'I had to keep faith and be patient'

John Helgersen, 64, Tampa

Starting weight: 227

Current weight: 157

Why I did it: A couple of years ago I had painful flat feet, high blood pressure and, at 227 pounds, a body mass index of 29.7. I knew I had to get serious about my health and lose weight. I turned for help to the book "Total Fitness in 30 Minutes a Week", by Laurence E. Morehouse and Leonard Gross.

How I did it. With commitment and patience, I lowered my BMI to 21.1 and dropped to 161 pounds using two tools. The first was a bathroom scale, accurate to half-pound intervals. The doctors explained that the scale was never right but to treat it as if it were accurate. The second tool, which I call "the snack line," was a 21-day chart. Each morning, I would weigh myself and mark it on the chart. If I was above the sloping weight-loss line on the chart, I could not snack, but if I was below the line, I could indulge. Morehouse emphasized the importance of staying on a one-pound-per-week weight loss goal.

My plan was to daily create a 500-calorie deficit: 200 calories from food and 300 calories from increased activity. There were no restrictions on what I could eat, and. sometimes when I felt hungry I would indulge. I gave up alcohol because I found I did not lose weight if I was drinking.

Now, I mainly eat chicken and pork. I like beef, but I've mostly given it up. Recently, I've become more vegetable- and fruit-conscious.

I was too sedentary, so I began walking every day to boost my activity calories. Usually I would walk 40 to 45 minutes. It's been a couple of years, and I've added some jogging to my routine, but walking briskly does the job.

Hurdles: I wanted to be 180 pounds or less, a reasonable weight I would be comfortable in. I got down to about 160 pounds in about two years. I had to keep faith and be patient. Now I aim to weigh 154 or 155 pounds at the beginning of the day and fill out as the day goes on.

You don't want to lose more than one pound a week. I lost about 35 pounds the first year and 31 pounds the second year.

Going the distance: What's next? Men store their fat at the waistline, so now I'm targeting mine. I've also added exercise to build muscle at my shoulders, chest and upper arms, substituting muscle for fat. I'm doing that three times a week to give the muscles time to recover.

Best advice: If you use the scale method, be patient. The scale is never right. And wait until you're close to your target weight to address building the upper body muscles.