It's Time Texas - HEB Slim Down Showdown - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

What if you could turn your life around and get $10,000 for doing it?

HEB is helping 25 people across the Lone Star State battle it out in their Slim Down Showdown.

As part of our continuing series on healthy living called 'It's Time Texas,' we follow Donnis Hamilton as he tries to slim down from 460 pounds.

In the massive grocery stores where most of us shop, navigating the aisles for healthy food can be tough.

That's why Donnis says he always bought the same things and quickly got bored.

"I pretty much ate at fast food restaurants almost every day," Hamilton said.

But at 460 pounds this teacher is ready to turn his life around, for his class and his four-year-old son at home.

"I didn't want him to grow up with a physically sedentary dad who sits around and can't really engage with his son," Donnis said.

So he entered the HEB slim down show down, as one of 25 Texans determined to shape up. After boot camp a dietician took him through his Killeen store.

She filled his basket with produce and re-taught him how to shop.

He's got four months to slim down. His final goal is to lose 200 pounds.

While it may take longer to hit 250, he already sees the program working.

"I think it will transform my life and lead me to be more physically active, and to be able to do things with my family that I've never been able to do before," Hamilton said.

He wants to inspire others to follow in his footsteps, even as they get smaller.

To follow Donnis along the way, visit his blog here.

Reporter: Rebecca Schleicher/Photographer: Rudy Villarreal

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