Chance meeting with restaurant chef turns FOX 2 director's life around

(WJBK) - Behind the scenes of television news sits a director, the person calling the technical shots. Alex Kimbrough has been at the helm with confidence at FOX 2 for 30 years.

But in his personal life, there's something he can't control.

"I have been overweight my entire life," he says.

Alex and his wife, Roz, have been married for 22 years, each struggling with weight and health so much so that their 14-year-old son, Brandon, has deep concerns.

"I think about my son because he's actually said that he's worried about his parents dying," Alex says.

Roz is a breast cancer survivor, and after numerous treatments and surgeries she's excited to finally live a healthy life. Alex is ready to feel better.

"I am 53 years old, and as a result of being overweight my whole life, I've developed more health issues. I have high blood pressure; I have high cholesterol; I have sleep apnea; I don't get enough rest," he admits.

"Now that my health is a concern, what does that mean? What should I give up? How did I get cancer? So, all of these things going through my mind," says Roz. 

But recently, life has changed for the Kimbroughs - and it was a chance meeting with a chef and restaurant owner who turned things around. He made the Kimbroughs an offer to cook their family meals.

Two years later, Alex finally agreed to let the chef provide the family meals for one month.

"I've tried other things and I really wasn't feeling good physically, so when this man says, 'I can guarantee you can lose weight in a month,' I said, you know what, fine," Alex says. 

Calvin Washington owns Cheers family diner in Shelby Township, but beyond that, this chef has a side passion for helping people understand how to eat the right foods to feel better.

"I started with myself first; I lost 100 lbs. by being vegan. That's an extreme, but I noticed that when you change food, change diet, your body will naturally lose weight," Calvin says.

Calvin asked the Kimbroughs to eat his cooking for one month to convince them he could make a difference. He prepared meals by baking or steaming, while avoiding fat, sugar and salt. Once a week food is picked up or delivered and after one week, Alex was stunned.

"I couldn't believe it. I lost 10 pounds in a week," he says.

"I was in the 200s and I've been dying to get out of the 200s for a long, long time, and I did it with Calvin's food," admits Roz.

Portion control is a big part of Calvin's philosophy. He preaches One Cup: one cup of veggies, one cup of starch and one cup of protein.

It's simple recipies and avoiding processed foods, but both admit, there are still challenges..

"The hardest part was beverage. I could only have water and black coffee," admits Alex.

Roz says watching her son eat what he loves, like cookies or fast food, can be challenging, too.

But they know for longterm good health, they need to make a change.

"A coworker said to me - who's also had his health struggles - he said, 'Alex, how many people do you know who are in their 70s who are our size?' And, the reality is, I don't know of anyone," he says.

You can watch Alex's story and hear more from him in the video player above, then continue watching to learn more about healthy eating from Chef Calvin.