Father Loses More Than 100 lbs To Become Police Officer, Take Care Of His Son

For many people, losing weight can be an incredibly daunting task. While we all know the importance of eating right and exercise, it's hard to stay on track with temptation is everywhere.

However, one man from Atlanta, Georgia has shown hard work and dedication does pay off after he lost more than 100 lbs.

James Cornelius, 28, went through the dramatic weight loss while training to be a police officer, which he was inspired to do by his young son.

"I couldn't really run down the street," Cornelius told CBS 46. "I needed a job to take care of my son and I wanted to become an APD officer."

Cornelius was hired by the Atlanta Police Department last August, but after he failed his first physical, which included "20 military-style push-ups in one minute and 25 sit-ups in one minute," he knew he had to drastically change his lifestyle.

James Cornelius — Atlanta Police Dept/Twitter

Weighing 337 lbs at the time, he realized he had to drop the pounds in order to make it into the police academy, so he got to work.

The father said that while he originally found it difficult to change his lifestyle, he made sure to make gradual changes to meet his goal.

"At first it was more of a walk, walk, walk and then it turned into a steady run," he said of his first exercise routine, adding that he also swapped out his beloved pizza and wings for lean meats and fruits.

Lean meats and fruits — familydoctor.org

His hard work paid off and by December 2017, Cornelius was able to cut down his running time by 10 minutes, and is at a healthy weight of 235 lbs.

"My very first PT test I ran like 22 minutes on my mile and a half and my final one I ran 12 flat, so I shaved almost 10 minutes in a year," he shared.

Fast forward to June of this year, and Cornelius has been sworn in as a member of the force. He's in his final stages of field training and is expected to graduate from the academy this fall.

But, Cornelius isn't the only one who's acknowledged his weight loss. The Atlanta Police Department recently took to Twitter to shine light on his journey.

"APD PROUD: Officer James Cornelius is our #MondayMotivation! He lost 100 pounds while working to become a police officer in the APD Training Academy," the tweet said. "Officer Cornelius was recently sworn in and works in Zone 4 (Southwest Atlanta). #BeforeandAfter #WeightLoss #GrindNowShineLater."

For those looking to shed the pounds as well, Cornelius has offered one piece of simple advice: "Find your why, stick with it and grind it out."

For more incredible stories, take a peek at these inspiring people and their weight loss journeys:

[H/T: Fox News]