(300 pounds on the) Couch to Half Ironman in 6 months

Who I am: I am a 40 year old teacher and coach, and am married with 4 kids.  Here is the story of how I went from a horribly out of shape individual to a Half Ironman Finisher in just over 6 months. 

Where I started: On January 2^nd of this year I weighed 300 pounds at 6’ tall.  My blood pressure was 174/115, my resting heart rate was in the 90s, and I had asthma.  I got winded walking up steps, and got light headed any time I exerted myself at all.  I had not done any type of exercise in almost 3 years.  I ate whatever I wanted, and I drank  beer about every day.  During this 6 month journey, I am sure there are things that many of you will think that I did wrong.  I didn’t go to a doctor, and according to many I lost the weight too fast, but I’m going to tell you what worked for me.

First step: The first week, I cut out all beer and stopped eating junk food.  I didn’t exercise, but just focused on eating better.  The second week I continued with no drinking, and making better food choices, and added a one mile jog three days a week.  The first week, my 3 one mile runs were in the 14:00 minute mile range. 

Nutrition: After the second week, I began to count calories.  In the first two weeks, I lost about 15 pounds.  This was due to water weight, and my body being shocked by getting quality nutrition instead of junk.  I ate 1800 to 2000 calories a day, and spread my meals into 6 small ones, ranging from 200 to 400 calories.  I included protein with each meal, similar to a body building diet.  I ate lean meats like tuna and chicken, whole wheat products, fruits and vegetables, protein bars and shakes, and low fat dairy like yogurt and cottage cheese.  I averaged about 4 pounds a week eating like this for about 12 weeks.

Pre Triathlon exercise: My original goal was to run a half marathon in May.  Like I said earlier I started the first week with 3 miles of running total.  I slowly added distances.  To give you an example, my running for week four of my training was two 2 mile runs, and a “long” run of 3 miles.  I also added in stationary bike sessions of 20 minutes once in a while to burn more calories.  The week of March 18^th  (week 11) of my training looked like: run: 3.5 miles, 3.5 miles, and 5 miles all done at an easy pace.  The long run was done at a 13:00 minute pace.  I also had a couple bike rides outside on my 1999 Schwinn Super Sport road bike by this point, with a long ride of 20 miles, again just to burn more calories.  I also began using the website Loseit.com, which tracked food calories and calories burned in exercise.  I would highly recommend using this site, or one similar. 

The decision: On March 27^th I weighed 246 pounds (total of 54 pounds lost.  My long run was 5 miles, and my long bike was 20 miles.  I had not swam for exercise in 10 years, so I called the local high school swim coach and asked her if she would work with me.  She said yes.  I knew that I needed something to keep me motivated.  I wanted a goal that would make me work my butt off, but that was also possible to achieve.  I looked for something in the middle of the summer, which would give me another 16 weeks to prepare and signed up for the Racine Half Ironman.  The entry fee was non refundable, so I felt committed. 

Getting information: I don’t have money to hire a coach to train me, so I read every book I could get my hands on.  I finally decided on following the Don Fink Beginner Ironman Training Plan, with adjustments for the long bike rides because of the shorter distance.  I jumped into the plan at week 14 because that’s all the time I had.  I know this isn’t ideal, and I should have had a much better base, but it worked for me.  I also signed up for the mentor program on BT, which I stumbled onto in my research.  This was a key.  My mentor Steve (Beawolf) was an experienced triathlete, including doing several long distance triathlons.  I received great information and support.  Steve helped me plan my long workouts, and answered my constant questions.

Triathlon training: My training was really quite simple once I committed to doing the race.  Mondays were an off day, Tuesday was an hour run, and an hour of swimming, Wednesday was a 30 minute bike/15 minute run brick, Thursday was an hour bike, Friday was an hour of swimming, and Saturday and Sunday were long bike and runs.  Intensity changed weekly for the hour bike and run sessions, and the long workouts included recovery weeks.  I also added an extra run in on Fridays if I had time, and lifted weights 3 days a week for a half hour. 

Triathlon and weight loss: The first 8 weeks of triathlon training I still aimed to lose 4 pounds a week, and I did.  This meant eating around 2000 calories a day, usually a little more on long bike and run days.  I just punched the numbers into Loseit.com to get the needed calorie deficit.  The last 8 weeks the weight loss slowed down because I wanted more energy to train.

The finish: I was able to finish the Racine Half Ironman.  The swim took me 44 minutes, the bike 3:27, and the run 2:56.  I was behind ¾ of the finishers, and ahead of ¼ of them.  My only goal was to finish, which I was able to do. 

The final result: Here are some things more important than my split times.  My resting heart rate is in the mid 40s, my blood pressure is usually around 115/75, and my asthma is gone.  My weight today is 205 pounds, down from 300.  I want to lose another 20, but I am going to take my time, and try to lose a more reasonable one to two pounds a week.  I am not dieting anymore, just making good food choices.  I am committed to a healthy lifestyle.  My body now craves chicken breasts and vegetables instead of Big Macs and Budweisers.  I’ve given up alcohol completely because I drank too much before, and I don’t really feel the need to have it any more. 

Final word: I hope this doesn’t come across as being preachy, and as me bragging.  I am no expert, but this worked for me.  I know a lot of people are interested in how others lose weight.  I offer no short cuts or tricks.  I simply ate less and moved more. 

6 months ago:

Today: