Bruce and his wife, Myra, were walking down to their mailbox recently when a sudden fit came over him. Looking back over the drive that leads from the road to their farmhouse in rural Scipio, Ind., Bruce took measure of the half-mile pathway featuring a good-sized hill.

He turned his gaze to Myra, a twinkle alighting in his eye. “You know what?” he said, “I’m going to run to the top.”

And he did.

Bruce, age 57, was breathing hard when he reached the house. But he ran the entire distance without letting up. At a trim 180 pounds, it’s something he could never have dreamed of doing not so very long ago.

A 39-year employee at Cummins, Bruce graduated high school with a 30-inch waistline, never worrying about what he ate or how much he exercised. But as the years went by and he became busy with his job, working the family farm, marriage and children, he found himself gradually adding pounds to his 5’8″ frame.

By age 45, he had serious problems with his sugar levels. He began taking medication for diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol. At one point his weight reached 319 pounds, and his doctor was talking to him about knee replacement surgery.

Bruce found just bending over to tie his shoes a chore. He couldn’t play with his children and grandchildren as much as he wanted to. He grew tired at work. An avid deer hunter, he found it challenging to hike to prime spots, and climbing up into a tree stand was nearly impossible. Even getting up and down from a tractor proved daunting.

He tried various diets and regimens, but nothing worked. At one point he and several friends made a pact to all go on a low-carb diet together.

“They would lose weight, and I would stay steady,” he said.

Because his employer-provided health insurance included coverage of bariatric surgery, Bruce had seen some of his co-workers undergo the procedure and quickly shed weight. Still he hesitated.

Finally, two years ago he was celebrating the birth of his grandson, and enjoying the company of his 5-year-old granddaughter. It occurred to him: “If I didn’t lose a bunch of this weight, I’m not going to be around to see them get married.”

Myra was extremely supportive. “She said, ‘If this is what you want to do, then I’m behind you 110 percent.'”

Bruce looked around at other centers doing bariatric, but after attending an information session, talking with staff and friends, he quickly chose the Weight Loss Institute of Columbus Regional Health.

“Columbus Bariatrics was just light years ahead of everybody else,” Bruce said. He underwent the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in December 2011. Results were immediate.

His sugar level quickly stabilized. Within six weeks he was off all of his medication, which had been costing him nearly $6,000 a year. By April 2012 he was down to 250 pounds. His orthopedic surgeon performed a scope on his bad knee, repaired some damage — and told him joint replacement was no longer necessary.

Today he’s 126 pounds lower than his pre-surgery weight, and people tell him all the time how good he looks. He’s reached a comfortable goal weight, and takes steps to maintain it vigorously.

And fetching the mail is a lot quicker.