Tuesday, 24 June 2008

'Half the man he used to be'
Ace Stryker - DAILY HERALD

When Orem Elementary's principal ran past some of his students during the school's April walkathon, they wondered aloud who the man was.

He sounded like the old principal and even looked familiar, but the man they knew weighed 261 pounds and had never been seen exercising. He would habitually down a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting. He certainly wouldn't be running as fast -- or enjoying it as much -- as this man seemed to be.

"I used to think 'fun run' was an oxymoron or something," Brad Davies said.

But Davies it was: The principal had lost 100 pounds over the course of eight months, shedding almost 40 percent of his body weight. It's typical these days for students' parents to ask during school events or around the office who the new guy is. The 5-foot-9-inch Davies said his secretary's response to one such inquiry was particularly apt: "She said, 'Yeah, he's half the man that he used to be.' And I almost am."

Davies's transformation began the week before Halloween, 2007. He had been experiencing headaches and a lot of stress at work, so he scheduled his first physical exam in years. During the appointment, a physician told him his weight was putting his health at risk. That was all it took to get started -- although, he admitted, the commitment might not have stuck without his wife, Mary, who was also interested in making changes toward a healthier lifestyle.

"If I didn't have my wife next to me, it would've been a lot harder," he said. "It's been nice to have a companion."

Mary Davies has lost almost 40 pounds herself since October, slimming down from 174 to 136. The couple has eaten healthier and worked out together whenever possible, tracking their progress with a chart on the family fridge. She remembers the first week, when they emptied out the fridge and restocked it with healthier fare -- out with the pizzas and microwave dinners, in with the fish, chicken and salads.

"We basically knew what you need to do to lose weight," she said. "I think everybody does; we just kind of ignore it sometimes."

Brad's original goal was to reach the sub-200 benchmark before his son, Bryan, left on a two-year LDS mission in March.

He started slowly, walking a half-mile every day and eating smaller portions. But by simple changes to his diet and exercise routines -- changes he regards as "just little tweaks here and there" -- the weight kept dropping. The morning of the farewell, he weighed in at 199.8 pounds. But he wasn't ready to quit.

"I realized I could do more, so I did," he said.

He ramped up his workout routine until he was running three or four miles a day. In April, he ran his first 5K race, finishing in the top third. As he kept on, the pounds fell off -- to the point where members of the LDS ward over which he presides as bishop expressed concerns about his health.

"I've had actually a lot of people wondering if I'm OK," he said. "Illness? No, I did it the hard way."

Davies said one of the best parts of the process was that he didn't have to give up anything he loved, just enjoy it more conscientiously and in smaller portions.

"I don't deprive myself," he said. "I can have a piece of pizza. It's not like I'm doing without. I just choose not to eat a whole one."

Now that he's reached a weight he just wants to maintain, his confidence and energy levels are through the roof, he said.

His four teenage sons and their friends think he's cool for the first time, and it's always exciting to bump into anyone who hasn't seen him for the past few months.

"It really feels good," he said. "I've worked hard for this. I feel good about what I've done."

He also hopes to parlay his experience into a motivator for his students, to teach them that they can do great things if they set their mind to it.

"I've got 620 kids here," he said. "I'm hoping in some way I can be an inspiration to them."

Life at home has also improved, his wife said.

"It has made home life easier and more fun, more active," she said. "We spend a lot more time together instead of sitting around doing nothing."

Neither of them plan to go back to the way things were before. Brad said there is nothing he misses about being overweight, and Mary -- well, for her, pictures speak louder than words.

"We're going to keep the pictures of our former selves out so we can see them, because we can't even believe that's the way we were."