“Former fat guy,” Ray Binkowski shared his story of dropping five pants sizes at his Eat by Color seminar Thursday.

The seminar was held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. 2nd Street. Binkowski, also the owner of FitWorkz, 1690 Sycamore Rd, said he wanted to help people with weight loss through his seminar.

“When I was overweight, I would have killed for one book that had everything I needed to lose weight,” Binkowski said.

Now, Binkowski weighs 175 pounds, originally 232 pounds.

“My pants went from baggy, to loose, to even bigger,” Binkowski said.

During his seminar, Binkowski discussed aspects of obesity in America and how many do not do anything about their health.

“I find it interesting, amusing, and a little upsetting that people wouldn’t give their car half of what it needs, and yet many don’t put forth the effort to maintain a healthy body,” Binkowski said.

Binkowski’s seminar also explained some of the reasons why most people fail during weight loss and related them to his personal life prior to getting fit.

“I didn’t know where to begin,” Binkowski said. “I was overwhelmed and frustrated. I thought exercising was enough and I did have the dieter’s mentality: if I do it now, then I’m done. I didn’t have a goal and I didn’t have a plan.”

Binkowski said people get stuck in a “yo-yo diet,” where the dieter goes back and forth between losing and gaining weight.

“They go on, lose weight, then go off and gain the weight back, plus an extra five pounds,” Binkowski said.

He also said people’s plans for weight loss must be a lifelong, long-term plan, not short-term and quick.

Binkowski also shared stories of exercising in the gym. Once at a gym, he said he attempted to work out at a new leg machine.

To show the audience how to maintain a healthier lifestyle, Binkowski introduced his new book, “Eat by Color,” which Binkowski began writing eight years ago. Binkowski published “Eat by Color” in December 2011 and so far has sold more than 200 copies.

During Binkowski’s presentation, he shared a few chapters and tips on how to choose what foods to eat based on their color.

“I color-coded the food groups,” Binkowski said. “Blue is the protein, red is carbohydrates and starches, the healthy fats are purple and black is the free foods.”

The free foods include spices and seasonings, foods that do not affect weight loss.

Binkowski said although there are foods people should not overeat, there is no reason not to eat them at all.

“If you really want something, have it,” Binkowski said. “That being said, there’s a pretty good list of what you should cut back on. But don’t miss out on celebrating a special occasion.”

Binkowski said rather than having fruit juice, just eat the fruit.

“It’s just liquid sugar,” Binkowski said. “If we know we wouldn’t let a kid eat four spoons of sugar, why would you drink fruit juice? The same thing for V8.”

“Eat By Color” also provides readers with sample grocery lists, sample meals, and portable snack ideas for people who travel a lot.

After the seminar, Michelle Bauwens from DeKalb said she needed to begin thinking about her health.

“I’ve been heavy all my life and I need to start thinking about the longevity of my life,” Bauwens said.

Bauwens bought two copies of Binkowski’s book, one for herself and the other for her friend.

“She’s a trainer and she’s going to help me [lose weight],” Bauwens said. “If I stick to it and stay focused, I know I can do it. There’s no reason I can’t.”

Sycamore resident Dawn Wexell brought her husband Gary to the seminar. Wexell said she learned about organizing her eating plans.

“It’s the eating side we want to get control of,” Wexell said. “I learned to think ahead rather than just getting hungry and eating the closest thing available.”

Although Gary said he was not trying to lose weight, he still supported his wife and her effort.

“We’ve cut down on our foods and try to eat healthy,” Gary said. “We still eat three times a day, but maybe we should eat more times. So, when we do eat, we don’t gorge ourselves.”

Alex Nerad, The Egyptian Theatre executive director, also said he found Binkowski’s seminar informative.

“Ray certainly has the experience and knows what he’s talking about,” Nerad said. “I think it’s great that we’re able to host a variety of programs, especially events that help the community.”

“Eat By Color” is available on Amazon and electronically at Barnes and Noble. People can also find a preview of the book on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/EatbyColor.