Like most middle-aged folk, the "fluff" crept up slowly and stealthily on Pete and Annette Tokarczyk.

Married in 1981, they were a trim young couple who practiced fitness without thinking about it.

"When we were first married, we rode our bikes everywhere," said Pete, now 45.

But soon after tying the knot, the Tokarczyks got tied down with family responsibilities. Their daughter, Candice, was born in 1982 and their son, Zachary, came along three years later.

Early on, when Pete Tokarczyk was a fitness coordinator for the Navy and stationed in Guam, they had no choice but to eat healthy foods.

"We were on a tiny little island," explained 44-year-old Annette Tokarczyk. "There were no dairy products -- just powdered milk that you had to mix with coconut milk."

"When we got back to the states, the taste of ice cream was overpowering," Pete Tokarczyk added. "That's when we started putting on the weight and it never stopped."

The couple, originally from New York, lived in the northern states and rarely exercised.

"Once we got back to the colder climates, we didn't move as much," Annette Tokarczyk acknowledged. "We stayed indoors."

It took 20 years, but Pete Tokarczyk blossomed from 150 pounds to 249½. He cringed at the thought of carrying 250 pounds on his 5-feet-8½-inch frame.

"I did not want to get to 250," he said. "I was the largest I had ever been."

At 5-feet-6, Annette Tokarczyk was equally mortified when she found herself tipping the scales at 225.

Like many couples, the Tokarczyks had filled their days with work and shuttling children to various activities. When the kids didn't clean their plates, their parents did it for them.

After all, they grew up believing that waste was wrong.

But the children grew up, graduated from high school and left home. And the Tokarczyks were left with nothing but waist.

Getting control

A book eventually changed Pete Tokarczyk's life.

Although he first read Bill Phillips' "Body for LIFE" six years ago, it didn't take hold right away.

"Having that new knowledge did nothing for me," he explained. "I know you have heard it said that 'knowledge is power' but I have to differ. Knowledge is potential power. Placing our knowledge into action is required for true change to happen."

Phillips, the man Health magazine calls a "bodybuilder and motivational guru," has written several books on diet and exercise.

The catalyst, "Body for LIFE: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength," was first published more than a decade ago. The intense exercise and nutritional program immediately attracted followers and the book held a spot on the New York Times' best seller list for four years.

As the founder and owner of a dietary supplement company called Experimental and Applied Sciences, Phillips certainly promoted his products in his book. He also promoted exercise and a healthy diet consisting of six small meals a day, designed to regulate insulin levels.

But -- most importantly to Pete Tokarczyk --he promoted a philosophy that offered a lifelong solution and not just a quick fix.

"It took me five years to develop the nerve to commit to change," Pete Tokarczyk said. "Had I not come to a point in my life to want personal change, I know I would end up with a life that I deserved and did not desire. I had to want it. Truly want it."

What is "it?"

Pete Tokarczyk points to one word.

"Health. A wise friend of mine taught me that health is the most important thing on this earth."

The mental transformation, he noted, was a prerequisite to a physical transformation. The first thing he had to do was change his thinking about pain.

For years, Pete Tokarczyk experienced pain caused by a degenerative disc in his neck. Rather than find ways to strengthen his neck and work through the pain, he had used it as an excuse not to exercise.

"This last year, I decided I needed to commit to this lifestyle," he explained. "The biggest thing is I had to want it. I found out it took a total commitment."

That commitment means six days in the gym each week. It means lots of water and eight full hours of sleep.

It means setting aside regular intervals for eating and eating the things we all know to be healthy -- lean meats, vegetables, fruits and nutritional carbohydrates.

The payoff?

Pete Tokarczyk completed his first Body for LIFE challenge on Sept. 21 after losing 27 pounds of body fat and putting on 10 pounds of muscle. He was in the running for a $1 million cash prize offered by EAS but didn't get a spot among the six finalists.

The Body for LIFE challenge started 11 years ago when Phillips invited his followers to compete for his fiery red Lamborghini. Since then, Phillips sold his company to Abbott Laboratories and the stakes grew with the new ownership.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I enter these challenges for the money," Pete Tokarczyk said. "I'd love to win. And I believe I can. I know I can get down to 160, no problem. It's not going to happen in 12 weeks."

The challenges are open to anyone who follows the Body for LIFE regimen for 12 weeks. Those who enter submit "before" and "after" photos, as well as an essay on their life-changing experience.

The 2005 challenge drew a pool of 2,500 entrants. One of the six finalists will be named grand champion later this month.

Annette Tokarczyk plans to enter the 2006 challenge along with her husband.

"When he started, I wasn't ready to do it yet," she said, noting that her husband's enthusiasm has rubbed off on her.

For Pete Tokarczyk, seeing others commit to a healthier lifestyle is reward in itself.

"Some of us are challenged just to get off the couch," he said. "Each of us has our own challenge."

Early to rise

The Tokarczyks get up at 4 a.m.

They leave their rental home in Snowville, head for Christiansburg's Blue Ridge Fitness Center and get in an hour's workout before clocking in at Radford University, where Pete Tokarczyk's a computer technician in McConnell Library and his wife's an administrative assistant in the university's Teaching Resource Center.

They often meet for a quick cardio in Peters Hall and share a lunch they prepare ahead of time. Baked chicken, tuna fish, sweet potatoes, brown rice and various vegetables are measured in portions and packed in small canning jars for easy preparation.

"This came about because of time," Pete Tokarczyk explained. "Just grabbing those portions simplifies life."

The couple carries water in gallon jugs.

"I drink it religiously," Annette Tokarczyk said. Because she is battling high blood pressure, she said she has adopted her husband's approach.

"I know through diet and exercise my blood pressure will come down without medicine."

She has already gotten her weight down from 225 to 213 and has another goal she secretly longs to achieve.

"My goal is to have a nice red dress," she confided. "I've never had a red dress. I want to look sexy in a red dress."

Since her children are on their own, "empty nest syndrome" has become "endless possibility syndrome" for Annette.

"It's like, 'Alright! I get to live!" she said.

Going for the goal

The Tokarczyks have set a goal for themselves to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. While the adventure is still a couple of years out, they're preparing for it.

"One little step at a time," Pete Tokarczyk said. "We're going to start doing overnights."

At the gym, they see others their age and older who are seeking fitness as a way to improve their lives.

For the Tokarczyks, that's inspirational.

"We don't take any medication of any kind," said 72-year-old Jeff Williams, who was at Blue Ridge Fitness for a 5 a.m. workout recently with his 67-year-old wife, Hazel.

"We try to go every day -- at least five days a week. I have arthritis. It's the best thing in the world for arthritis."

Williams, who still teaches technical education at Eastern Montgomery High School, said his wife makes sure he eats right, too.

"We eat very little meat -- vegetables, fruits, anything else that she can stuff down me."

"I've done it all my life," Hazel Williams said of exercising and watching her diet. "I just enjoy doing it. It makes you feel better and, hopefully, it'll help us live longer."

Janet Rankin, a professor of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech, said most of what Body for LIFE touts is a "no-brainer."

Rankin said the exercise program is in line with that recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine and the diet mimics that of the American Heart Association. Where she does have concerns is with nutritional supplements that books such as "Body for LIFE" endorse.

"Most people who are improving their diet don't need supplements and some of them can be dangerous," she warned, explaining that dieters should be monitored by a doctor or qualified nutritionist.

Rankin also questions the Body for LIFE program's premise that those who adhere strictly to the regimen for six days can spend the seventh day eating anything they want.

"To say eat anything you want is a little bit scary," she noted.

The Tokarczyks -- who are trying to rid their diet of all processed foods -- said their cravings for sodas, pizzas, sweets and junk foods have disappeared.

Even on their "free" day, they rarely binge.

They did, however, take a diet break over the holidays. While visiting family, they sampled the candies, cakes and cookies they were offered, as well as the fat-laden feasts that were spread out.

"I have felt bad," Annette Tokarczyk said. "I couldn't wait to get back to it."

"This is a lifelong commitment," her husband added. "We're working towards that final health goal."

"Yeah," she agreed. "If I don't change, there is an electric cart at Wal-Mart with my name on it."

Want to enter a Body for LIFE challenge?

Go to bodyforlife.com.

There are also many Body for LIFE clubs that meet regularly to socialize and offer support with diet and exercise. Although Virginia does not have a club, organizations in Tennessee and North Carolina have some Virginia members. Clubs are listed on the Web site.

Pete and Annette Tokarczyk may be reached at CancerFreeLife@earthlink.net.

What is Body for LIFE?

It’s exercise. Train with weights for 45 minutes three days a week, then alternate with aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes three days a week.

It’s diet. Eat six small meals each day, drawing from a list of healthy foods like lean meat, poultry and fish, vegetables, fruits and carbohydrates. It’s recommended that each meal consists of a fist-sized portion of protein and a fist-sized portion of healthy carbohydrates. Daily intakes of 40 to 50 percent protein, 40 to 50 percent carbs and very little fat are the key.

It’s water. Ten glasses each day, plus an extra glass to counter any drinks you consume that contain caffeine.

It’s rest. Eight full hours of sleep are required each day.

It’s a splurge. On the seventh day, you’re free to eat anything you want and take a day off from the rigorous workout. Those following the program don’t recommend gorging on a dozen Krispy Kremes, though -- unless you like feeling awful.