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Victor Richard,from Moncton NB., is our next lost it subject. These are BEFORE pics he sent. He lost 118 lbs by following the Canada Food Guide. handouts

Victor Richard

46, Dieppe, N.B.

Pounds dropped: 116

My turning point: In 2008, I was 42 years old and struggled to climb a flight of stairs. At 277 pounds, I started to have chest pains and backaches – and was also the same age as my uncle was when he died of heart disease. I just knew enough was enough if I wanted to avoid the same fate.

My method: Seven days a week, without exception, I spent 45 minutes on the elliptical machine at 5:30 a.m. and another 45 minutes after work. I did this religiously for more than a year. At the beginning, I was losing only six pounds a month and I was frustrated. My wife told me exercise was simply not enough. So I started to follow the Canada Food Guide to the letter, weighing and measuring everything I ate. I still do it today and I've kept the weight off for more than three years. In that time, I've gone from a XXL to an L, a size 42 pant to a 33, and went through four wedding bands as the weight came off.

My kryptonite: Dark chocolate – I eat a couple of pieces every day.

This interview was condensed and edited.

Tell us how you lost it: tgam.ca/weightloss

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