John Bearstail, 45, from Lincoln, North Dakota, shares his weight loss and fitness journey.
I quit being active in my twenties and didn’t take life too seriously; I was floating around 180 pounds at the time. Then at the age of 28, I lost my father to heart failure, and started spiraling, eating and drinking everything and anything that I could. I spent all of my thirties wondering when my time was coming, living an unhealthy lifestyle, trying crash diets to lose a little weight. I weighed 245 pounds by the time I turned 40.
One morning I woke up with bad acid reflux, coughing and trying to release yuck from my throat. After feeling better, being able to breath and swallow water, I stepped on the scale and saw that I was 250 pounds. The next day I had the same routine, wake up coughing and trying to clear my throat, only this time it was 251 pounds. I was kind of ashamed that I had gotten so heavy. This was a turning point for me, and I started looking to weight loss contests for motivation.
At first, all I did was diet with no specific workout routine set in place. My diet changed drastically, only eating clean foods that my wife already liked to eat. She introduced me to a diet called “PFC Every Three”: it was a hand full of protein, healthy fats and good carbs every three hours. I also had prepped lunches for the work week which seemed to work for me.
In a year I managed to lose 31 pounds and hold weight at 220 pounds. I eventually plateaued and couldn’t lose anymore from just dieting. So I started walking and jogging on a treadmill for 30 minutes during week days. After about a month or so I could tell it was working; the running was becoming easier and I began to lose weight again and my diet was better.
At the end of the year a friend of mine who was training for a half marathon said, “You should run with me at the Fargo Marathon.” I thought to myself there’s no way I can run 26 miles. He continued to say, “I’m going to run the half marathon, you might as well join me because you know we ain’t getting any younger!” We laughed, and about a week or two later I agreed, signed up, and began training. By the new year I lost another 10 pounds and by the end of that training for the half marathon I was down to 198 pounds. still eating clean, and loving life again.
When I first began training, I was basically using what knowledge I had with training/running.
To begin with, the weight loss contests helped me to stay motivated, because I knew I could win some extra casino cash, but it soon turned into something more than that: I began to feel lighter, my heart rate was lower, and I felt like my blood pressure had lowered. But mostly it was the fact of knowing that I as extending my life for my wife and my children with every run. I also spent a lot of time thinking about my late father Thomas Clyde Bearstail, and my late uncle Bruce Hall, who won a couple marathons while in the marines. I run in their memory, to try and encourage and inspire others to try and run a marathon, half marathon, a 10or even a 5K.
Over four years, I have lost a total of 71 pounds, and am now holding strong at 180 pounds. I feel great, and even waking up early to run and being sore from training feel great. I definitely feel healthier. My wife Joelle and I, who have been married for almost 20 years, have grown stronger together in this process and I give a lot of credit to her for helping me start this journey and also putting up with me as I continue to train for races.
I’m definitely not done yet. My current PR is 1:44:32. and one day I want to run in New York and Chicago. Ultimately, I would love to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
My advice for anyone who is just starting to lose weight is simple: don’t quit! It might sound harsh, but it’s going to hurt, and you have to trust the process and believe that it’s going to feel good in the end. That’s what’s screaming in my head on all of these long runs. Also, it’s important to have both a short and long term goal. The rush you get from accomplishing the short term goal will help you on your way to the long term.
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