Every occupation has its hazards—firemen rush into burning buildings, dogcatchers brave rabies, miners risk cave-ins—and we editors put our life expectancy on the line with every Food & Wine Annual. It’s not easy spending long hours at six-course wine dinners, sampling five different varieties of designer chocolate or venturing out in all kinds of weather to taste-test nearly every new restaurant in town, but in our unselfish quest to bring you the best of Sarasota dining, we tough it out. And every year, our bodies bear the battle scars, from extra pounds to cholesterol levels we’re afraid to even measure.

This issue was especially deadly, with a story on the comforting home cooking of our famous Mennonite community (mashed potatoes and peanut-butter pie, anyone?) and the carb-fueled frenzy of a night spent judging Sarasota’s best gourmet pizzas. Somewhere in between, I remember a wine and cheese tasting at the new C’est Cheese and gala lunches and dinners galore at Michael’s and The Ritz-Carlton. But the crowning blow was our annual editorial brainstorming retreat.

“Just light bites and a little wine,” we suggested to Sean Murphy, when he graciously agreed to host us at his Beach Bistro on Anna Maria Island. But when we sat down at a long table in the intimate Gulf-front restaurant, a specially printed menu showed us what was in store. Headlined “The Retreat,” it listed seven different dishes we would be devouring after we drank our opening champagne and pomegranate martinis. In the interest of full disclosure, let me list them all: pan-roasted shrimp; a grouper sandwich with Key lime butter and aioli; “sliders” (tenderloin topped with foie gras and Bearnaise sauce in a sweet bun); more foie gras on brioche bread pudding; a succulent lamb “lollipop” and a double dessert: chocolate truffle terrine and a little Godiva-chocolate-liqueur-spiked milkshake. As we waddled out to the parking lot, clutching our stomachs, we realized the time had arrived for some serious dieting.

Fortunately, we had an inspiring example close to home: our IT manager, Tim Macking, who’s been melting away for the last 10 months, going from a high of 281 pounds to 174 and still losing. So the morning after the retreat, I cornered Tim and asked him to share his story and tips for success.

It all started with an epiphany on I-4. Driving home from a family reunion last June, Tim mentioned to his wife how fat some of their relatives had become. “Well, honey,” she said gently, “you’ve gained some weight, too.”

“I looked down, and I was like—Oh, my God, what happened? I am so fat!” Tim says.

What had happened was the all-too-common story. The 150-pound teen-ager who ran track had settled into a sedentary lifestyle in front of the computer screen. The more weight he gained, the more withdrawn and inactive he became. “I didn’t want to be outside, even with my kids, I wasn’t comfortable in a mall—basically I didn’t want to be seen,” he says. Instead, he consumed big “meat-and-potatoes” meals and loaded up on junk food—lunch at McDonald’s might be two double cheeseburgers, nine-piece chicken nuggets, an extra-large fries and a Coke.

But that day in the car, he decided, “I’m done—this is it.”

The next morning, he called his doctor, who referred him to weight-loss specialist Dr. Jay Garcia. The doctor told Tim, then 38, that he was “morbidly obese” with cholesterol over 500, triglycerides “too high to measure” and alarmingly high blood pressure. “If you want to live past 40, you have to change now,” the doctor said.

He gave Tim a diet based on the Zone program: 16 ounces of lean white meat per day (egg whites and tofu are also permitted); no bread, rice or other starches; no alcohol; generous servings of non-starchy vegetables; and 64 ounces of water every day. (After a while, you can add in two small servings of some fruits.) The doctor also prescribed an FDA-approved appetite suppressant, which Tim is phasing out as he approaches his goal weight of 165.

The diet started with a harsh first week: just 10 ounces of lean protein a day. That didn’t faze Tim, who was on such a mission that he decided to do everything it took and more. The diet said 64 ounces of water? He’d drink 150! And though he struggled to walk even a quarter of a mile, he knew exercise would accelerate weight loss. As the pounds began to drop away, he started walking farther, then running. Today he does five miles every night after he tucks his kids in bed, following different routes he maps out on run.com; and he just finished his first 5K.

Far from feeling deprived, he’s gone from someone whose “only vegetable was corn” to a veggie gourmet, coming up with creative ways to add flavor to the broccoli and asparagus he now craves. He allows himself occasional treats—a piece of cake on his birthday, a special dinner with his wife on Valentine’s Day—but he won’t waste calories on anything that’s not “the best there is.”

He’s the poster child for weight loss at his doctor’s office, with cholesterol of 141 and blood pressure at 112/65. Several relatives and friends have also started on the diet, and his kids, he says, are growing up with a dad who climbs trees with them and demonstrates good eating habits as well.

In fact, he says, “I am a totally different person now”—confident, happy and full of energy. And how has such a major change affected his relationship with his wife? Tim grins and says, “We’re expecting another baby this summer!”

Here are a few of Tim’s tips.

• Be determined! Make up your mind and decide that you are starting today.

• Lose weight because you want to. The race is long, but in the end, it’s only with yourself.

• I noticed the fastest results when I started drinking a gallon of water a day.

• Take pictures of yourself as you lose. I regret not taking more.

• Sign your e-mails to friends with your name plus your weight—like John 214 Smith—and change the signature weekly. Friends keep you motivated.

• Stop drinking caffeine. You may have a few days of withdrawal, but it helps you lose more rapidly.

• Exercise, exercise, exercise.

• Put down your fork after every bite.

• Once you've made some progress, go out with friends you haven’t seen in a while. Their amazed compliments will get you even more motivated.

• Going from a 44-inch waist to a pair of 32-inch Seven jeans is awesome!

• Instead of chocolate, treat yourself with relaxation at the end of the week—half a day at the spa works well.

• Fruit-snack in the evening: I slice up eight or 10 strawberries along with eight or 10 raspberries and relax for a while before my nightly run.

Out of the Office

“I’ll be watching the Stanley Cup playoffs at my new favorite sports bar: Evie’s Tavern in Courthouse Centre on Ringling Boulevard. It’s got lots of HD TVs—including two upstairs surrounded by couches. The portholes in the men’s room mean guys never have to miss a minute of the game.”—Hannah Wallace, associate editor

“I’m heading to the Historic Asolo Theater for the Sarasota Film Festival’s Conversation series, a chance to hear stars including Liv Ullmann and Stanley Tucci talk candidly about their lives and careers. For more info, go to sarasotafilmfestival.com.”—Kay Kipling, executive editor

“The new Kanpai sushi at Clark and Honore has a slick modern design, like an urban loft, with flat-screen TVs on the walls, and a hip menu, too. Try the sake punch and the Kanpai rolls, which get some satisfying crunch from tempura-fried green beans.”—Pam Daniel, editorial director