Employee Cuts Weight Nearly in Half

Last March, Jim Hodges traveled to Chicago to present at a conference for members of the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors-International. There weren’t any technical issues, and he remembered his talking points.

By most accounts, the presentation went well. 

But his reaction upon watching his talk, delivered to first-time participants from the perspective of a 20-year attendee, wasn’t as enthusiastic.

“I look at myself and it was like, ‘oh crap,’” said Hodges, 48, associate director of Duke’s Conference and Event Services. “I was thinking ‘who the hell wants to be like me?’ I wasn’t setting a good example.”

At the time, Hodges weighed just over 300 pounds. He was wearing XXL shirts and size 46 pants. He had spent too many years not exercising and eating too much fried food.

“I always tell the students I work with at Duke there isn’t a job they need to do I can’t do right there with them,” he said. “That was getting harder to do and I wasn’t setting a good example for them or my family. I was 48-years old and probably not that far away from a heart attack.”

In July 2015, Hodges started making changes. No more fried chicken or simple carbs like pasta. He arrived on campus early each day to walk for 20 minutes. By November, he dropped some weight but decided to get a free, confidential health assessment from LIVE FOR LIFE to check his cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and more. That connected Hodges with Pathways to Change, a free, yearlong health management program that pairs participants with coaches who guide them along a path to wellness. Hodges set a goal of weighing 160 pounds. 

With guidance from his LIVE FOR LIFE coach, Diane Gustines, he switched to a near-vegetarian diet, getting protein from eggs, beans and hummus and drinking soymilk. Instead of regular pasta, he ate spiral zucchini. Workout tips helped push him during trips fives days a week to Brodie and Wilson recreation centers, typically by 6:45 a.m. where he used elliptical machines and lifted weights. 

Monthly check-ins from Gustines helped Hodges stay on track with his fitness routine and diet, and the weight kept coming off. He’s now down to size 32 pants and medium shirts. 

“He’s got this inner drive that’s really impressive that you don’t see all the time,” Gustines said. “He’s a crazy-busy person, but every time I reach him, he’ll give me a big rundown of all the stuff he’s doing and how he stays motivated to do the exercise and eat well.”

This spring, Hodges hit his goal. In one year, he managed to lose 140 pounds, nearly as much as he now weighs. His children, Seth and Rebecca, and wife, Karin, have followed suit. All three have started going to the gym and Karin has lost 70 pounds so far.

“It’s awesome knowing there is help out there,” Hodges said. “If I can do it, I can serve to encourage other people they can make changes in their lives, too. It’s choices every day.”