After a lifetime of obesity, a Norfolk man lost more than 150 pounds without having surgery.

Roman Grandy is a Norfolk Department of Public Works employee who used to weigh more than 400 pounds.

When one collects refuse, whether its leaves, tree limbs or trash, one is constantly on the move, and that’s precisely what Grandy loves about his job.

“Staying active keeps me active, because of the obesity I experienced before, and I know inactivity will keep that weight back on me,” he said.

Three years ago, you might not had recognized Grandy when he weighed over 400 pounds.

“I topped the scales the last time, was 415 pounds,” he said. “Them pictures, if I’m smiling, it was really not a smile because I was so unhappy inside.”

After a lifetime of embarrassment and unhappiness, not to mention being picked on as a kid, it took the death of a friend to snap him out of his weight gain.

"I think that was the turning point when my friend literally died from eating himself to death."

That turning point led Grandy to lose 150 pounds, and he currently weight 257 pounds, and a lot of that is muscle.

What's his magic formula for weight loss?

"I started out walking at 400 pounds. I would walk. I had to break the barriers. I had to break the barriers of not walking by worried about what people would say, ‘Look at him,’ because people can be cruel. I had to block all that out."

Staying moving on and off the job and eating well is Grandy’s secret formula for taking off and keeping off more than 150 pounds.

Grandy became a personal trainer and now helps others who want to battle the bulge.