BRIAN Feuer can't stop staring at the two slightly bent photographs he just placed on the table in front of him. He leans over to take a closer look at the obviously overweight man in the pictures and shakes his head, as if in disbelief.
The man is vaguely familiar.
A much slimmer Feuer maintains his exercise program to prevent a return to his previously overweight size .
The images depict Feuer about five years ago -- when he weighed 323 pounds. Today, the Winnipegger is more than 150 pounds lighter. Not only is he lean, he's fit.
Looking at old pictures remind him of a past he's determined to leave behind. He admits he's a bit embarrassed by the photos.
"Now when I look back it's like, what was I thinking? Crazy," Feuer says during an interview at the Reh-Fit Centre.
Even though it's Feuer's birthday -- he's 46 -- the fitness enthusiast still makes time to work out and do an interview. What better way to celebrate another year of good health, says the soft-spoken electrical engineer, than to exercise and share information that may inspire others?
Feuer remembers always being heavy, even as a kid growing up in Garden City. He speculates that genetics and inactivity, combined with a love of fast food and his mother's "good Jewish cooking," kept his weight up and his energy levels low.
Always self-conscious about his weight, Feuer recalls hating gym class in high school. Years later, he shied away from the beach. When he had to go, he preferred to hide in the background.
Four years ago, his weight became more than a self-esteem issue. His doctor told him if didn't lose weight he would die.
Feuer, who had high blood pressure, was at risk of a heart attack and stroke. His father had died of a heart attack 12 years earlier. His older brother also had heart issues.
Something in him snapped -- enough for the husband and father to make a drastic change.
"You know what? It was hearing that part about the stroke. Knowing that I've got a wife and three (daughters) that I have to be here for," says Feuer. "My brother had just had a heart attack a few months earlier. I was heading in the exact same path."
It was around his birthday in 2003 that Feuer's wife, Darcey, got him some passes for the Reh-Fit Centre. It was convenient. The Feuers live directly across the street from the Taylor Avenue centre, their home visible from a lobby window.
"I became very committed very quick. I got into it right away. I never looked back."
He began going to the health facility five days a week for little more than 20 minutes at a time.
All he could do was walk -- slowly. He chose to walk the track rather than try the treadmill. Exercise machines, he says, were too intimidating.
The first few months were difficult. He would work up a sweat in a short time and wondered if his regimen would ever yield results.
"It was tough to get going (with) people flying around you as you're walking. And I'm thinking, 'Am I going too slow? Am I not doing enough? Where am I going now?'"
For six months, he kept walking. He got faster.
He consulted with a doctor-recommended dietitian, who had him limit his fat and carbohydrate intake as well as his portion sizes.
The weight seemed to be melting away. Within six months, he weighed 40 pounds less.
He savoured his first compliment from a co-worker the way he used to savour a piece of cake.
"The first person who said to me, 'Hmm, it looks like you've lost a few pounds. Your face is thinning out.' That just ignited the fuel. It (gives you) that inner strength," says Feuer.
He added a 30-minute strength and stretching class to his regimen and eventually moved on to other aerobic machines at the gym. After one year, he had lost 105 pounds. Two years later, he was down 136 pounds. A few months later -- and after several wardrobe changes -- he reached his target of a 150-pound weight loss.
Today, Feuer wears size-34 pants -- a drastic change from his former 52-inch waist size. He is still nursing wounds from plastic surgery he had in October -- an operation to remove the inches of excess skin left over from his old physique.
He maintains his weight with visits to the Reh-Fit four days a week. He and his family use weights and a treadmill at home.
"Now I would say that I'm the one who is passing everybody on the track. There are not too many people passing me anymore," says Feuer, who admits he's more confident than he's ever been.
He says he never craves his old favourites -- Big Macs, chocolate bars and cakes from Jeanne's Bakery. Instead, he's learned to love his new diet of lean protein, veggies and fruits.
When he wants a sweet treat, he grabs an apple or a serving of frozen yogurt.
He hasn't had pastry in four years -- aside from the odd low-fat, sugar-free flan his wife prepares.
Glance at Feuer's slender six-foot frame and you'll never guess that he used to be so heavy that walking up the stairs left him winded. You'd never know that he used to take medication for high blood pressure.
"When I see people here now who are heavy who are walking, I want to just go up to them and say, 'Keep going. Don't give up.' I was there three, four years ago," says Feuer. "And if I can do it, anyone can do it. Because I'm just a simple person who put my mind to it."
Feuer's wife, Darcey, is proud of his accomplishments. She says the first few pounds he dropped gave him incentive to push through.
"He looked forward to the weigh-ins," she says." It was positive for him to go and get weighed knowing he was doing something right. And, of course, the energy came and it was just non-stop."
She says one of the keys to his success was diligence, and that even when the Reh-Fit closed for renovations a couple of years ago, her husband kept up his routine at the Pan-Am Pool.
"We call him the Energizer Bunny," she says.
In the gym lounge, Feuer takes off his shirt. Underneath is a sleeveless tank top that reveals a tattoo on his right shoulder.
Etched in ink are Hebrew letters that spell out "koach," the Hebrew word for strength.
Underneath the letters is the number 323 -- his exact weight the day he walked into the Reh-Fit Centre.
"Now when I look in the mirror I'll know -- 323, I definitely don't want to go back there," says Feuer.
Have an interesting story idea? Contact Shamona at Ú shamona.harnett@freepress.mb.ca
Brian Feuer's Fitness Tips
* Start slowly. Feuer began his fitness regimen by walking around a track for just 20 minutes at a time. He continued doing this for six months before he graduated to other activities.
* Stay committed. When Feuer's gym closed for renovations, he found somewhere else to work out.
* Eat lean protein and whole grains as well as plenty of fruits and vegetables. Feuer's favourite breakfast includes two slices of toast, light peanut butter and a banana.
* Limit intake of white flour and sugar.
* When you crave something sweet, opt for low-fat treats such as fruit or frozen yogurt.
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