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Biggest Loser Club - Send Us Your Story!

Kelly LaBrecque, Meteorologist

5 days ago

Are you ready to make a change? Join the Fit at Five Biggest Loser Club... we would love to hear your story!

E-mail us a "before" picture, tell us about your goals, and how you plan to go about your weight loss journey. Then, stay in touch! Share your struggles and successes, and look to other members of the Fit at Five Biggest Loser Club for motivation.

Cheers to a new you!

fit@wcsh6.com

fit@wlbz2.com

Along with hearing your stories...we would also love to hear your questions on health and fitness. What sort of stories would you like us to feature on Fit at Five in the future? Just send us an e-mail to the address above.

***Update from Kathryn***

February is quickly approaching and since this past fall I have continued to work extremely hard at reaching my goal of a 90 lb weight loss. As of today (1/27/10) I have lost 52 lbs! 38 lbs more to go! There is no doubt I intend to reach this goal. Trust me, it has been slow but that's ok! If I can do this ANYONE CAN! It takes patience and experiencing why you were overweight to begin with. I have loved Weight Watchers since this is clearly the eating approach I need, being accountable.

Here is what I would love to share during these tough times during the winter. Set a goal. Set SOMETHING for maybe this spring or summer & BELIEVE that you can do it. PLAN. It is YOUR life. We all are given 24 hours each day; It is YOUR decision what you do with it. No one can do it for you. So please just BELIEVE & DO IT!

Currently I am training for a ½ marathon in NYC ( Something I NEVER dreamed of & am so excited about accomplishing! It's all about celebrating life!). And then will continue training for the upcoming Tri For A Cure this summer!! Can not wait!! Personally, this is what I need. GOALS & a PURPOSE. What do you need? This is your time ( :

Thank you Kelly for sharing you're Fit at Five series. It has and continues to be a life changing experience for me, my family and friends! I look forward to each and every Monday!

Will keep you posted!

~Kathy

***Meet Andrew Jackson***

I just wanted to take a moment and let you know that I think the fit at five segment is great. It's awesome to see so many Mainers taking the steps to live a longer healthier life. My story began in November of 2008. I was a happily Married 28 year old with two wonderful boys age 3 and 5. I had a job I loved and yet, I wasn't happy. I was is tired. I was disappointed in myself and concerned about being around for my children. I was concerned because I was 319 lbs. Heavier than I had ever been. I have been big since childhood but this was definitely the peak. My darling wife felt much the same way. She had just crawled over 200 lbs and was mortified that she had let it go that far. One week before Thanksgiving (The Super Bowl of eating) we committed to reaching our goals. I committed to being a better more energetic father. A better and more vibrant husband and most importantly I committed to treating myself the way I deserved to be treated. We started keeping food diaries and getting more active. In the last year I have educated myself on nutrition and have learned to see food as fuel for my body. I don't rely on it for comfort....entertainment and yet I am not afraid of food either I have learned how and when to enjoy it. In the last year I have found that inside me was a runner and athlete. Today I am 194 lbs (Down 125) and training for 4 triathlons in 2010 including an olympic distance this fall. I have run more 5k races than I can count on two hands and completed my first duathlon in Kennebunk this past august. My wife has lost 62 lbs and is training for her first 5k. Today we are a better family, we are setting a better example for our two young boys and we are closer than ever. My life has changed in so many ways, I'm not just thinner. I'm an athlete. Something I never thought I would be. Thank you for having this segment and sharing these stories of inspiration with the community. Every person you inspire can be a life saved and I admire you for that.

Cheers to the new year. keep up to good work!

***October update from Kathryn***

Well I can proudly say I completed my first 10k the beginning of Oct! I didn't do it exactly how I planned which was originally running in NH. I was actually going to run a 5k because I got scared I couldn't finish a 10k, but I didn't do that either. Instead I ran a 10k alone. The hype of another race was too much too soon and finishing alone after self doubting myself, I imagined, must feel like finishing the Boston Marathon. It was GREAT!

As of today I have been holding steady at a 40lb weight loss! Granted, it has taken me nearly a year, but well worth it!! We always want to lose so fast & get discouraged along the way, but goals have played a key roll. I have to admit; currently there has been a plateau. I believe it's just another bump in the road. I mean we are now into fall. What comes in the fall? School starts, daylight changes & makes you more psychologically tired sometimes, holidays approaching...bottom line, excuses (at least for me). So my new "goal" is to refocus & perhaps change up my routine. Add some yoga (which I have never tried) or pilates..and of course sign up for a future race. What better day then Thanksgiving?? And I am going to go for another personal 10k on Nov 7th. This will mark my 8^th year of being cancer free! Weight Watchers continues to be a wonderful foundation for eating & will no doubt stay until I reach lifetime. My daughter already has and she has been such an inspiration!

Best of luck to those who may are on their own personal fitness & weight loss journey!

Kathy

***Meet Rachel Bowler***

My journey began many years ago. In order to know how far I've come you have to learn about where I've been.

All my life I have been over weight. Even as a child I was always the biggest kid in my class. As I got older I would find myself finding comfort from food when things in my life got out of control. I always hated being fat but never thought I could change it.

I tried to loose weight many times and even had some degree of success. I lost 90 pounds a couple of different times, but always for one reason or another gained it all back plus more.

I slowly started pulling away from life. I stopped spending time with my friends and even some members of my family. I wouldn't go in public at all. My children would do my shopping for me. My son at age 10 or 11 did all my grocery shopping. I would write a list and he would go in and get it for me. Just the thought of going in the store would set off a panic attack.

I couldn't do simple things, things other people take for granted. I couldn't lie on my back at night, because I couldn't breathe because of all the weight on my chest. I couldn't even stand in the shower; I would get light headed because my heart couldn't pump enough blood.

Then my brother and his wife where going to have a baby. They lived out of state and had no family there with them. I wanted to go see that new baby so badly but I was too big to get on a plane and it was over five hundred miles away. Finally my aunt agreed to drive me to Baltimore, where they were living. When we got there I couldn't even walk into the hospital on my own my brother had to push me in a wheel chair.

It was in that moment that I realized that I need to do something. I was only 37 years old. And I was no longer living, I only existed.

After I returned home I had a dream one night. I dreamed I saw an angel and she told me "ask and you shall receive". The next morning sitting on the edge of my bed I prayed to God. I asked him for his help. I told him that if he would give me the strength and the courage to do this that I would do the work.

I started watching what I was eating and I lost 92 pounds and then I started to put some back on I went to the doctors and found that I had gained 21 pounds back. I was upset, and then some friends suggested we join Weight Watchers to support each other. I agreed and my life has not been the same ever since.

The night I joined I couldn't even be weighed because the scales they use didn't go that high. I had to go to my doctor's office each week and get weighed and then go and tell them what I had done. The first week I lost 13 pounds but the second week I stayed the same. I was upset but I didn't give up. I kept doing what they said I needed to do and the third week I lost 12.5 pounds. That was the boost I needed. I just kept on doing what they told me and did the work. I started out doing small things in the way of exercise. First I used a pedal thing that you set in front of you on the floor. I started out doing 10 minutes at a time. Then worked up from there. Then when my legs were stronger I started walking for short distances. I eventually worked up to 3 to 4 miles a couple times a week. Then this past May my husband and son bought me a bike for Mother's Day. Again I had to work at it slowly. I started out going about a half mile at a time. Now I'm riding an average of 10 miles a day and I love it.

Because of my efforts and the strength I have received from my family, friends and most importantly God. I have lost to date 335 pounds. I am proud of myself. I would not have believed it if I hadn't lived it for myself. It is true what they say "If you believe it you will achieve it."

***August update from Kathryn***

I DID IT! I FINISHED THE TRI FOR A CURE in 2.08! It was one of the most inspiring & rewarding events I have ever been to and participated in. The athletes were incredibly supportive of one another, everything was extremely organized, it was just a wonderful time. I highly recommend a triathlon to anyone who is self doubting themselves or looking for a challenge. Since training and joining Weight Watchers, I have lost 28 lbs! Training has been a blast! I enjoy the cross training since I never got bored. Having a support behind me has been huge as well. My family has allowed me that "time" to take to train not only for this race, but to just workout. Being able to balance family and self care is hard..but once you find that groove, you just can't let go and find excuses. KEEP GOING! That is one thing I am learning along this journey, not to feel guilty! Be your best, take time for your body since this effects all of your wellbeing inside & out and everyone is happy ( :

I just signed up for a 10k on Oct 3^rd in Bristol NH. Similar to Connelly Castle, I need something to work towards. For me, I have taken a calendar and am looking at dates when they may be tough times of the year and turning into a positive. Oct 3^rd would be my father's 71^st birthday which is why I intend to push towards a 10k. Planning has been a big help!

***Meet Kathryn Caron***

Hi,

My name is Kathryn Caron & I am writing to share my story & goals as to why I'm very excited to join your Biggest Loser Club.

I grew up in an athletic family, loved running, anything aerobic and eating healthy (which I have tried to carry on to my own family). So during my younger years (up until 30 years old, I am 38 now) I never really worried too much about my weight since I was right where I needed to be. In Oct 2001 I was diagnosed with a rare form of malignant skin cancer & as the stress grew wondering if this cancer would return as well as the endless doctor visits and tests, my lack of exercise & portion control started to spin out of control. Over the next few years I gained an easy 70 lbs! After 4 years of being cancer free I decided to join Weight Watchers (yet again). Something had to be done since I felt as though God was giving me another chance & I needed to take control of my emotions. Things started to go well. I trained for my first sprint triathlon, lost 20 lbs started feeling great! Life was good.

Then on Aug 6^th 2006 my life took a drastic change. I received a call from my brother telling me I needed to get to MMC immediately, our father (my biggest hero) has suffered a very serious stroke. Literally at that point, my thoughts went directly to doing ANYTHING I could to save him. That is what the following 1 ½ years brought me. Ongoing stress on helping my father gain mobility, helping him to believe in himself, and help my mother care for him as well as take care of my 2 small children and husband. I lived and breathed trying to help my Dad & Mom (& would never change a thing). After all, he is the man who introduced me to fitness, to believing in myself. As a teacher & coach, that was his life, to help kids live their dreams no matter what. On Christmas Eve 2007 my father passed away from another stroke. This past year I reached my all time high and since I have been married have gained 90lbs! There is no doubt that each and every lbs is stress related. Nearly 40 lbs was gained in that past year alone as I have struggled with my loss and how to balance feelings, family & work but most importantly my health all at once. In Jan my body began to feel the overwhelming effects. My blood pressure was sky high, my vision was a mess, my heart was racing. You name it; it scared the life out of me. I was told by some people that maybe anti depressants would be the answer. Not for me. I knew what I needed to do and by the way I was feeling I did not have much time. My husband advised I should cut back my hours at work (which has helped immensely) and I started to slowly work out again. Then an opportunity came. The Maine Cancer Foundation was holding their 2^nd annual Tri for a Cure..That was it! A race to help find a cure for the rare cancer I was diagnosed with (Merkel Cell Carcinoma) and to fulfill a promise I made to my Dad, to help him finish a triathlon! Not long after I was able to register for the race, I was sitting home one evening getting ready to watch the finale of the Biggest Loser when I noticed Kelly had a special that night on her Fit at Five series. I was literally glued to the TV. It was AWESOME! As she ended the show saying to believe in yourself and how "You can do it" I jumped off my couch & had to email her! It was sooo great to see such an inspiring show and LOCALLY done! Thank you Kelly!

So where am I now? I have joined Weight Watchers with my beautiful daughter Brooke who is .2lb away from goal! Have been training hard for the upcoming Tri for a Cure and have lost (since Oct) 25lbs ( :

I am on my way! On Oct 3^rd (my Dad's birthday) I will be running my first road race and am still deciding on whether to do a 10k or ½ marathon. Training for these races has been wonderful and a great way to clear the mind so I am more refreshed with a positive attitude to be there for my family. Joining Weight Watchers has also been beneficial since it is helping me to really focus on my eating & portions as well.

My ultimate goal is to reach my goal weight by Christmas. To me it would be the greatest gift I could give myself, my family & my father. I am really looking forward to sharing what comes along with this new journey!

~ Kathryn Caron

***Congratulations Rob Leclerc****

Talk about a great way to spend Father's Day! Rob took part in the Sea Dogs Father's Day 5K Race. Something that a year ago he would have never been able to do. He has been working so hard to prepare for the race, and has been such an amazing person to follow through his weight loss journey. Congratulations Rob from the Fit at Five Biggest Loser Club!

***Meet Wendy Costello***

Greetings to the Biggest Losers!

The photo attached is me and one of my favorite activities- READING! I weigh 172 lbs and measure 5 feet 5 inches tall, either I am under short or over weight; odds are it is the latter. My husband was very sneaky to get my photo during our vacation last summer. I am now 50 years old, and have found my live evolved from high activity to sedentary.

As a young bride and two active boys, I biked, swam, and ran with my kids. As they became old enough to join sports, I was now part of the benchwarmers and concession stand volunteers for fundraising to cheer on the kids. When parents became ill and Dr waiting rooms were a weekly activity: reading and knitting became therapy and productive activity in a helpless situation. I returned to college which increased sitting to an Olympic level of endurance, sit for lecture, sit for writing papers, sit for study and exams, basically 9 hours on Mondays and weekends for 3 years. I graduated as a Registered Nurse and thought "Now, I'll get fit and lose that weight." Wrong. Stress and erratic schedules do nothing for healthy eating. Plus, people show their gratitude by baking, or providing LARGE boxes of chocolate. I suppose I am lucky, I do not weigh more than my peak pregnancy weights.

My new status of the 50 something, has me perplexed as to what to eat, how much to eat. My 9 hours of patient care per day leaves me exhausted and taking a walk, is relaxing, it doesn't get the job done to raise my metabolism and lose weight. I have tried Weight Watchers, Curves and fall very short of my goals and very disappointed. I walked the 3 Day for Breast Cancer- 60+miles and gained 4 lbs. I biked 144 miles and maintained my weight.

I really want to show myself, my husband and my adult boys that 50 is FABULOUS and not time to point my rocking chair toward the west. I inspire my patients daily to focus their goals, maintain positive energy and humor for their long recovery. It is time to take my own advice.

My goal is to lose 37 lbs before my son's wedding. I want to be IN the picture feel joy for their day.

Will you take this challenge with me? As a "giver" it is difficult to ask for help. Yet, I recognize that is the first step to any recovery

I need your help to start this new path to me I know is in there somewhere.

Thank you for your inspiration to begin AGAIN!

Sincerely,

Wendy Costello

***Meet Jason Pooler***

Well 2008 started off great for me! A new job at work, and something I've always wanted to do. However that quickly changed when in March I needed to have my appendix removed. Then 3 hernia surgeries, and a Teflon abdomen patch to stop anymore hernias.
Well in all this something did come out good. I found out that I was slowing killing myself with my weight. I always knew that I was overweight, but I was just a big guy. Well when the doctor informed me that my BP was 210/170, weight 341lbs, and that I had high blood sugar, and cholesterol it was a wakeup call. The doctors wanted to do weight lose surgery, but I assured them that I could take care of this on my own.
Well, fast forward to today. I'm weighing in at 76lbs lighter, and have dropped 22% body fat. Have lost nearly 6 inches off my waist, and gone from a 3XL shirt to an XL. It has taken dedication to eat well, and workout a lot. I decide to hire a trainer at the gym to show me the right way to work out, and show me different ways to exercise. It's a small price to pay for life! My overall goal is to lose 125lbs. I should be able to do this by August. I will truly be a "Brand New Man!"

Although I have had great success, I have a lot more work to do.

Jason

***Meet Connelly Castle***

Hi Kelly,

I was 235 and am now 140. I lost it very very slowly at first, because I didn't have a real reason or goal. I had just moved to Maine, and found out about some soccer leagues at Southern Maine SportsZone...I managed to get on one. Then another team picked me up for a different night. After playing a few times I was out of shape, and could barely run. Being an ex-college, and pro soccer player I was embarrassed and ashamed. I decided I was not going to live my life like that. I started running everyday, and got up to 5 miles at 8min a mile. I then was asked to play on two more soccer teams... on the mens leagues, and found out about the Maine Tide Semi Pro Soccer team. I finally had a goal, and have been working towards it ever since keeping most of the weight off. I now get up at 4:30 every morning at hit up the SportsZone to run distance and sprints for two hours on the field. I then go back in the evening for another two hours doing plyometrics, and ball work. I usually will have one to 4 soccer games as well, and thanks to you try to get to hot yoga three times a week. I have been doing this for many months. I haven't yet changed my eating habits too much so that is my new thing to change, and I'd like to have that changed by summer time!

~Connelly

***Another Update From Rob Leclerc***

I weighed myself today and have now lost a total of 48 pounds! Thats 2 more than two weeks ago. I'm doing things with my body that I used to think were unimaginable. I'm now up to 20 push ups a day along with the rest of the training I'm doing. Six months ago I couldnt even do a push up let alone get up off of the floor without help.

I'm also going to be training for the Dempsey Challenge Bike Race in October. I know I have a long way to go but I am starting to live a dream I never thought was possible...........and I'm loving every minute of it!

Hope all is well with you! Please dont give us anymore snow!!!!!

Always,

Your Fit at Five Diva,

Rob

***Meet Patty***

Well here is my story!!! I started having weight problems after the birth of my first born son. Like most of us I struggled to get the weight off and then along came my second son. I did fine with the weight while chasing after the boys. I was a stay at home mom so they kept me pretty busy.

I got divorced and went back to school and went to work. Then when I started at a sit down job I started having problems with my weight. I would go up and down. I dieted and did well... then when I would stop it came back on and more. I did it all. Weight Watchers was the one program that I liked the best and am still with.

I quit smoking 7 years ago, and my weight went up 30 pounds. I did not even feel like moving much. So consequently my weight continued to climb. I have asthma and C.O.P.D. from my years of smoking. I was so out of breath whenever I walked that I wouldn't exercise anymore. I have a wonderful Pulmonary doctor who said that I needed to get my weight off and soon!!! I asked him what he thought of gastric bypass. He said if it was done by the right doctor, and if I was a dedicated patient that it works wonderful.

I started looking into it. It took me about three years, and another 25 pounds before I decided to look into it seriously. It was the best thing I ever did for myself! I had started with high blood pressure...mild sleep apnea and my sugar level had started the climb up. I weighed in at 290 pounds November 2006, and that was my highest.

Now before everyone thinks that gastric bypass is the easy way out. Let me tell you it has been very hard at times. You need to be dedicated, exercise, and still diet. Yes that awful word DIET! It is still a calorie game, and don't let anyone tell you that it isn't. I had to think long and hard before I decided to have my insides rearranged, but it has saved my life. I take no medicine now besides vitamins. I may have to take medicine for C.O.P.D. and asthma down the road but for now I do not. This is not brain surgery so it can still be a struggle fighting head hunger. BUT... it is do able. It restricts the amount of food I can eat at one time. If I live by the rules, and am compliant the tool works very well. I have lost 104 pounds since November 2006. I am at the point in my journey that diet and exercise are very important and I feel that I have to be accountable so I still am on the weight watchers plan.

I still have a ways to go to get to my dietician and doctor's weight, but I will get there. I am now more active. OMG! I shoveled today for over two hours. ME...shoveling! I don't believe it. I am more active, and my grandchildren benefit from it. This plan is not for everyone. There are lots of hoops to jump before you can have surgery. But it is an option for some of us. I can even say I do not mind exercising. I am not an exercise guru but I do move a lot more now. I have control of my life and that IS WONDERFUL!!!

Take care,

Patty Philbrook

Meet Rob Leclerc

Hi!

My name is Rob Leclerc. I live in Sanford. I'm a 40 year old know it all that used to think that health and fitness was for everyone else but me. Earlier this year, I saw Kelly LaBrecque's health and fitness specials. They always stuck in the back of my mind. Back in July, I met the most wonderful personal trainer who has become my coach and mentor. Her name is Barbra Thibeau and she has a studio in Biddeford. We only met because our kids go to the same dance studio. While we were waiting for class to end one day we had a long talk about life changes and health and nutrition. She is the same age as me so we had a lot in common. She overcame her own personal challenges and eventually became a personal trainer.

After the first time we talked, I thought 'yeah, right'. Whats this girl got to offer that I don't already know. Well, time passed and we met for a second time. The second conversation made much more sense to me. I realized I was on a road to ruin. Not eating right, gaining weight and really struggling to make it through the day. So, I made a conscious decision to make a change.

So far, I've lost 8 inches off my front and 24 pounds! I don't weigh myself too frequently so as not to get discouraged and its only been 2 months since I've started this. It's gotten so big, I've gotten people in my life involved in my journey. I send out a weekly blog to almost 100 people and I post my weekly blogs on Myspace. I do this for a couple of reasons...accountability and hopefully to inspire others to do the same. The feedback I've gotten has been incredible. I've been hearing from people I have not spoken to for a long time.

I think you have to be in a really good place and be 'ready' to make changes. With the help of my personal trainer, or "Coach" as I call her, it has taken shape. Plus, just by coincidence, my employer gave us a three month gym membership totally free to a place here in town. So, the timing couldnt have been better. I have a long way to go. My eventual goal is to lose another 140 pounds. I want to do it safely and responsibly. It's a lot of hard work and dedication and it ain't easy. I hope you will include me with the Fit at Five Club and I can keep you posted on my progress. Thanks to you Kelly LaBreque for in part inspiring me and I hope for more success to come.

The pics were taken a couple of months ago just before I started all of this. I'll be taking updated photos in the next week or two.

Rob

Richard Jewett's Story

I have been over weight all of my life. Obese if you will, although I think us over weight folks really hate that word, it certainly applied to me. As a youth I had tried a few fad diets with little success and had continued with a some fad diets into adulthood with some success that never lasted. Seems I was never able to change my lifestyle and feeding habits.

I had never taken very good care of myself, mostly avoiding any visit to a doctor's office because I knew that all I was going to get was another lecture about my weight....

Last year, on August 2^nd, my life took a drastic change in direction. I experienced a stroke.

Earlier in the summer I had several TIA incidents but didn't know what they were. I passed it off to being over-tired, dehydrated, any number of things. On August 2^nd I actually experienced a major stroke and my life changed.

I will spare you all the little details of the stroke itself, but suffice it to say that by the end of the day I found myself lying in the emergency room at EMMC.

I heard the doctors and nurses attending me talking about a stroke, but I was disoriented and confused. My vision was oddly doubled so it was very hard to see, and I couldn't stand up by myself. I had difficulty swallowing and the left side of my body felt as if it were missing.

It was determined that I had experienced a clot in my brainstem. This left me with some left side paralysis and unable to stand. As long as someone assisted me I was fine, but the minute that they let me go, I would fall to the left. It was very strange indeed.

I was asked hundreds of questions, one of which was how much I weighed. I told the doctors that I guessed about 250 pounds......at least that was a number I could say out loud without feeling completely ashamed. Thankfully they never actually put me on a scale because truthfully, I was probably over 260....

The people at EMMC were great. I underwent more tests than I can remember. I had many visits with various doctors and nurses, physical therapists and nutritionists, and eventually I was able to move about well enough with assistance that they finally discharged me.

I remember riding home, having to keep one eye closed so that I would see just one single image and thinking "What am I going to do now?"

I had no primary care physician and I had no plan. I was scared. Although I had the love and support of my wife and family I felt so very alone.

Once home I basically sat in a chair. I was able to get to the bathroom with assistance and that was about it. With my vision problems I found it very difficult to read or watch the TV. so mostly I just looked at the wall.

I made attempts to get into physical therapy, but the only openings, I was told, were weeks away. I did manage to find a primary care physician.

I decided that my present physical state was just simply not acceptable and made the decision that I had to change my life.

I took an almost fanatical approach to my diet. With the help of my wife, we changed the way that I ate. I began to keep a food diary, counting everything I ate, watching fats, sodium, all the things that I was told by the nutritionists at the hospital. And I began to walk.

The walking was pretty sad in the beginning, but with a lot of determination and using a cane I was finally able to make it to the bathroom by myself. After that I slowly began making my way around inside the house. Soon I was able to move around outside some.

After a couple of weeks, I was able to walk out to the street.....and I just continued to push myself to walk and walk and walk.

This could go on and on but to keep things simple, walking became my salvation. Once I returned to work, I joined a walking program being sponsored by the health office.

Every day I walked.....and continued.

Now, it is a little over 13 months since my stroke. I have become obsessed it seems with walking and taking responsibility for my own health.

I now walk between 10 and 15 miles a day. I keep a daily log of my walking, and most weeks I log between 70 and 90 miles. I start nearly every day off at 4:30 in the morning on the treadmill and walk for at least an hour(watching channel 2 news of course!) before taking my dogs out for their walk. After work I head out for a power-walk nearly every day. Looking back through my logs it appears that I have walked over 3,500 miles in the past 13 months....not bad for a stroke survivor I guess.

This coming weekend I will be participating in the MDI ½ marathon.....who would have ever thought? Me at 54 years of age actually being in a marathon! I have no illusions of winning, just the dream of completing is enough for me.

And on top of that, I have lost about 90 pounds in the past 13 months! I don't ever recognize myself! For the first time in my life the inseam measurement of my pants is actually greater than the waist measurement!

Well I guess that is my story. It has been a long, hard, and very trying 13 months. I have made some fantastic changes in my life and I hope I have learned some very important lessons.

I am very excited about this coming Saturday and the marathon.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

**OCTOBER 1st UPDATE***

Richard finished the MDI 1/2 marathon with a time of 2 hours and 56 minutes!!! His goal for next year is to walk the entire marathon. That's 26.2 miles! Congrats Richard.

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