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PLATTSBURGH — Anyone who has tried to navigate through the Broad Street congestion at 8 a.m. or 3 p.m. has to appreciate the effort Maurice Daniels puts into his job every day.
He maintains a sense of structure during the busy rush hours at Stafford Middle School as the well-known and popular crossing guard at the intersection of Broad and Oak streets.
Daniels's efforts have become a lot easier for him over the past few months, however. In early March, the former soldier, who retired in Plattsburgh from the military two decades ago, weighed 402 pounds and was having significant health problems because of his obesity.
"I was in the hospital for a couple of days before I decided I had to lose some weight," he said during a lull at his crossing-guard station recently. "I was anemic and needed a blood transfusion. They (his health-care providers) said I should have kicked it then and there.
"That scared me to death. I told myself, once I get the OK from my doctor, I'm going to start a diet and exercise routine."
That near brush with mortality helped Daniels set his sights on a bright new future. He began a program of his own design, exercising 15 minutes a day and writing down everything he ate in his food-and-workout journal.
"I call it my war journal," he said of the collection of dates that shows precisely what he ate and how he worked out each day. "When you want peace, you prepare for war."
The battle was not always easy.
"By (that first) Friday, I was ready to quit," he said. "It was so hard, I said to myself, 'Hey, I can't do this.' That Saturday was a bad food day."
But on the first Sunday after he began his diet regimen, he awoke with new determination and started in again with his life-changing schedule.
On his first weigh-in, he had actually gained two pounds, but he was now more determined than ever and upped his exercise to 20 minutes while sticking closely to a strict reduction in calories.
He lost 12 pounds for his second weigh-in.
"That helped me stay the course," he said of that second week's success. "I dropped another 15 pounds next weigh-in, and that helped further motivate me."
Fried foods and beer were his main weaknesses over the years as he ballooned from a lean and fit soldier to a severely out-of-shape middle-aged man. But his determination was so strong that he stayed with his routine and religiously recorded everything in his war book.
Now, Daniels eats three square meals a day and has two snacks, typically choosing air-popped popcorn or fat-free yogurt over the sweets he used to devour. That, coupled with 45 minutes or more of exercise each day, has helped him lose nearly 200 pounds, as he now weighs in at 219.
"Today (Oct. 28) is my birthday," he said. "My goal was to be at 220 by my birthday, and I beat it by one pound."
Overall, he plans on weighing in at 180 pounds when everything is said and done.
But for now, he truly appreciates what he has accomplished.
"Everyone tells me how great I look," he said. "My oldest daughter (Samantha) says to me, 'Papa, you're doing so good.'"
His family and friends are all supporting his efforts, and his wife, Tammy, is happy that he has had so much success so far.
"She wants to see me get there," he said. "But she's seen me lose weight before and just fall off again. This time, I'm going to stay with it. I am confident this time."
Daniels has been a crossing guard for the City School District for eight years, the last five at the Middle School. He said he treats each kid he helps cross the road like his own, and they have always been appreciative of his efforts.
It's just there's a lot less of him to appreciate these days, and that's a plus for his health.
E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
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