Jon Stanton

Getting read to head out...7am.

Well, I did it. I had my doubts, but I managed to pull off my first Century Ride. I rode my bike 101.5 miles across northern Ohio in 95 degree heat and I had the time of my life doing it! According to “The Most Accurate Calories Burned Estimator” online, I burned my way through 9,936 calories. I don’t believe that for a second, but I do believe that it’s entirely possible that I burned through 5-6,000 calories. In fact, when I returned home, I jumped on a scale and found out I had dropped about 8 pounds!

So what was the ride like? Well, if you follow me on Facebook at all, you probably saw that I was really concerned at the beginning. I was sleep-deprived, allergy afflicted and even somewhat nauseous on the morning of the race. I seriously considered calling up my friend Steve and telling him I couldn’t do it. Instead, I decided to pray, ask others to pray, trust God and reassured myself that if I couldn’t make it, that’s what SAG support is there for.

Well, I did make it. Not only did I make it, but I made it despite a couple of thunderstorms, debilitating heat that was dropping other riders like flies, and a bike saddle that I seriously need to try and replace with something more comfortable! Steve had an awesome ride too. He had suffered some cramping issues on other training rides, but those didn’t affect him at all. We are both a testimony to the importance of good hydration and the occasional swig of Gatorade/salt replacement along the way.

 This was around mile 70 or so. It's appropriate that I'm next to a church since I was crying out to God for mercy.

Near mile 80-85, a storm was brewing. I overheard one of the SAG vehicles saying they might have to pull riders off the route if the severe weather predicted actually hit. That was enough to motivate me to get my rear into high gear. I looked at Steve and said, “How do you feel?” “Great,” he said. “Awesome,” I said. “Let’s kick this thing.” And so we did. We clocked several stretches above 20mph with an average of 17.3mph in the last 15 miles or so. We passed many riders along the way as we zoomed toward the finish – both of us feeling great and accomplished as we did so. Shortly thereafter, we found the food and dug in. We were STARVED!

I suppose I could toot my own horn now. I could talk about how hard I trained, the discipline it required, blah, blah, blah…but in the end, all I want you to know is this. YOU CAN DO IT TOO! I know I sound like a broken record, but remember folks – only 3 short years ago, I weighed 430 pounds and could not walk from my car to a store without being winded and wanting to sit down.

I want you to know that being healthy is possible for you too. You CAN change. The first thing that has to go is all the lies and excuses you accept that keep you overweight and unhealthy. They are garbage and that’s exactly where they need to go – the scrap pile. You are a valuable person who deserves to be healthy. Your family NEEDS you to be healthy. So what’s holding you back? Make the choice to do something about it TODAY, commit, NO EXCUSES, and next year, I’ll see you out there smoking me on the Pedal to the Point!

 Afterwards, enjoying supper.

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I've written quite a bit about walking. Walking changed my life and I have no doubt that it can change yours also. The reality is that if you're significantly overweight (100 pounds or more), walking is probably the only form of exercise that will help you as you begin your journey.

Today I'm choosing to write about a new exercise passion I've developed - cycling. After I had dropped 150 pounds or so walking, I noticed my bike hanging up in my garage. It was covered in dust and the tires were rotten and flat. I distinctly remembered that the last time I had tried to ride it, I couldn't sit on the seat without extreme pain because of my size. Since my rear was now much smaller, I decided to give it a shot.

Down it came, and off to the bike shop to make it road-worthy again. I started riding on some local streets and trails, and felt good about being able to ride 4 or 5 miles without too much difficulty. Gradually, I worked my way up to riding regularly on the Lansing River Trail (www.lansingrivertrail.org) and was capable of doing 15 - 20 miles without too much trouble.

In the fall of 2009, I decided to try my first distance ride, and put in a 60-mile ride on the Pere Marquette Trail (http://www.lmb.org/pmrt/). It was not an easy feat, as my bike (now with nearly 2,000 miles on it since taking it down off the garage wall) was an old mountain bike with wide, knobby tires and only 12 speeds.

This year, I decided I wanted to cycle more regularly and do some distance rides. Out came the bike early in spring, and in early June, I rode in the ADA Tour de Cure on the 25-mile route. I scraped together some money, and in late June, I purchased a new Jamis Coda bicycle from Spin Street Bikes in Old Town (www.spinstreetbikes.com). On Independence Day, I rode the 60-mile Pere Marquette again with my friend Steve. A few weeks later, I did an 80-mile ride with my friend Rick. This Saturday, I will tackle my first century ride (100 miles) with Steve as we Pedal to the Point across northern Ohio.

Cycling is an awesome form of exercise, especially if a person has knee problems. My knees are touchy, to say the least. A lifetime of obesity will do that. While my knees are still impacted by cycling, it actually counterbalances my walking/jogging. In the end, the two together (counter-training) usually result in my knees remaining strong and feeling pretty decent.

Calories burned during cycling are all over the map. It's impacted by terrain, speed, the type of bike you ride, etc. After my 80-mile ride, I visited on online calculator that said I had burned 5,140 calories on that ride (you may recall that blog). I find that hard to believe. Steve says he's always heard that the "average" is about 40 calories per mile. If that's true, then Saturday's ride will be 4,000 burned calories! WOOHOO!! That's great.

If you're just beginning your weight-loss journey and you have a lot to lose, I would suggest walking first because walking is a weight-bearing activity and comes with many benefits for someone who is significantly overweight. Once you get to the point where you feel you can try other forms of exercise - FIND OUT WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, and stick with it. I've developed a lifelong cycling passion. Now, I have to figure out how to outfit myself for winter riding too. Thankfully, my friend Gene has already hooked me up with that info. Wish me luck on Saturday. I'll try to post a few pics when I get back.

OUCH!!!!!!! That's my first and most significant post-marathon musing. Man, am I SORE!! Today, ibuprofen and frequent stretching are my best friends...

OK, all kidding aside, maybe you're curious how a former fat guy completes a half-marathon without dying in the street. Or, maybe you don't really care about that at all and just want some encouragement to get out there and walk even if it's only a block or two. You've come to the right place to satisfy those curiosities.

First, a word about the Chicago Half-Marathon. IT WAS AWESOME!! Runners started stepping off at 6:30am. However, since I was in the walking group, we didn't actually step off until about 7:15. It was a muggy morning in Chicago as we walked and jogged our way through the downtown streets. This particular marathon prides itself on its musical routines which line the route in various places. If you've never participated in a race event like this, it really is a motivational experience. People line the streets in various places to watch you, encourage you, ring bells in your face and tell you to keep going, and greet you with all sorts of colorful signage. This race also featured several cheerleading groups, something I'm sure the male racers such as myself appreciated...

My friends Luke (who also did the Nashville half-marathon in April) and Claudia (who has now done 3 half marathons) joined me (this was my second half-marathon). We had a pretty decent pace going for the first few miles. We jogged a few stretches and set a goal of jogging across each mile marker as soon as we saw it from a distance. We knocked off the first 5 miles with a 15-16 minute pace - pretty decent for walkers.

As I wrote in my last blog, I was worried about my left knee. As we passed mile 5, my knee no longer concerned me. What was starting to ache and scream were my glutes (butt), lower back, and my feet. I started to get concerned since we weren't even at the halfway point yet.

Well, without going into every single detail and boring you to death, I'll tell you this. I MADE IT! Let me tell you, the last few miles were not very pleasant. It was grit and determination. I told Luke and Claudia at one point that I was recalling how hard it was for me to keep walking when I first decided to lose weight. I would chant in my head as I took each step "I do not want to die, I do not want to die" to the walking cadence. Yesterday, I started chanting "I want to sit my ass down, I want to sit my ass down..." and that, along with the fact that I am extremely stubborn about finishing what I start, helped me make it. I finished in about 3 hours and 40 minutes, an average pace of 16.8 minutes per mile.

If you had asked me 3 years ago if I would be anywhere near a half-marathon, I would have laughed in your face. I'm coming up on the 3-year anniversary of my decision to lose weight. I started this journey on August 4, 2007. At that time, I was walking less than 500 feet to the end of my driveway and back. Yesterday, I walked/jogged 13.1 miles. Two weeks from today, I will ride my bike 100 miles.

I'm not telling you any of this to toot my own horn. I'm just an average guy - I'm no different than you, oh mighty blog reader. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THE SAME THING!! Believe me, I still fight the voices all the time of "you can't do that - you're too fat, you're too ugly, you're too dumb, blah, blah, blah..." Who knows if that fight will ever end completely, but I will tell you this...YOU HAVE A CHOICE as to what voice you will listen to. I choose to listen to the truth, which is I am HEALTHY, I am ATHLETIC, and even though I walk with a weird gait and with my feet turned out (30 years of obesity will do a number on how you walk) and even though I look like a freak on a bike, I AM DOING IT, and you can do it too! DON'T EVER GIVE UP! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE if we put our mind to it.

I'm here rooting for you. My next half-marathon is September 26 in Lansing, Michigan. I will also have a booth at the Expo the day before. Stop by and see me, or join me for the half. I dare ya!! What's holding you back? Kick it in the butt, and make a healthy choice today.

So I'm getting ready to head to Chicago for the Rock n' Roll Series Half-Marathon on Sunday. This will be my second half-marathon, but my first this year. I feel woefully unprepared.

Most people are shocked when I tell them I'm doing a half-marathon. After all, I'm still overweight and carrying a lot of loose skin. The idea that someone in my condition could do a half-marathon astonishes them. I get similar looks when I mention the upcoming 100-mile cycling event I'm doing on August 14. Of course most people assume I'm going to be RUNNING the half-marathon. Well, that would be great, but is not likely to happen anytime soon.

I've written on here before about the consequences of obesity. A lot of obese Americans live in denial of the toll obesity (even moderate obesity - such as 20-30 pounds overweight) takes on the body. We assume there will be a "pill" that will cure anything that comes our way as a result, and we hope and dream for the day when a pill is finally available to cure obesity itself.

I am glad there are medications to treat obesity-related ailments. I'd probably be long dead if there weren't since I took many medications for a lot of years to treat hypertension, high cholesterol, congestive heart failure and arthritis. I'm pleased to now be medication free except for an occasional ibuprofen and a pill I take for reflux. I'm living proof that obesity-related ailments can largely be treated with a lifestyle change. The medications are there to keep many of us alive (thankfully), but come with their own set of side affects too, of course.

As I get ready for the half-marathon, it's a reminder to me that there are long-term consequences to my choice to remain obese for so long. My knees are shot - bone on bone, and although I dream of the day I can jog without any hindrance, it's not likely to happen. In fact, walking the 13.1 miles at a brisk enough pace to maintain time will be a significant challenge, especially since my left knee has been especially cranky this past week.

If you struggle with being overweight, part of getting past obesity is coming to the realization that it damages your body. Most obese people I know live in denial of that fact. I know I did for many years and would convince myself that I was "fine" and that my body could handle it, after all I was "meant" to be a huge person, right? Wrong. You know you're living in denial when you tell yourself you're OK while downing a handful of pills...

So, wish me luck on this half-marathon. Pray for my knee if you feel so inclined. I'm not sure what the results will be - I'm a little bit worried about the prospect of not being able to keep up. Overcoming obesity has helped me tackle other challenges head on, though, and along with a stubborn streak, I'm determined to make it across that finish line.

Most of us have been taught about setting goals during our time in school. It’s obviously a very important part of life and helps keep us motivated toward consistent improvement. Not surprisingly, I would wager that most individuals that struggle with obesity have a difficult time setting and achieving goals. I know it was hard for me and it is still an area of my life that I constantly work to improve, even since losing 230 pounds.

Goals come in all different shapes, sizes and scopes. The way they are developed and structured is as unique as all the individuals trying to achieve them. I’m often asked, “What should I do to lose weight like you did, Jon?” My response nearly always begins with – “Figure out what works for you and stick with it – NO EXCUSES.” Setting unrealistic goals that don’t reflect our unique personalities (i.e. trying to “copy” someone else’s goal) will often not work very well. Yes, you might have the fortitude (or stubbornness) to make it happen, but you’ll mostly likely be a lot happier and successful if you tailor your goals to how YOU as an individual operate.

With that in mind, I started a practice last year of setting two “challenge” goals each summer. Since summer is the season that usually works the best for outdoor athletic activity, I plan the goals in advance and then work my way toward them during the summer months.

Last year, I decided to tackle a half-marathon and complete a “distance” cycling event. Both of my goals were met in September when I completed the Capital City River Run half-marathon in Lansing and rode my bike 60-miles on the Pere Marquette Rail Trail on Labor Day. Achieving both of those goals was very rewarding.

This year, after some planning and consideration, I decided to tackle another half-marathon and to extend my cycling to at least 100 miles. Both of those events will take place in August. I’m planning to complete the Chicago half-marathon on August 1, and on August 14, I will ride 100 miles in the Pedal to the Point fundraising cycle event for the MS Society.

On Sunday, I achieved a small “mini-goal” on my way to my challenge goals. I cycled 80 miles with a friend who is training for the DALMAC (a cycling event from Lansing to the Mackinac Bridge). On Independence Day, I had cycled 60 miles, but the 80-mile ride on Sunday was the longest distance I’ve attempted to date. The last few miles were very difficult and I was sore the next day, but again, it was very rewarding to reach that goal.

I want to encourage you to set some realistic goals for yourself, and then pursue them with fervor. Working toward a goal does not have to be a painful process. Our attitude is a significant factor in our success with achieving goals. If I had given in to thoughts that losing weight was impossible, felt sorry for myself, and listened to all the excuses running through my mind of why I should just remain fat, I would have never lost 230 pounds. COMMIT today to eliminating those negative thoughts, set some goals you know are achievable (and realistic) and enjoy the journey!

BTW, next year’s events are already in the planning stages…the Hawk Island Triathalon (in Lansing) and the DALMAC…