Royal Mowery, 44, of Roswell, lost 66 pounds

Height: 5 feet 9 inches

Age: 44 years

How long he's kept it off: "July 2011 was the beginning," Mowery says. "I'd like to lose ten more pounds, but no longer have a true goal, my initial goal was 185 pounds, which I hit in early May."

Personal life: "I'm a director of operations at AT&T. I live in Roswell, with my wife, Nancy, our two teenage boys, and two dogs.

Turning point: "Being too fat to do the outdoor activities that I enjoy, as well as not being able to do simple things like bending over to tie a shoe or dreading walking up a single flight of stairs at the house — I was sick and tired of being sick and tired," he says.

Diet plan: "It was very important to me that I be able to do this for the rest of my life, so diets were out," he says. "I eat reasonably...but I am not on a program." Breakfast is a granola bar during the week, eggs or sausage on the weekends. Lunch is a turkey or ham sandwich, yogurt and fruit. Dinner is often chicken, fish or red meat with vegetables and rice.

Exercise routine: "I do push-ups every day, thirty per set, and one to three sets per day -- had to work up to this. I've also become a runner and am currently running four times per week on average, four to six miles per run. Running has become a great stress reliever for me."

Biggest challenge: "Trying not to revert to my old ways, which was to use food as emotional comfort," he says. "I ate because I was stressed, bored, angry, sad, or to celebrate — you name it and I ate for it. I now try and exercise instead."

How life has changed: "My energy level is through the roof," he says. "I'm doing things outdoors that I haven't done in years, including a planned trip to Colorado in the fall — a trip that will include lots of walking in the mountains. Clothes fit me now and I no longer have to decide if I'm physically capable of doing something. I'm happier and that bleeds over to my personal relations with my family as well."

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.