Paeyum Gerami, 26, of Roswell, Ga. lost 70 pounds

Former weight: 278 pounds

Current weight: 208 pounds

Pounds lost: 70 pounds

Height: 6 feet 1 inch

Age: 26 years

How long he's kept it off: He started in August 2013 and reached his current weight in January.

Personal life: "I live in Roswell, Ga., but was born and raised in Cobb County, Marietta, Ga.," says Gerami. "I am a training specialist with Ingenious Med Inc., a healthcare IT company."

Turning point: "I began this journey in August. It all started with a weight-loss challenge in the office which gave me motivation and also held me accountable. With the help of two friends, a nutritionist and a personal trainer, I was able to come up with the perfect meal plan and daily exercise routine," he says. "I was always unhappy with my body and my weight. The weight-loss challenge was the perfect opportunity for me to have motivation and accountability for my weight."

Diet plan: "My meals consisted of green veggies, citrus fruits, grilled plain chicken, and Weight Watchers' mozzarella string cheese sticks," he says. "I cut out sweets, salts and carbs as much as I possibly could."

Exercise routine: "For my exercise, I started out jogging two miles a night," he says. "Once I got into a regular routine, I increased that slowly to three miles. Toward the end of the weight-loss challenge, I was doing four to five miles a night. I also would go to Piedmont Park with my personal trainer … for a very intense, sweat-dripping and aggressive workout."

Biggest challenge: "Getting started and getting on a routine was the toughest part, I won't lie, I loved food and still do," he says. "Also, maintaining the diet while traveling for work. When traveling with coworkers, it was tough to eat healthy when everyone else wants to grab a beer and some wings. I would say sweets and chips [were] my go-to snack so keeping my hand away from those during the first few weeks was the toughest part."

How life has changed: "It has opened up my confidence, my happiness and my demeanor. I am able to shop in regular clothing stores and [I'm] not stuck with just the big and tall sections," he says. "It opened up doors to healthy relationships with friends, family and significant others. I feel good every day when I can fit into size medium or large shirts and I can look at old pictures of myself and smile at how far I've come in such little time."