Paul Hubbard loses 111 pounds

Height: 5-foot-11

Age: 55

How long he's kept it off: "I started Jan. 22, 2010," says Hubbard. "I reached my goal by Sept. 23, my birthday."

Personal life: Hubbard is a financial consultant and married with three children. "I wanted to do this first for me and then for my family. We all deserve the best me," he says. He lives in Hampton.

Turning point: "When my mother had to have a partial leg amputation due to diabetes in November 2009, her doctor told all of my siblings and I that we [needed] to really change some things ourselves," he says. "I could not stand to see my mother like that. Plus, I knew if I didn't change I was headed down the same path."

Diet plan: He started with six Medifast portion-controlled meals per day but quickly began shopping on his own at the grocery store. "I eat six small meals per day," he says. Breakfast is oatmeal followed midmorning by a banana. Lunch is a Nutri-Grain bar followed by yogurt for a snack. Dinner is lean meat with green vegetables followed by an evening snack of oatmeal, yogurt or fruit. "I drink 64 ounces of water per day. No juices, no ice cream, no cookies ... all the good things that pack on the pounds," he says.

Exercise routine: "I spend an hour on the treadmill per day Monday through Friday."

Biggest challenge: "Was simply getting started and changing my mindset that I was too old to lose this much weight."

How life has changed: "My doctor told me that I can come off my medications. I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol for 18 years. I didn't have diabetes yet, but I was headed that way. I also had sleep apnea; I don't have any of these anymore. I finally learned that exercise alone doesn't equal weight loss -- you have to control your food intake as well. I have had to buy new clothes, that's fun! Pants size went from a 52 to a 38. I could go on and on as to how my life has changed -- I simply got tired of reading about other success stories; I wanted my own story."

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 Holly Steel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or e-mail ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.