Chris Hayes and his wife Michelle watched a documentary online nearly two years ago called "Fathead." And while hard to describe, they said something just clicked after watching the 104-minute film.

"People call it different things, but you wake up and have one of those 'eureka moments,'" Chris Hayes said. "You see something you identify with, and something just made us want to do this."

"Fathead" was a rebuttal to the highly popular "Super Size Me," in which a man ate at McDonald's three times a day for 30 days, gained 24 pounds and looked horrible.

In "Fathead," Tom Naughton went on an all-fast-food diet for a month, but kept it at 100 grams of carbohydrates a day. The result? A loss of 12 pounds and lower cholesterol.

Let me tell you, that ain't nothing.

Approaching the two-year anniversary of their low-carb diets, Chris Hayes, the IT director at the Amarillo Globe-News, and his wife have combined to lose the equivalent of an NFL linebacker.

They have lost 232 pounds - 137 pounds for Chris and 95 for Michelle.

"It just jolted us into wanting to make some serious lifestyle changes," said Michelle, "and it started from that day."

Chris, 49, works in the other of two buildings at the Globe-News, so he doesn't come to the newsroom that often. When I saw him many months ago after he started a low-carb diet, it was a double-take.

But I thought he might be seriously sick.

He barely looked like the same burly 322-pound guy we all knew.

I didn't want to be flippant with a compliment or make a joke in case he had an unknown cancer diagnosis.

"A couple have asked if I was sick," Chris said.

Oh, anything but.

Now at 185 pounds, Chris has more energy, no acid indigestion, had one brief sickness the last two years, sleeps much better and his shoulders quit aching.

Michelle is off her blood pressure medication, and her self-esteem is much better.

"It's been a lifetime struggle for me. It's just nice to be able to be normal, and not be thought of as heavy and certainly morbidly obese," Michelle said. "There's a spring in my step."

None of this was accomplished by bariatric surgery or expensive buy-their-food patented diets. It focused on low-carb diets, which they cobbled together by searching online for recommended food choices and portions.

No bread, sugar or potatoes. Lots of whole foods, whole vegetables, grilled and smoked meats. And just a lot of iron will to stay the course.

"The most important thing, especially for large weight loss, is you've got to find something and stick with it," Chris said. "It's just the two of us. We only keep in the house the foods we eat, so we're not tempted by stuff we can't have."

Michelle, 46, has a self-

proclaimed sweet tooth, but has found some low-carb substitutes.

Chris would dig into a deep-dish pizza if he could.

But it's not like they're depriving themselves. They've been known to go to Blue Sky and eat through a protein dinner of chicken breasts or hamburger without the buns.

Chris' meals on Tuesday: Eggs, bacon and cheese for breakfast; turkey breast, cheese, green beans and avocado for lunch, and grilled pulled pork, broccoli and avocado for supper.

"The big thing for us is it didn't seem like a diet," Chris said.

Chris lost eight pounds in the first week and 50 pounds in six months. He hit 100 pounds at the one-year anniversary last May. It's all on a spreadsheet.

It has been expensive in one area - clothes. Chris has lost 12 inches off his waist, from size 44 jeans to a 32. His shirts went from 3XL to a medium or large, depending on the brand.

"I've been through so many sizes. Holy cow, pants start to fall down and I have to buy some more," he said. "Before you know it, I've bought another pair. I've spent more on clothes in the last two years than in the previous eight."

Chris and Michelle are just the couple next door. They aren't on "The Biggest Loser" and don't have a personal trainer. Just a low-carb diet and the willpower to stay on it a day at a time.

No doubt both being on the diet has helped. One's not eating fries in front of the other. There was motivation to work together, even competition.

"We've both said we don't know if we could do it without the other," Michelle said. "It's so much harder if the spouse is not doing it with you."

And in two more years, they may well just disappear.

Jon Mark Beilue is an AGN Media columnist. He can be reached at jon.beilue@amarillo.com or 806-345-3318.