Living a Healthier Lifestyle

Thirty-nine-year-old Jeff blames overeating for his all-time heaviest weight of 770 pounds. "I just wouldn't quit eating," he says. "When I'd get upset or nervous, food comforted me. I'd probably take 8,000 or 10,000 calories a day in. I could eat a bucket of chicken just like it wasn't [anything]." Jeff finally had an aha! moment when he realized the toll his weight was taking on his health. "I've got to [lose weight] if I want to live, because I've almost died," he says.

Jeff decided to revolutionize his lifestyle by limiting his food intake and starting an exercise regimen. Instead of chowing down on buckets of greasy, fried chicken, Jeff eats smaller portions of baked or grilled foods. Five days a week, Jeff hits the gym, where he does water aerobics and lifts weights. His hard work has paid off already—Jeff is down to 621 pounds. But he's not done yet!

See how Jeff inspires his classmates at the gym.

"Some days, I don't want to get up, but I say, 'You've got to get to that gym,' because I've seen how much I lost so far, and just [think about] what it's going to be like at the end of the rainbow," he says. "I want to get where I can live a long, healthy life and go places where I won't have any limitations."