MARTINSVILLE, N.J. - Emanuel "Tiny" Yarbrough's nickname still doesn't really fit, but he's getting closer.
The Somerset County man is a former sumo wrestling champion and nationally ranked judo competitor who at one point weighed more than 800 pounds. In the last five months, he has lost more than 100 pounds, although not without difficulties.
"It's a day-by-day process. . . . It's a matter of trying to have more good days than bad," said Yarbrough, 43.
In July, the 6-foot-7-inch Yarbrough went to Leah Solomon, a doctor who specializes in treating obesity. Yarbrough weighed about 780 pounds and, after being hospitalized for a week for heart failure this year, knew it was time to lose weight.
The goal was to get down to 550 pounds, improve his health, and compete again in sports.
Solomon recommended a combination of premade shakes and nutrition bars during the day and an evening meal of vegetables, starch and protein. In between, Yarbrough was supposed to drink plenty of water.
Slowly - sometimes too slowly for Yarbrough - the weight has come off, and he's now about 670 pounds. In the process, he has lowered his blood pressure, eased his joint pain, and improved his sleep.
But he has had setbacks, too.
After Yarbrough dropped to around 700, the weight began creeping back as he deviated a bit from his eating plan. After recommitting to the shakes and nutrition bars, Yarbrough hit his lowest weight, about 663 pounds, on Oct. 17.
Many people erroneously believe that Yarbrough packed on the pounds to be more competitive as a sumo wrestler. But at age 14, he weighed about 320 pounds because of a diet of fried foods. He never developed good eating habits and often ate large amounts of fast food.
He has a specially outfitted SUV to accommodate his weight, and he has to make sure that seats at restaurants are strong enough to hold him. When flying to India, he needed two seats.
He has always been interested in sports. At Morgan State University in Baltimore, he was jokingly given the nickname "Tiny" while playing offensive tackle on the football team.
An invitation to the amateur World Sumo Championships in 1992 in Tokyo led to a love affair with the culture and rituals of the traditional Japanese sport, and he captured the world amateur title in 1995.
A return to competitive sports may seem like a long shot, but Yarbrough is trying to incorporate more exercise into his life. He has begun working out with trainer Skip Fuller.
Fuller has Yarbrough on an hour-long workout consisting of walking on a treadmill, lifting weights and stretching.
"I'm sore. I'm going to feel it a lot tomorrow," Yarbrough said after a recent workout. "But right now, I have a spring in my step."