Following his college football days, the 6-foot-tall high school teacher and coach saw his weight climb from 225 to 390. No wonder, he says, looking back: to relieve stress, he would scarf down nearly a dozen chocolate chip cookies or gobble up six slices of pizza.
"I didn't get big overnight," Miller says. "It was a gradual process."
After a persistent chest pain sent him to the hospital, Miller was diagnosed with a mild heart attack and had a stent put in a coronary artery to improve blood flow. Two days later, he had a major heart attack and, eventually, three more stents.
The shock of these events motivated Miller to shed 190 pounds in eight months by eating lean meats and salmon, more vegetables and snacking on a cup of unsalted peanuts every day. Once a week, on his doctor's advice, Miller indulged in whatever he wanted -- usually his beloved prime rib, ravioli and a generous salad bar.
"You name it, I'd load it up," Miller says.
Down to 200 pounds, Miller felt great. But less than a year after his heart attack, he collapsed on the football field, and his doctor said he needed a triple-bypass surgery. When Miller told him the timing was bad -- football season had just begun -- the doctor convinced him to have the surgery, saying, "Without surgery, you're out of time."
Five years and a hip replacement later, Miller enjoys good health. His cholesterol and blood pressure are normal, his waist is down from 46 inches to 32, and he went from a size XXX-large to a size large shirt. He walks five miles a day and plays golf three times a week.
Where Miller once lived to eat and coach football, he's learned that family -- including three grandchildren -- is number one. Inside, he feels like a different person, and his outward transformation makes former students do a double take. "They ask, 'Is that you, coach?'" Miller says. "It just feels so good."
Here's more on how to survive after a heart attack.
Sources:
Miller, Mark. Telephone interview. 7 Oct. 2008.
