Trey Fowler loses 85 pounds

Height: 6 feet 1 inch

Age: 28

How long he's kept it off: Six months. He began in August 2009 and reached 197 pounds in April. He maintains his weight at 210 pounds.

Personal life: "I coach college baseball [as assistant coach] at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga., and summer baseball in Marietta," said Fowler. "[I] currently reside in Cleveland, Ga."

Turning point: "My mom, who recently successfully had two brain surgeries, got me hooked on watching her favorite show, 'Big Brother.' My desire to try and make it on that show was one motivating factor," he said. "In addition, I was on a trip with my buddy in Las Vegas when I decided I wanted to go skydiving. Unfortunately for me, I was too heavy to do so. Those two things made me realize I never wanted to be too heavy to do the things that I wanted to do in life."

Diet plan: "My method for losing the weight was basic calorie counting," he said. His day starts with grits, toast and fruit. Lunch is a 6-inch Subway sandwich. Dinner is fish with vegetables; between meals, he has fruit.

Exercise routine: "Being a baseball coach, I stay pretty active with various activities including throwing [and] batting practice. ... However, I have learned that the key to sticking to my plan is doing things that I truly enjoy such as swimming and basketball."

Biggest challenge: "The summer was my biggest challenge because for me summer is a time of recruiting and being on the road with my summer team," he said. "The long days and travel did not make it easy to exercise, but the key was continuing to remain conscious of how many calories that I took in each day."

How life has changed: "Life has changed for the better. I was able to accomplish my first goal of skydiving almost exactly one year to the day in which I began my weight-loss journey. I plan on ... turning in my ['Big Brother'] application in the very near future." He's also in the best shape he's been since high school, "which makes it easier to do all the things in life I want to do."

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 e-mail 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.