( CNN ) -- `` Gosh , I wan na be that guy again , '' Jeff Baxter would think when he remembered how it felt to be in shape . The 66-year-old teacher was n't exactly accustomed to the extra pounds he was carrying around . He had been a marathoner before what he calls `` bad teacher habits '' crept into his life . As a high school teacher in Kansas City , Kansas , he often skipped breakfast and lunch because of his schedule . Then he would consume between 5,000 and 6,000 calories after 6 p.m. each night . `` I would come home ravenous , '' he said . `` I could eat a large can of peanuts and whole bag of licorice in one fell swoop . '' He began to gain weight in his 40s , and the pounds piled on for the next 15 years . By the age of 62 , Baxter was at his heaviest weight of 465 pounds . At 6-foot-4 , his body mass index was 56.6 . ( Anything over 30 is considered obese . ) `` I had a 25-inch neck , a 66-inch waist , '' he told CNN affiliate WIBW . `` I could n't shop at normal stores . '' The breaking point . While visiting his daughter and new grandson in North Carolina during the summer of 2010 , Baxter experienced a wake-up call . His family was walking up a small hill on the way to a community pool . Baxter took one look at the incline and knew he could n't make it . He watched his family disappear into the distance . `` I did n't cry , but I had tears in my eyes , '' he admits . That 's when he decided , `` This is not going to be my life with my grandchildren . '' Baxter knew he needed to make a serious change , but after several previous failed attempts at dieting he needed a lasting solution . So Baxter and his wife , Connie , began looking into weight-loss options . After a few months and several consultations , they decided on gastric sleeve surgery -- a restrictive operation that makes the stomach smaller . Baxter was hesitant . He feared he would only gain the weight back . But his daughter encouraged him to see the surgery as a tool , rather than an overnight solution . He had the procedure in January 2011 . For two weeks before and after his surgery , he was on a clear liquid diet , which he says washed bad food cravings out of his system . Then he slowly began adding healthy foods into his diet . He added one new food per day , adhering to a schedule from his dietitian . Today , he typically eats oatmeal for breakfast , a turkey wrap for lunch and lean meats with vegetables for dinner . Combining smarter eating habits with regular exercise , Baxter lost 70 pounds in the first six months after his surgery . He walked every other day at first , and now he alternates between walking and running . `` When my children saw me for the first time , their jaws dropped , '' Baxter said . Teacher of the Year . The shock was even greater when he returned to school the following semester . `` My students were wowed , '' he said . Many of his students even joined him during his Sunday afternoon walks . `` We became each other 's cheerleaders . '' The support he received from his class and family perpetuated his momentum . By the spring of 2013 , Baxter had lost an awe-inspiring 270 pounds . These days , he 's proud to say he weighs around 180 pounds . `` I wake up in the morning and I think to myself , 'There is no way I am going to fit in those pants , ' '' he says . Yet he takes the more pride in the energy he 's gained than in the way he looks . `` It has resurrected my teaching career , '' he said . `` He 's always been a great teacher , '' his wife , Connie , agrees . `` I just think he has more energy to do more with his talent . '' Just three years after he was strongly considering retiring , Baxter 's newfound zest for both life and teaching made him the 2014 Kansas Teacher of the Year . Now retirement is n't in his plans at all . `` I have a surge of joy for what I 'm doing , '' he says . `` I 'm up every day at 4:30 a.m . ''
High school teacher Mike Baxter was 250 pounds at his heaviest . He underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost more than 270 pounds . Baxter 's newfound energy helped him win Texas ' Teacher of the Year in 2014 .