560 Lb. Man Riding Across the US.

[SpokeValley]

http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2015/07/23/560-pound-man-biking-across-us-to-lose-weight/

"Hites decided to do the cross-country trek because his marriage was failing and he wanted to get healthy again."

Good on him.:)

[bikerboy337]

he's just down the road from me... good on him... my only thought was how ill prepared he seems to be, he's been in RI for over a week as he has mechanical issues, was trying to do this on a $17 bike if I recall correctly... just seems that with a little planning, he could have pulled something together to make this a smoother experience... read his blog yesterday and it seems like he's had quite a few issues due to poor planning...

in any event, rooting for him, but its going to take a long long time at the current pace...

[cdn_bacon]

I would love to see the final weigh-in after that jaunt.

keep us posted please.

[enr1co]

Hope he does well and makes it a lifestyle!

I took up cycling as a distraction after I got dumped from a relationship back when ~26 yrs old.

If I ever run into her, will sincerely thank her :)

[Keith A]

Good for him, but he's got a long way to go and it's going to take a while...90 miles in two weeks isn't a great start.
The Newport Daily News reports 40-year-old Eric Hites started his journey last month in Falmouth, Massachusetts. He's gone 90 miles so far and claims to have lost 60 pounds in the first two weeks.

[R3awak3n]

Good for him, but he's got a long way to go and it's going to take a while...90 miles in two weeks isn't a great start.

For his weight is actually pretty damn good. And the dude had a mechanical. They need to put him on a beefy surly with 40 spoke wheels and he will be much better of.

[paredown]

For his weight is actually pretty damn good. And the dude had a mechanical. They need to put him on a beefy surly with 40 spoke wheels and he will be much better of.

Sounds like they are putting him on a mountain bike--not sure that's the right answer. Surly sounds better to me.

[Keith A]

For his weight is actually pretty damn good. And the dude had a mechanical. They need to put him on a beefy surly with 40 spoke wheels and he will be much better of.True, but he's talking about riding across the country...and at this rate, it will take him more than a year.

[hokoman]

Sounds like they are putting him on a mountain bike--not sure that's the right answer. Surly sounds better to me.

The article said mountain bike wheels... bit this would be an incredible pr opportunity for surly or Co motion or one of those companies to jump in.

Hoping he makes it. I am taking another short tour next month.. have not been on a bike in a couple years and hoping I can make it down to Los Angeles too.. thankfully I am nowhere near his weight.

[BobbyJones]

In a world of quick fixes through surgery, this is quite admirable.

Poor planning? Maybe. Man of Action? Definitely.

When I hear the phrase "So what's your excuse?" I'll be thinking of this guy.

[Louis]

If he keeps it up and adds a better diet to his lifestyle he'll be all set.

[Jimbo]

This could be a theme for a whole season of Biggest Loser! They all start across the US. At the end of each week the last one gets cut. Kind of like a very long very slow miss-n-out.

[Louis]

This could be a theme for a whole season of Biggest Loser! They all start across the US. At the end of each week the last one gets cut. Kind of like a very long very slow miss-n-out.

They'd have to be sure to stay away from the Tour de Donut in Staunton IL.

(a long time ago I was the co-chair of the organizing committee for this for one year - it's a fun event to put on and folks really enjoy it, both the fast guys who don't bother to eat any donuts at all, and the guys with an appetite)

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0AYAf8awVRO8SsvQo4fvx4dyORMG2r LphmDXMeFRhOMXP_w8d

[choke]

They'd have to be sure to stay away from the Tour de Donut in Staunton IL.

(a long time ago I was the co-chair of the organizing committee for this for one year - it's a fun event to put on and folks really enjoy it, both the fast guys who don't bother to eat any donuts at all, and the guys with an appetite)
That's the one ride I regret not doing when I lived back in that area. I'd have definitely been in the latter group.

[Louis]

That's the one ride I regret not doing when I lived back in that area. I'd have definitely been in the latter group.

You get 5 min off your total time per doughnut eaten. Every now and they they get someone with a negative adjusted time.

As I recall, the route is typically about 30 miles long. Let's assume 20 mph (it's usually a flat to rolling course). There are two doughnut stops where you can eat as many or as few as you like.

30 / 20 = 1.5 hrs = 90 minutes

90 / 5 = 18 doughnuts or 9 / stop YUM !!! :(

[cloudguy]

Sorry to be a downer, but it sounds to me like someone trying to impulsively ride both literally and figuratively away from their problems. Not sustainable in the long run and a good way to get injured in the short run. I'm guessing most medical professionals would argue this is the wrong approach to a healthy/happier lifestyle - seems more like just another form of extreme excess. Hope he finds peace at some point.

[Peter P.]

[QUOTE=bikerboy337;1793964]... read his blog yesterday and it seems like he's had quite a few issues due to poor planning...
QUOTE]

Can you point me to his blog?

I agree his method is extreme but sometimes we get so fed up we take drastic measures that are part symbolic as well as part solution.

The guy must be unemployed to be able to do this without a time frame. I question whether he has the finances.

He should be home working on his marriage AND his weight.

[Javaman]

He's got a site...pretty impressive, I think.

http://www.fatguyacrossamerica.com/home-shift/#intro

[gone]

From his 7/9 blog entry:

So, I went and visited a great resturaunt on July 5th it was called the Gateway Tavern, I had their pupu platter, wings, mozz sticks, boneless wings and tater skins, it was very good, for my main I had Kobe Beef burger for the first time, it was a good burger you need to try one sometime. For dessert I had a cappuccino and a lemon berry mascarpone cake.

As was said above, he's made the first lifestyle change: exercise. Now if he can just make the second: diet and turn it into a lifetime habit he'll be set.

Good luck to him.

[oldpotatoe]

From his 7/9 blog entry:

So, I went and visited a great resturaunt on July 5th it was called the Gateway Tavern, I had their pupu platter, wings, mozz sticks, boneless wings and tater skins, it was very good, for my main I had Kobe Beef burger for the first time, it was a good burger you need to try one sometime. For dessert I had a cappuccino and a lemon berry mascarpone cake.

As was said above, he's made the first lifestyle change: exercise. Now if he can just make the second: diet and turn it into a lifetime habit he'll be set.

Good luck to him.

:crap:

[dgauthier]

Hope he does well and makes it a lifestyle!

I took up cycling as a distraction after I got dumped from a relationship back when ~26 yrs old.

If I ever run into her, will sincerely thank her :)

This thread reminds me of the old joke about the guy who lost 250 pounds of ugly fat in one day -- his wife left him!

[Peter P.]

So it's July 25th and he hasn't posted since July 9th.

I'd say the experiment is over.

Please prove me wrong.

[gary135r]

This thread reminds me of the old joke about the guy who lost 250 pounds of ugly fat in one day -- his wife left him!
That joke reminds me of the joke about mixed emotions. Having your Mother in-law drive off a cliff in your new car.

[JAllen]

That joke reminds me of the joke about mixed emotions. Having your Mother in-law drive off a cliff in your new car.

As long as it wasn't my step mother in law. I love her dearly.

My real mother in law??? I have GAP insurance...

[numbskull]

You get 5 min off your total time per doughnut eaten. Every now and they they get someone with a negative adjusted time.

As I recall, the route is typically about 30 miles long. Let's assume 20 mph (it's usually a flat to rolling course). There are two doughnut stops where you can eat as many or as few as you like.

30 / 20 = 1.5 hrs = 90 minutes

90 / 5 = 18 doughnuts or 9 / stop YUM !!! :(

This sounds like a VERY interesting challenge.

Maintaining 20 mph for 1.5 hours with 18 doughnuts in you is nothing to be sneezed at.

I'll bet the training for this is tough as well.

[Keith A]

Looks like this guy is still moving...

Journal...
http://www.fatguyacrossamerica.com/journal/2015/7/29/follow-up-from-new-bedford

Facebook...
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fat-guy-Across-America/182275968530674?pnref=lhc

Interesting comment on his Facebook from yesterday...
How far did you get today? I'm not the only one asking. But you been in RI for 3 weeks. This seems a little schetchy to me. Sorry just my opinion. All 19k followers. Almost $10.000 in donations. I thought this was about you biking,getting healthy & winning your wife back. What we see is news reports that you are doing and you have stopped tagging area that you are in. I really hope that this isn't a sham. What started out as a great thing is turning many heads now. Go ahead bash away but I can't be the only on that is asking all these questions.

[Louis]

Give the poor guy a break, Rhode Island is a big state.

[Avincent52]

You get 5 min off your total time per doughnut eaten. Every now and they they get someone with a negative adjusted time.

As I recall, the route is typically about 30 miles long. Let's assume 20 mph (it's usually a flat to rolling course). There are two doughnut stops where you can eat as many or as few as you like.

30 / 20 = 1.5 hrs = 90 minutes

90 / 5 = 18 doughnuts or 9 / stop YUM !!! :(

LOL, literally, at "negative adjusted time."

I honestly didn't think you could ride 90 miles in a westerly direction and stay in Rhode Island. Connecticut, ho!
I'd pay to see him join the Rapha ride in Greenwhich.

[bcroslin]

Fat Guy Across America Hits New York (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/fashion/fat-guy-across-america-eric-hites.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0)

Nice piece on Eric Hites in the NYT

[moose8]

I think it's wonderful when people take a huge step towards self improvement - there are so many naysayers about anyone trying anything a little different. I hope it works out for him.

[wc1934]

I think it's wonderful when people take a huge step towards self improvement - there are so many naysayers about anyone trying anything a little different. I hope it works out for him.

yup - kudoos to him. It must really be difficult both physically and mentally, but at least he is trying.

[mecse]

http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2015/07/23/560-pound-man-biking-across-us-to-lose-weight/

"Hites decided to do the cross-country trek because his marriage was failing and he wanted to get healthy again."

Good on him.:)

Loads of thoughts. Getting to 560lb requires a lot of deep set bad habits.

I am not surprised, nor do I disparage him for only making 90 miles in a few weeks. It's hard work pushing that much weight.

If he makes it to NYC i'll buy him an espresso.

[echappist]

Loads of thoughts. Getting to 560lb requires a lot of deep set bad habits.

I am not surprised, nor do I disparage him for only making 90 miles in a few weeks. It's hard work pushing that much weight.

If he makes it to NYC i'll buy him an espresso.

the horse has left the proverbial barn on that one

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/fashion/fat-guy-across-america-eric-hites.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below

[milkbaby]

Not so sure taking off for a long bike tour is going to help his marriage any... LOL

[brockd15]

Not so sure taking off for a long bike tour is going to help his marriage any... LOL

Same thing I thought, but according to the article they're back together.
The article also says he's pulling a trailer with 300 pounds of gear!

[tjk23]

So I'm just wondering. How the hell does someone afford to do this? I would love to ride across country but I can't just up and quit my job and leave my family to do it.

[fa63]

Sounds like they are doing it by using the donation money. Which is sad because it sounds like a scam. They seem be trying to get a book / reality show deal out of it.

[ldamelio]

Agree. While it's PC to give him kudos for changing his lifestyle, etc., at this point it's pretty apparent it's a scam. It would seem reasonable if he was covering at least 20 miles a day or so (remember, this is all he's doing - lets say 7 mph for three hours with long breaks still leaves him 21 hours/day to rest) and blogging regularly.

[AJM100]

Not sure its necessarily a scam, more of a reflection of opportunistic individuals in this day and age of all things "reality", which is a huge misnomer.

I think the guy is going to alienate his followers/fan base if this theme keeps playing out as reported (last paragraphs for NYT article) - holding out for better accommodations and requesting reality tv producer to start spending some coin on his epic adventure . . .

[redir]

IF what they say in the NYT article is true then it doesn't sound like a scam at all. He started doing it on his own volition and then it went viral. That's how a lot of things work out now.

Sometimes when people have nothing else to lose they go on to do great things.

[unterhausen]

Sounds like they are doing it by using the donation money. Which is sad because it sounds like a scam. They seem be trying to get a book / reality show deal out of it.

well, the good news is that the reality show would have years of material at this rate of progress. If he actually gets down to 180 or so, he'll be done so quickly they couldn't get 2 hours out of it

We know a guy that lived in State College that was considerably overweight and things weren't going well in his life. Lots of skills, just nobody would give him a job. So he built himself a recumbent and rode across the country and got a job. Too bad he didn't do the social media thing, he was a real success story.

[cinema]

So I'm just wondering. How the hell does someone afford to do this? I would love to ride across country but I can't just up and quit my job and leave my family to do it.

I'll attempt to answer this because I'm a snarky disaffected millennial. I am not, however, 500 lbs so my take is probably different.

We have higher education degrees yet work as contractors in a gig economy while at the same time being employed as W2 elsewhere, at some soulless company that pays us nothing but gives us health care, all the while still making half of what our parents did 20 years ago.
+
relationships that evolve slowly with more emotional/financial baggage
+
parents are the only real home owners we know and we'll always have a room in the basement
=
A feeling that we have nothing to lose

[goonster]

So I'm just wondering. How the hell does someone afford to do this?
In a way, he can't afford not to.

At 500+ lbs, he's probably tried a lot of things that didn't work, and this is a drastic measure to save his life.

That's more or less how it was for Scott Cutshall, and it worked for him. (His plan included a strict diet plan, and he started by riding around the block, not across the country.)

[cinema]

in a way, he can't afford not to.

At 500+ lbs, he's probably tried a lot of things that didn't work, and this is a drastic measure to save his life.

That's more or less how it was for scott cutshall, and it worked for him. (his plan included a strict diet plan, and he started by riding around the block, not across the country.)

+1, great perspective

[unterhausen]

That's more or less how it was for Scott Cutshall, and it worked for him. (His plan included a strict diet plan, and he started by riding around the block, not across the country.)That's a good way to do it, and going across the country is more likely to result in failure than going around the block. There are lots of people that lose weight this way. Not enough, but growing numbers. It's too bad there is nobody that's selling bikes that are suitable.

[Climb01742]

My two cents: I doubt his cross country ride is black and white good or bad. To have gotten where he did in life, as described in the NYT article, he didn't always make the best choices for himself. The same is probably true for his ride. I think his impulse is good and noble, to win back his wife and try to get his life back on more solid ground. But is he making great choices at every step on the way? Maybe not, but then, haven't we all made some bad choices? I think he sees this journey as maybe the one thing in his life he can monetize to gain some financial stability. As long as he's transparent about how he uses the donations, calling it a 'scam' feels harsh. He's not as calculated or slick as the Kardashians in monetizing his life but it feels to me he's coming from a much better place. He isn't perfect. But maybe that's one more reason to root for him?

[LegendRider]

My two cents: I doubt his cross country ride is black and white good or bad. To have gotten where he did in life, as described in the NYT article, he didn't always make the best choices for himself. The same is probably true for his ride. I think his impulse is good and noble, to win back his wife and try to get his life back on more solid ground. But is he making great choices at every step on the way? Maybe not, but then, haven't we all made some bad choices? I think he sees this journey as maybe the one thing in his life he can monetize to gain some financial stability. As long as he's transparent about how he uses the donations, calling it a 'scam' feels harsh. He's not as calculated or slick as the Kardashians in monetizing his life but it feels to me he's coming from a much better place. He isn't perfect. But maybe that's one more reason to root for him?

Nicely put.

[R3awak3n]

I agree that is a very nice post.

[AJM100]

His destination is perfect - Cali - as he might need a good plastic surgeon to help with the inevitable "skin" issue if he drops 100+lbs . . .

:hello:

[Saint Vitus]

Yes, the underdog. I wonder if he plans on making it to Indiana to winter and then continuing on in the spring. If he does he'd better get a trainer to keep up with his fitness and weight while not on the road. Godspeed the underdog, Eric Hites.

[Tony T]

Where is his next stop?
Getting cold in the NE.
He should continue south then head west through the southern states.

[malcolm]

My two cents: I doubt his cross country ride is black and white good or bad. To have gotten where he did in life, as described in the NYT article, he didn't always make the best choices for himself. The same is probably true for his ride. I think his impulse is good and noble, to win back his wife and try to get his life back on more solid ground. But is he making great choices at every step on the way? Maybe not, but then, haven't we all made some bad choices? I think he sees this journey as maybe the one thing in his life he can monetize to gain some financial stability. As long as he's transparent about how he uses the donations, calling it a 'scam' feels harsh. He's not as calculated or slick as the Kardashians in monetizing his life but it feels to me he's coming from a much better place. He isn't perfect. But maybe that's one more reason to root for him?


I agree and well said.

One post about his lunch reminded me of a line from a book I read, I don't recall which one but it was about fitness and weight/fat loss.
" You can't out train a bad diet"

[dpk501]

:crap:

At least he didn't have a soda.

[R3awak3n]

Where is his next stop?
Getting cold in the NE.
He should continue south then head west through the southern states.

I was thinking the same. It's getting cold up north and ridding and sleeping in the cold is another challenge.

[mecse]

the horse has left the proverbial barn on that one

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/fashion/fat-guy-across-america-eric-hites.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below

Ha, I just found that yesterday. The photo shoot is wonderful.

He's in none of the classic NYC cycling spots though. Good for him. Losing 70lb is no mean feat so he should be very very proud of himself.

[gjc985]

I wouldn't want to do this and I'm 180 pounds. Props to him!