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 / Tom Gay, 49: From 243 pounds to 182 pounds
Former weight: 243 pounds
Current weight: 182 pounds
Pounds lost: 61 pounds
Height: 6 feet
Age: 49 years
How long he's kept it off: One month. Started in April and reached his current weight in July.
Personal life: He's a customer service manager with Vulcan Materials Company. Married to his wife, Lisa, they have three children: Jean, Chris and Andrew. He recently became a health coach for Take Shape for Life, a direct sales coaching division of Medifast Inc.
Turning point: "I am a huge baseball fan. [On April 8, 1974] Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. First baseball game I ever attended as a boy. It's a big thrill now, but looking back I didn't realize it at the time. I chose April 8th to start because of that significant date," said Gay. "I tried a lot of other diets – they all work temporarily … Unless you're ready to commit to it and do it, it's not going to work."
Diet plan: He started with Take Shape for Life Medifast meals, a gift from his wife. Now he eats three small normal meals with several snacks daily. "Once you reach your target weight, you begin a transition of adding more foods back in." He added dairy, fruit and grains back in as part of his transition.
Exercise routine: "I was going to the gym three to four days a week and I wasn't losing any weight. I was eating so much it was counteracting what I was doing," he says. "Now I do more cardio. I do Zumba with my wife and I'm doing some 5K runs — things I can enjoy without feeling like [I've overdone it]." He exercises three times per week.
Biggest challenge: "It's an education process. Instead of making food my first priority every day, now it's become an afterthought … I don't want to go back to where I was before."
How life has changed: "We all have a story, but if we don't share it how are we going to help people?" he said. "We have opportunities every day we can share about our lives what [has] changed … I'm a happier person on a daily basis, my friends and family have always seen me as positive person, now it's more of a sincere feeling all day long … My food addiction was more … I just wanted more. I was eating good things but too much of anything isn't good for you. If you're sneaking to eat, you might have a problem. I also know it could come back if I don't make the right choices. I just take it one day at a time."
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