Like a lot of people, I have always been on the chubby side and have always struggled with weight. As a kid I played lots of sports, so the exercise seemed to keep my weight under some control. In high school, though, I really began to put on some pounds. In my junior year I was able to lose around 40 pounds for football and kept it off until I went to college. Once I was in college, the problem really came back. Bad choices seemed to just happen, like lots of starchy foods and high-calorie drinks.

After college, I got into the medical field. Today, I am a radiology technologist and manager of a cardiac catheterization lab, which performs over 7,000 procedures per year. So I am well aware of the dangers of obesity. On a daily basis, I see how obesity contributes to vascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and other life-threatening conditions.

Nonetheless, I denied my own vulnerability for years, disassociating myself from the patients by telling myself I was "too young" or "not that big." But by January of this year, I weighed 330 pounds. I had reached a point in my life where decisions had to be made regarding my lifestyle. I was 36 years old, with a wonderful wife and two boys (ages 5 and 7). Morbid obesity was threatening my life. If I wanted to be around to raise my boys and enjoy my marriage, changes had to be made.

Hi, my name is Geoff ("cardiackid" on the boards). This is my weight-loss story.

This wasn't the first time that I'd vowed to lose the weight. In fact, when we were expecting our first child years ago, I did lose around 60 pounds so I could set a good example—but that didn't last long, with late nights up with the baby combined with the long hours of work and being "on call." Such a schedule just didn't lend itself to healthy eating. It was easy to stop by the 7-Eleven at 3 am on the way home from an emergency case and get a couple of doughnuts or a bag of chips to help settle down. Not the best choices (especially at that time of the night). Interesting that, here I was helping people who had heart attacks, but then afterwards doing exactly would put me in the same exact situation a few years down the road. Crazy.

In fact, helping patients while I was heavy was not really uncomfortable emotionally, but more so physically. In my job, I wear lead aprons for the majority of the day and am on my feet constantly. At the end of a 12-hour day, my feet would be killing me and my back was unbearable.

Then I had an eye-opening experience at work. One day, a doctor I work with asked, "Geoff, are you OK?" I said I was, but he replied, "You don't look good." I respect this particular doctor tremendously and I realized he was asking me about my health and he was worried about me. When your wife or parents say something like that to you, you tend to shrug it off as them being worrywarts. But when someone else unexpectedly says it to you, you take a step back and look at yourself.

Shortly after that discussion, I underwent a sleep study; I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, probably due to my obesity. I was waking up around 100 times an hour, and my oxygen saturation was dropping below 90% for very long periods of time and even got as low as 50%. Very dangerous. As a result, I had to get a machine to help me breathe while sleeping. Within a few weeks, I started feeling better and getting outside more. But as I gained more weight, I became less active overall and seemingly more tired, and I had no energy. All I did was work, eat and sleep, and the weight just kept coming on. It was definitely not good for my family!

I had to lose weight. I considered gastric bypass, but its risks were dire, and I have a history of deep vein thrombosis in both legs. Then one of my coworkers suggested NutriSystem; he had just joined and lost around 15 pounds* the first week. I went home, talked to my wife Jennifer and decided to regain control of my life—I ordered NutriSystem. The success I've had is unreal—I've lost 130 pounds*! Just as important, my energy level has soared, my attitude has become more positive, and life just seems clearer to me.

It was truly a lifesaving decision. It probably sounds corny, but I never thought losing weight could be so easy. NutriSystem has taught me that I can still eat great-tasting foods I enjoy without feeling like I am starving. The selection of meals is outstanding, the food tastes great, and having the food delivered directly to my front door is a huge plus. Being able to heat the meals up in just one minute is also a huge benefit. I am "just a man" and I can follow directions, so just by following the plan, I lose weight. Plus, seeing other people's successes on the program has helped me motivate myself, too—I love looking at the different people's transformations.

But the biggest motivation was my wife. Jennifer, who in my opinion was never big, joined around the same time I did and has lost 36 pounds* on the NutriSystem plan. (She looks like a 24-year-old swimsuit model!) As a husband-and-wife team, we have lost a remarkable 166 pounds* together. Having each other for support has been great; losing weight is so much easier when there is someone who can completely understand you are going through. Now my wife and I kind of push one another to continue our success. She looks great, so I have to keep up with her—I can't have her be the only one who gets all the compliments!

I do get more compliments than you can imagine, though. People telling you that you look great, or that you look 10-15 years younger...well, that is a great feeling. It never gets old.

The weight loss has also enabled me to get a smaller lead apron at work, and smaller lead equals less weight, which means I not only get to carry less weight on my body but also less weight in the lead apron I have to wear every day. My feet feel better and my back feels healthier. I love to talk to patients (or anyone else who will listen) about my weight loss. NutriSystem is always a good topic for me.

My weight is now down to a healthy 200 pounds. I am still following the program because I like it and because it's easy. NutriSystem presents me with good choices, which in turn enables me to make good eating decisions. Also, NutriSystem has helped me focus on portion control and giving my body time to "feel" satisfied. Plus, when I had lost weight in the past, I would get to where I wanted to be and then revert back to my old eating habits. Obviously, not a good thing. Now with NutriSystem, I take one meal at time.

I am a luckier man than I ever thought possible. I'm now healthy, and I have a healthy wife and kids; now I need to make sure I stay that way. With the help of NutriSystem, I am sure I can. Thanks, NutriSystem, for helping me change my life!

—Geoff

*Results not typical