By Anna Weaver | Hawaii Catholic Herald

Dallas Carter could be on one of those “People” Magazine covers where a newly-fit person stands in an oversized pair of pants he used to fit. Dallas, with his trim 30-inch waist, would be pictured swimming in jeans with a 54-inch circumference next to the screaming headline, “I lost 185 pounds!”

But what makes this 26-year-old’s weight loss story unique is that he relied not only on diet and exercise but also on his faith to help him get into shape.

“As Christians we’re supposed to be stewards,” said Carter, who is a campus minister at St. Joseph School in Waipahu, the young adult coordinator at his home parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City, and a lecturer for the Diocese of Honolulu’s Office of Religious Education.

“We forget that we’re also called to be stewards of ourselves. It was the next step in my faith journey to be a good steward to myself.”

Carter says he had always been a bigger guy and that many of his family members were also on the larger size. He kept active in high school as a lineman for Kamehameha’s football team.

But while at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, where he earned a theology degree and met his future wife Monica, the college lifestyle added to his already large frame.

Dallas and Monica moved back to Hawaii and got married. Dallas worked in youth and young adult ministry and teaching and returned to school for his master’s in pastoral theology at Chaminade University of Honolulu, which he received in 2006.

Meanwhile, his weight continued to creep upwards, and by the time the Carters’ daughter Mariah was born in July 2006, Dallas was 350 pounds.

Carter says when he held Mariah for the first time he remembers having “to do the football side-hold” because of his size. Not being able to hold his daughter close really struck him.

“I didn’t want to leave my wife and daughter on their own,” Carter said of the realization that he could end up with serious health issues or dying from weight-related complications like some members of his family had.

Dallas had tried losing weight before, including crash diets and weight loss pills, but never managed to keep the pounds off.

“That’s where a lot of God’s grace came in,” he said. “I asked God to help me stay committed [to weight loss].”

Over the last two years, Carter has used both a food and an exercise program to lose approximately 185 pounds. He says the key is eating six small, healthy meals throughout the day and working out five to six times a week for an hour at a time. Carter exercises at home using resistance bands and exercise DVDs. He also runs and goes hiking.

“I can do things now I never thought I could do,” he said.

His wife, Monica, lost weight along with him, and Carter has begun coaching others in their weight loss pursuits.

“It’s a ministry to me,” he said. “I really want people to be healthy.”

When his son, Dallas Carter III, was born on Sept. 26, Carter had been maintaining his current weight of 165 pounds for several months. There were no more football-carries when he held his newborn this time.

“My faith challenged me to be who I am,” Carter said. “[The weight loss] has been such a blessing to me.”