My brother was always a little overweight as we were growing up and not much of an active person. Like most of us, he always tried to start a diet and exercise, but usually found himself right back to his old ways. In the past 10 months he has lost 55 pounds from eating right and within the last 4 months he started doing cardio and strength training.

I've been a support person for him to vent about his good days, bad days and just questions about what he is doing. I'm very proud of him and always show off his progress pictures. The people I show always seem to ask the same questions. They want to know what motivated him, at age 39, to finally do something about his health. Here are his answers and I hope that his story might motivate someone else to make a change, because if he can do it, you can do it!!

There were several reasons I wanted to make a change in my life to get healthy and lose weight:

A good friend of mine lost 200 pounds with lapband surgery. Suddenly he weighed less than me. Even though he had a medical procedure that helped him lose a lot of weight he still had to make a commitment and it's not just an easy thing to go and do. Seeing the changes in him both mentally and physically was very motivating to me. Also, seeing as we have always been competitive towards one another, I had to get in better shape than him.

For years my wife has worked out hard. She's has done an awesome job of getting in shape and maintaining a high level of fitness and activity. In 2012 she ran her first marathon. But she's never been happy with her weight and constantly monitored her food and exercise obsessively. In February she made a decision to leave the women-only gym where she worked out to join a co-ed gym and asked if I wanted to do so as well. I took it as an opportunity to do something with her and maybe even get our kids involved.

I recently turned 39 and next year is the big 40. I wanted to turn 40 in the best shape of my life. Although I haven't reached my goals, I've seen many changes along the way. I started walking...then walk/jogging and now spinning, yoga and road cycling. Pushing myself more and more along the way to make it more challenging but not so much that I might lose interest. I've never tracked my fitness in my adult life. But I do think that even though I have a little ways to go to reach my goals that I'm in the best shape that I've ever been in.

I wanted to prove to myself and others that there is no magic diet, supplement, wrap or product that will transform your body into something you want to see in the mirror that was more satisfying, healthier and long lasting than a healthy diet and exercise routine. It seemed like everyday friends on Facebook were looking for or posting something that magically melted fat away. I wanted to be proof that there was no substitute for eating right and exercising.

My brother also wrote some tips about exercising and diet that are too good not to share:

Here are some of things that helped me that everyone should keep in mind if they are looking to make a serious change in their appearance:

Don't put too much emphasis on the scale. Your bathroom scale can lie and unless you have it in the exact same spot and weigh yourself the same time of day you might not see what you want to see. Besides, it's not about numbers it's about how you see yourself in the mirror that matters most.

Take measurements of your body and track lost inches each week. If you are building muscle and replacing fat with muscle the scale might not move but the inches are melting away.

Don't expect things to happen overnight. Most likely it took years to put on what you are trying to take off. Know that if you stick to what you are doing and make a lifestyle change with what you eat and how you exercise you will SEE results.

Stay positive. Don't think of what you are doing as a diet. Be excited about eating healthier foods and reasonable portions. Be creative... search out clean foods to eat that present lower calorie totals. There are tons of ways to eat good tasting foods that are far better for you. You just have to search and find them. If you need help with ideas just ask me.

Hire a personal trainer. Find someone who will push you to do more and encourage you along the way. Make this an appointment that can't be rescheduled. If you can't afford one, find a friend, a group and workout together.

Know it gets easier as time goes on. Start slow and try not to do too much too fast. Set yourself up for success in an exercise routine that pushes you but you know you can do. Keep adding to it and before you know it you will be doing things you never thought you could.

Just Do It! What do you have to lose? If you fall off, get back on. Every stop/start is a new chance to start fresh. Don't get down on yourself and focus on how you failed. Focus on how you are going to succeed the next time!

I asked him how he felt today compared to how he did before he made the commitment to eat healthy and exercise regularly:

Today my joints and muscles feel much better. I no longer ache when I get up like I used to (unless my muscles are recovering from a workout the day or two before). I can do more normal activities without being short of breath or fatigued and I feel bad when I've had more than two days away from the gym. I find that I want to go to the gym now every day. I want to try new cardio exercises that I didn't have the confidence to do before. I want to ride my road bike 20-30 miles each day. I feel better mentally and physically when I have done some type of physical activity and I have more energy than I did before. When I see myself in the mirror or in pictures I still see myself as an overly fat guy who weighs 285 pounds. That still motivates me to keep going.