Belly Off! Club: Darren Williams

Weight Before: 452
Weight After: 155
Occupation: Customer support director
Height: 5'9"
Reached Goal In: 2 1/2 years

THE SETBACK
Even though I had athletic talent in high school, my weight held me back. I was putting on 10 to 20 pounds every year, and then I stopped playing sports altogether. With a diet revolving around fast food, I was rapidly ballooning—and so were my cholesterol numbers. I was 32 and already on blood pressure medication. I was so worried about my heart failing that I suffered severe anxiety attacks. In fact, if I hadn't made some big changes, my heart probably would have quit on me.

THE WAKE-UP CALL
The year my daughter turned 4, my uncle died of weight-related causes. He was still in his 60s. I realized that I might never have the chance to see my daughter married, or have grandkids. For my sake and for my future family's sake, I needed to reinvent my life.

THE FOOD
In my bigger days, I'd down 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day. Food made me feel good. I was already heavy, so what did it matter if I ate one steak or three? I dialed back gradually. For lunch I'd pack a ham-and-cheese sandwich, some baked chips, and a piece of fruit. I swore off pizza buffets. I went from a large soda at breakfast to diet soda to water. Grilled chicken breasts replaced huge hunks of beef on the grill. The weight fell off. My blood pressure improved. And who knew that vegetables had so much flavor?

THE FITNESS
I work long hours—that was my main excuse for not exercising. So I joined a 24-hour gym and went early in the morning (a good thing, because I was self-conscious at first). I set some basic mileage goals on the treadmill. Each time I came back I bumped up the mileage, then the speed, even the incline. My chronic back pain faded as pounds fell off. Now I run about 7 miles, 6 days a week, and plan to complete my first half marathon this year.

THE REWARD
In college, an amusement park attendant once told me to leave a ride—in front of all my friends—because I was too heavy. Last year I revisited the same park and was able to do all the rides. Even better, I could enjoy this accomplishment with my daughter. And now I know I'm healthy enough to enjoy even more milestones with her.

Back in Action

Bad back? That's yet another reason to slim down. Losing excess weight can help ease pressure on your spine, says Bill Hartman, C.S.C.S. Core exercises can help too—work up to 2 minutes of planks and hip raises, and 90 seconds of side planks on each side.

Post photos, watch videos, track your progress, and lose weight with our 8-week Belly Off! program.

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