Randy Eilering of Arlington Heights, Ill., knew he had to lose weight when he woke up one day and struggled to get out of bed, feeling big and awkward. He was only 25 at the time.
That day he got up, got dressed and went to the gym.
"That started it all," says Eilering, 29. "It was Monday, the week of Thanksgiving. In hindsight, it is the worst time to ever start a diet, but it really helped me with my discipline."
He has lost 100 pounds since November 2003 and has kept it off, ending a long cycle that he describes as "a combination of eating too much, not eating the right foods and not exercising." He now competes in marathons and triathlons.
His story was selected by a panel of experts to be featured in the fifth annual USA TODAY Weight-Loss Challenge in the newspaper and online at dietchallenge.usatoday.com. This year's challenge, which runs every Monday through May 19, focuses on weight-loss champions who have inspired others.
Eilering, who is in sales for a computer company, says that to lose 100 pounds, he ate five to six small meals a day, gave up soda and drank a lot of water. The water helped control his hunger.
"I reduced the amount of carbs I ate and stayed away from sweets. I would give myself one cheat meal a week, when I could eat pizza or something I really wanted."
Even now he allows himself one splurge meal a week, but the rest of the time he sticks with better choices. He and his girlfriend, Sarah Balogh, cook healthful meals and run together.
Eilering says he has received compliments from friends and family. Likewise, he has encouraged others. Many of the people around him, including customers, have made healthful changes after seeing his transformation.
One customer, Rob Engels of Damascus, Md., was motivated by Eilering's success to begin running marathons. Engels has lost more than 40 pounds.
Says Eilering: "The beautiful thing is I now have a support network that I can reach out to at any time. If I start making bad choices about what I eat or drink, they are there to remind me of how hard I've worked to get this far."
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