooner, but losing the weight sure couldn't have hurt anything. Plus now, I will be healthy when my child does gets here, and that is the new goal I have in place for continuing my healthy lifestyle."
