Man takes death warning seriously, drops 376 lbs.

ATLANTIC CITY - November 15, 2011 (WPVI) -- This is a story where a significant loss amounted to a truly tremendous gain, where the threat of death inspired the greatest quest for life, and where one doctor at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City admits it might be the first time he saved a man's life with words.

"Hello Mr. Slack, what would you like on your obituary?"

That was the question an emergency room doctor had for the morbidly obese Adam Slack three years and 376 pounds ago

"My blood pressure was through the roof, I found out I had type 2 diabetes," Adam said.

This security guard was 585 pounds, wore a size 68 pants, and could barely squeeze into a 6XL.

But it took Dr. Irineo Bustamante's blunt bedside manner to let the happily married father of four know it was time to live.

"Thank you for waking me up," Adam told Dr. Bustamante.

With no bypass, no band, no powders, no pills, Slack slimmed down to a size 34 and a svelte 209 pounds.

"I went from taking in about 8,000 to 9,000 calories in a day to cutting it to 1,200. I mean, it was drastic," Adam said.

And he started moving.

Within 6 months he dropped his first 100 pounds.

"When I saw the weight coming off I just became addicted to the energy," Adam said.

Jake now coaches his son's baseball team.

There's one post-game victory party Collin remembers most.

"I broke down in tears, not because I won the game, but because I could finally get my arms around him," Collin said.

Adam says his German Shephard Thunder was a man's best workout buddy.

He started walking him back when he started his quest at close to 600 pounds, winded after just one block.

That turned into two, then four, and finally the whole neighborhood.

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new jersey, atlantic city, diet, exercise, weight loss, local/state, alicia vitarelli

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