Man walks off half his weight
From: www.cnn.com
After losing 192 pounds, Phill Novak, 41, says he feels there’s nothing he can’t do.
He wasn’t happy with his weight and neither were his doctors. In addition to taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol — his physician warned him that he was on track to become a diabetic.Reality hit in January 2006 at a Pittsburgh Steelers game. Novak had gone to smoke a cigarette.
“We were walking back up to our seats, and I started getting winded,” says Novak. “I didn’t feel right, I started sweating. I didn’t think I would make it back up. My heart [was] beating a million times a minute; I thought I was having a heart attack.”
Novak stood against a cold wall for 20 minutes to catch his breath. Fortunately, he wasn’t having a heart attack but he was so frightened that thoughts of his family began to race through his mind.
“A lot of things went through my head, about saying goodbye to my kids,” says Novak choking back his tears. “I told my friend, ‘This is it, I’m not going to live like this no more.’ ”
Novak, who was approaching his 40th birthday, made it through the football game. As he ate two double-cheeseburgers and a milkshake, he began to think about the limitations of obesity and how it was keeping him from living a full life.
Novak said the extra weight kept him from riding bikes with his kids. He dreaded doing anything physical like mowing the grass, shoveling snow or just moving — period. Novak says even sleeping became difficult.
“When I was big, I could only sleep one way … so I could support my belly,” says Novak. “My back always hurt … I could barely sleep and I remember always being tired.”
The next day, Novak devised his own game plan and started his weight-loss journey.
He began simply by walking — one mile a day and eating a low-carbohydrate diet
Novak continued to lose weight and as he built up his endurance he started jogging. Even though he had never belonged to a gym, he wanted to incorporate strength training. But the first time he went to the gym, he was intimidated by the loud music and weight lifters. He says he quickly “scampered” out and tried a few other places until he finally found a club where he felt comfortable.
Two years later, Novak has lost a total of 192 pounds. Today, he runs 30 to 40 miles a week, works out two to three hours a day, does yoga in the morning and squeezes in a push-up whenever he gets a chance at work.
Now maintaining his weight at 195 pounds, Novak says he’s made a lifestyle change and rarely takes a day off from exercise.
Still, he doesn’t take all of the credit for his weight loss. Novak says he couldn’t have done it without the support of his family — which he thanks for allowing him to be selfish.
“I am so proud of myself … for the first time in my life,” beams Novak. “Besides my kids, [this is] the first time I’m proud of myself.”
Novak says losing weight has boosted his confidence and made him realize that he can do anything he sets his mind to. He says people also treat him differently and no longer stare at him. In fact, he enjoys the fact that people, who haven’t seen him in a while, recognize only his Pittsburgh accent.
When he looks back at pictures of himself at nearly 400 pounds, he says it’s hard to believe he treated his body that way.
Would he ever go back to being heavy?
“No way! Ain’t going back there … won’t do it, can’t do it,” says Novak. “I’ve never been happier in my life!”
Filed under: Uncategorized, Weight Loss on February 1st, 2008 | No Comments »
Last Sunday we had an opportunity to walk on the world’s most famous boardwalk: The Atlantic City Boardwalk. (Thanks to Monopoly) And, for a windy day in February, it was very enjoyable. We were staying with my brother and his wife who live just 45 minutes from there. It was their suggestion to spent the day there and a good one.
My history with Atlantic City goes way back. I grew up in Woodbury, NJ which is a bit over an hour from there. My parents took us there for the for the the beach, the boardwalk and to take in some amusements. The big attraction was the Steel Pier which is still standing but under some pretty serious repair. Those visiting the pier, including us, would stand in line to watch a horse with a lady on it dive into the ocean - a practice was stopped in 1978.
If casinos bother you, don’t go there - they’re everywhere. On our walk we cut through a couple of casinos, but we didn’t stop to play. On the other hand, if you like to shop, this is the place. Every specialty store you can think of is there - and more. There is an uptown area, stores on the boardwalk, on the piers, and in the corridors of the casinos. And, no matter where you go no expenses are spared. We were in one corridor with an outdoor theme and it had a very realistic sky, birds, wind, trees, etc - none if it real. As long as the gamblers keep coming, they can buy anything.
The boardwalk is in good shape. Except for a few dunes and piers, there is an ocean view on one side. The beach is wide and long and there is a temptation to walk out on the sand. We walked onto the beach and found once we were past the dunes, the wind became too much. So our walk stayed along the boardwalk with a few detours through the piers and casinos.
