I’ve lost 85 pounds over the last 2 years. It’s stayed off because of my slow and steady approach. [Video]

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mark Slaughter. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I’ve lost 85 pounds and don’t think I’ll ever regain that weight.

It has much to do with permanently changing my approach to food and exercise. I ensured I lost weight slowly but surely — often around three pounds a month. I feel great.

I was always pretty slim as a teen and young adult. Basketball was my favorite sport, and I played it every day. I’m 6ft 3in tall. I called myself a “lean, mean machine.”

Then, as I got older and married, I became complacent. I stopped exercising in my early 40s, working nights as a server at an upscale restaurant. My shift was usually from 4 p.m. to midnight. I’d grab a big lunch before work and then snack on tortilla chips and salsa when I got home.

I’d often eat good quality food like steak — a lot of cheeseburgers and …