"We find ourselves exercising with the tape once and then putting it back and never see it again. We've tried different diets and nothing's worked," he said.

Costigan, of Jerome, Somerset County, said his 8-year-old daughter was diagnosed with high cholesterol. Brad, who topped the scales at 290, said he knew his wife and youngest daughter were at risk too.

It was at that point the Costigan family took the step forward to make major lifestyle changes and get healthy again.

With the guidance of experts from Somerset's Precision Fitness, Brad logged in hours, sweating off inches and pounds and learning how to make better lifestyle choices along the way -- all new habits he shared with this family.

As of June, his wife Lisa said has lost 15 pounds, their daughter's cholesterol is in check and Brad himself is down more than 30 pounds and lost 8 inches off his waist. What's more is he did it while under the immense stress of being unemployed.

With mounting bills, Brad said he had no choice to cut back his time at the gym. But he was determined to keep up his new routine.

"You stay focused at home. You're eating right, you watch what you eat and the yard work helps and going for simple little walks. I wasn't doing before. It's helping me still go in the right direction," he said.

His personal trainer, George Grove, said everyone suffered setbacks. But people who stop working out and eating right altogether will quickly put weight back on.

"Knowing that he hasn't been (at the gym) and what he's going through, he was scared to come here (and) I was scared," Grove said. "So when he walked in the door, I was like, 'Oh, Brad, you look phenomenal.' And when he stepped on the scale I was like, 'WOW!' You know, he's learned."

Brad said his goal is to find a job and reach his ideal weight of 210. As of now, he is 245 pounds.

"I think I can make it there. It might take a while," he said, adding that he wants to keep his family on track too.

"Before this process we probably wouldn't have done it, but it opened up our eyes to, 'Let's be more active, let's get outside, let's break the walls down and get out of the house and be more active.' It was hard, but it's definitely worth it," he said.

Grove said Brad is a primary example of how losing weight and getting fit can be accomplished, no matter what the circumstances.

"The one thing that hits my mind is the back of his shorts: 'Refuse To Lose,'" Grove said.