RUFFS DALE, PA—According to John Swink's friends, family, coworkers, and casual acquaintances, as well as a growing number of local waiters and waitresses, the formerly obese history teacher takes every opportunity to show just how dramatic his recent weight loss has been by smiling broadly and holding his old 52-inch-waist jeans next to his fit and trim new body. "He likes to get inside his old pants and turn to the side," Swink's mechanic, Greg Forrester, told reporters Tuesday, describing Swink's effort to clearly illustrate how much space now exists between the front of his old pants and his stomach. "At least that's what he did when he brought his car into the shop, when he saw my wife and kids at the supermarket the other day, and when he stood up in the middle of the varsity baseball game last weekend." Students of Swink's said he has recently begun teaching lessons from behind the giant cardboard cutout of his old 315-pound self that he carries around with him everywhere he goes.