Five years ago, you would have seen Delany Dunn Bramley at a local burger joint, a bacon cheeseburger in his hands and a big grin on his face.
Today, he's a pescatarian, a person who eats fish but not meat, and he gets great joy from creating vegetarian meals, the main components of which are millet, lentils and spinach.
What's changed?
Delaney Dunn Bramley is now a dad.
"They are the motivation now," said Bramley, speaking of his twin two-year-old daughters Mykenzie and Rylee.
A big guy by most standards, Bramley is 6'4" and 260 lb. but the director of media relations, communications and marketing for Surrey Memorial Hospital wants to get down to a trim 200 and remake his family's lifestyle into one more suitable for an active west coast life style.
To help him progress, Bramley became a contestant in the Kin's Green Challenge, a 13-week health and fitness make-over (see sidebar). The challenge, said Bramley, couldn't come at a better time. With the weather changing for the better, he and his wife Lisa Marie and their twins are getting outdoors more and are focusing on lifestyle.
Last weekend, they took advantage of the balmy weather to go on three bike rides, a long walk and three Easter egg hunts.
"There were so many fun things to do," Bramley commented, "The girls just love it."
DARKER STORY
But behind the scenes lies a darker story. Five years ago, Bramley lost his mother to an early death due to health complications related to her weight. She was just 59 years old and Bramley was 32 at the time realized he needed to make some changes. Growing up, food was a sign of love and it wasn't long before the linebacker-sized young man had put on more pounds than even his tall frame could support - he was 400 lb. and destined to follow his mom unless he made some changes.
"I had been up and down on diets of all sorts through the years but this was not a diet I needed, this was about a lifestyle change."
The irony was, as a sports broadcaster and later in the front office working for the Vancouver Canadians, Bramley was working with fit athletes all the time. Still, it took the shock of his mom's death to push him to the point where he had to take some serious steps.
With his wife's support, Bramley changed his eating habits and lost 150 lb. They gave up meat, he said, because Lisa Marie wanted to try the so-called "kind" diet that avoids food products that could be harmful to animals.
When he started the Kin's Challenge, he was at a comfortable 262 lb. but much of his extra weight was centred around his belly, a dangerous condition that could to heart disease and other health issues. Tied to the schedules of their twin girls, the couple had put some of their own health needs on hold but with the Kin's Challenge, the Bramleys are back on track.
FEELING BETTER
Now, a month in, he is already feeling the difference from more regular exercise.
"It's a refocus, I'm probably getting back to being a little healthier than I was two and a half years ago." And extra challenges that come with the joint Kin's Farm Market and Black Press promotion are helping him stick to his regime.
Each week, contestants have to participate in a challenge, and the winner gets free gifts. Already, Bramley has created a "green meal" - a tasty menu of millet, lentils and spinach with an avocado dressing topper - is working to support the BC Cancer Society and participated in an April Fools day spoof. (He put $20 between some apples and told people he found the cash and asked what they thought he should do with it. He got some funny responses.)
"The challenges have been interesting," Bramley said, but the big challenge will come at the end when contestants undergo a barrage of health tests to determine whether changes in their eating and exercise habits have made a difference to their overall health.
"At the end of this rainbow, it's not just the amount of weight you lose," said Bramley, noting the goal is to be fitter and to commit to living a healthier lifestyle - not just to win a contest.
With the backing of three very important people in his life, Bramley says he is up to the challenge.
