Morbidly Obese to Athlete in 8 Months!

Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes. It’s not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.

My journey began 8 months ago, when I was morbidly obese and at high risk of premature death. Saturday was the culmination of 8 months of intense exercise and eating right. I set a goal on my 50th birthday when I weighed 248 pounds to ride 102.6 miles during the 2011 Hotter N Hell Endurance Race on 27 Aug 2011.

Here is a breakdown of my ride…
Wichita Falls Texas to Electra Tx 30 miles 1hour 44 minutes
40 mile mark 2 hours 18 minutes
50 mile mark 2 hours 58 minutes
60 mile mark 3 hours 24 minutes
90 miles 5 hours 31 minutes
102.6 miles 7 hours 14 minutes (unofficial time, timing chip race results will put me under 7 hours, due to not crossing the start line exactly when the race began because of so many riders).

You might wonder what were the most important changes I made to lose weight? It really came down to hitting it from all angles. Clean food to fuel my body, weight training to build muscle and cardio to burn fat. Out of these three elements, my diet was probably the most important aspect which helped change my physique. When I decided to be very disciplined with the foods I consumed, the changes were incredible.

Realize that food is a very powerful drug. You can use it to make yourself very sick or you can decide to use it to optimally fuel and energize your body! Research different foods and learn about the multitude of ways nutrient dense foods positively impact your body. Knowledge is power and learning how and what you're eating is vitally important!

Let your happiness come from your direction…not from your goal. When you have a goal you will be impatient and restless. With a direction you can be patient and live in the present. A great number of people are focused on a goal and once they achieve that goal tend to revert back to old ways. Thankfully for me I am not one of those people. I have changed my lifestyle, my direction, I am happier than I have ever been in my life.

I learned a lot about myself on Saturday, I realized I didn’t work out 6 or 7 hours a day to do this, I didn’t have a personal trainer kicking my *kitten* and I didn’t have a personal chef weighing my every calorie. I did it on my own, my way! I find these words to be true, you will find them in my profile, on my desk at work, and I live by them daily “The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there…as long as you’re willing to be honest with yourself about the preparation and work involved. There are no back doors, no free rides. There’s just you, this moment, and a choice!”

It is never too late to start. No matter how much you're currently overweight or how out of shape you are, you can ALWAYS start making changes and improve your life! It all starts now. Forget about yesterday and focus all your energy into making smart choices to live a healthier life. Today is truly the first day of the rest of your life!