By day, Mark George is an auxiliary custodian at the Burnaby Village Museum. The rest of the time, at least for the last while, he's been losing weight.
George recently received an award from the provincial chapter of TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly, for his 86.5-pound weight loss.
George received his award in Duncan in May.
He wrote about his experiences in an email:
"I first joined TOPS because of a medical challenge. My doctor kept telling me to lose weight, but he didn't tell me about the consequences of remaining overweight. When my doctor retired and a new doctor took over, she told me 'Mark, you can continue to gain weight but if you do you'll need five injections a day to manage Type II diabetes.'
"I hate needles so I decided I had to do something. I heard of TOPS from neighbors of ours.
"When I finally found TOPS (Coquitlam) in 2005, I was well over 300 pounds. It has taken me six years, but through diet, encouragement and facing the scale weekly, I have managed to reach my goal and then some.
"When I renewed my driver's licence last fall, my previously listed weight was 360 pounds. My starting weight with TOPS was 306.5 pounds. I lost 86.5 pounds to reach my goal weight of 220 and my weight now hovers at the bottom of my leeway.
"My success is due to diet control, getting more exercise and above all, chapter and family support. My experience with TOPS has unquestionably changed my life for the better and I am confident I can maintain a healthy weight with continued support."
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