John Drury is a 6-foot-7 truck driver with tattoos on his head, neck and arms. Not surprisingly, he's known as "Big John."

During the week, Drury spends 50 hours behind the wheel. But on weekends, the 43-year-old is a certified dance fitness instructor who breaks it down to Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

Living by the T.I. song lyrics permanently tattooed on his head -- "The old me is dead and gone" -- Drury has danced away 97 pounds since February 2011.

"The main purpose of that tattoo is exactly what it says," he said. "That 400-pound man was the old me and who I am today is the new me."

"Big John" wasn't always big.

Drury grew up on the west side of Cincinnati in a poverty-stricken area where sports, music and dancing kept him out of trouble.

"I grew up in the hood," he said. "I was poor growing up, and that's what we did -- we danced. It was our culture."

Drury participated in break dancing competitions with his high school friends and often attended community dance functions. Some of his favorite places to visit in the '80s were the clubs in downtown Cincinnati.

A year after Drury graduated from high school in November 1989, he was at a club showing off his moves on the dance floor. At that moment, his future wife, Lori, spotted him from across the club.

"I saw him dancing, and that's what attracted me to him," said Lori Drury, 42. "I told my friend somewhat jokingly, 'That's the guy I'm going to marry.'"

And in January 1994, that's exactly what happened.

But as they settled down and had two kids, Drury picked up more and more shifts at the trucking company, until he found himself working 70 hours a week. With little time to exercise or sit down and eat a proper meal, his motto became "grab and go." When he did stop, he ate the fast and greasy food offered at truck stops.

"I was big on sweets and eating doughnuts for breakfast," he said. "Everything about my eating habits was just out of whack."

From 'Big John' to 'biggest loser'

Prior to becoming a truck driver, Drury weighed 260 pounds. After more than a decade of truck driving, Drury had piled on 140 pounds and his health was deteriorating. Doctors prescribed medications to control his high blood pressure and cholesterol.

But the seriousness of his situation didn't hit home until a fellow truck driver, who was taking the same medications as Drury, died from complications of diabetes in late 2010. The truck driver weighed 450 pounds -- only 50 more pounds than Drury at the time.

A few months after his friend passed away, Drury heard a commercial for a local radio station that was hosting a "biggest loser" competition. He entered the competition and was selected to participate.

For three months, Drury had a gym membership, a personal trainer and a nutritionist. He began drinking a lot of water, preparing his meals and walking around the truck stop area.

"I'm a very competitive person," Drury said. "I would just do whatever I had to do to get to the top. I decided there weren't going to be any more excuses."

With his new attitude, Drury not only finished in second place, he also lost 54 pounds.

"For a person who says 'no excuses' now, I used to be the first person to make an excuse," he said. "I used to say, 'I'm too busy with my job.' It's just so empowering to know that regardless of my situation, I made it happen."

Paying it forward

Now it was time to make some of his own dreams a reality.

Through the gym membership, Drury discovered Zumba. He realized he could lose weight through his passion for dance.

"When they say, 'Feel the music,' I really feel the music. I get lost in it," he said. "Even though I was the only man in the class, it didn't stop me."