Fat Man Walking

“Fat Man Walking
At 400 pounds, Steve Vaught is taking the biggest leap of his life.

He's walking across the country to lose weight. Averaging 15 miles per day along Route 66, the self-titled "Fat Man Walking" has traveled 300 miles on foot -- and along the way, he's lost 50 pounds.

www.fatmanwalking.com”

“repost”

“where?”

“sarge, are you following me? are you in love with me? ;-D”

“yw”

“yw?

you wish?”

“LOL!

You're welcome.”

“yellow weeble?”

“No thank you. Just ate.”

“I'll have some!”

“Give it to Wounded Knee, he'll eat anything!”

“i met a thru on the lt named yellow weeble. nice lady. gave me some really good pizza from town”

“Not true Bit. Not a big fan of meatloaf or seafood.”

“Aw, you never had my wife's meatloaf. It's good!”

“Aw, you never had my wife's meatloaf. It's good!”

man, i know theres a joke in there somewhere”

“All meatloaf sucks! I have tried it so many different ways and couldn't stand it any way it was prepaired.”

“My wife's meatloaf tastes more like Salisbury Steak. Can you eat that?


yes, there is a hilarious joke in there somewhere...lol...”

“are you sure it doesnt taste like chicken?

i knew there was a joke in there”

“Went to see progress of FATMANWALKING and the site is no longer there. I hope he is okay. His wife had not heard from him in two days as of the 21st, if I remember right.”

“Yikes.

Hey I just checked his site; it was working for me, but no updates since sunday.
last edited: 7/22/05 5:30:11 PM”

“Interesting-- my friend told me about this...”

“Still Walking: Vaught Aims for Amarillo
He's down 50 pounds, and he's not done yet. Steve Vaught (left) continues his cross-country walk to lose weight, covering about 1,000 miles on foot since leaving Oceanside, Calif., in mid-April.

Despite the grueling heat of the southwest desert, sore knees and blisters, Vaught has nearly made it through New Mexico. He's committed to reaching the East Coast this year.

"Getting to New York is not a matter of success or failure to me, instead it is a certainty," he writes in his Web journal. "I have no doubt at all about my ability to get there."

Vaught's fears about dying prematurely fueled his desperation to lose weight. At age 39, the father of two tipped the scales at 400 pounds and slipped into depression. With time to burn between jobs, Vaught conceived the idea that has since gained national media attention.

His route takes a sharp turn north after Texas, with a stop planned to visit his sister in Ohio. Follow his route at: thefatmanwalking.com.

A Step in the Right Direction?
Vaught, like other severely obese men, may face an uphill battle to lose weight. His walking routine, however, should help him reach his goal more quickly than diet alone. In essence, Vaught has adopted some version of the Step Diet, which gets dieters moving and burning calories without radical calorie restriction.”

“I wonder if the Fat Man Walking will be passing near any of the TTers??”

“A Kronenwetter pastor who tips the scales at 378 pounds plans to walk across the country in an effort to help hurricane victims along the Gulf Coast.

The Rev. Travis Russ, 38, of the Victory Family Worship Center, a home-based, independent Pentecostal charismatic church, will set off from his home on Saturday and hopes to be in Pensacola, Fla., in 40-plus days. He will hook up with a church group there and head to Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss., where he'll lend a hand in the recovery efforts in any way he can.

He understands that his sheer bulk raises eyebrows at this plan.

"I've looked at myself in the mirror and said, 'You're crazy.' ... A lot of people are saying I cannot do it," he said. "But we know with God, all things are possible."
He plans to witness and share his faith as he trudges 20 to 30 miles per day. Russ hopes his trek - he estimates it to be about 1,200 miles - will spur people to donate money, clothing and other goods.
He said God planted the idea in his soul when he watched television coverage of the hurricane. He couldn't turn away from the plight of the victims, especially that of children.

"There's so many children, they don't know where their parents are," Russ said. "I prayed about it, and I knew that (God) was working something within me."
He wanted to do more than a simple fundraiser or food and clothing drive. That's when he came upon the idea of walking for the effort. He knew the fact that he was attempting the foot journey at nearly 400 pounds was bound to attract attention and "bring more of an impact to an average person."

The only rule Russ has set for himself is that he has to walk the entire way. There will be no hitching of rides, he said.

He'll wear a pack carrying a tent and other basic equipment, and he plans to tow a small wagon so he can collect clothing along the way.

The wagon is being built by his friend, Niron Bonitz, 39, of Wausau. Bonitz doesn't doubt that Russ will be striding into Pensacola in a matter of weeks.

"He believes in God, and God has shown him what to do. He feels strongly in the conviction that God told him to go down there," Bonitz said. "Faith has a lot to do with it. Because God said in the Bible that as long as you have the Lord in your life, you can do anything."

Russ is aware that the trip will be a test of faith as well as strength, endurance and shoe leather.

"I've never thought about (failure), because it's just not gonna happen," Russ said. "I know for the first few weeks it's going to be rough."

He knows God won't do the work for him, so he's been walking about six to seven miles daily to get ready for the journey. And he feels the benefits.

"It's been two notches on my belt already," he said.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdhlocal/284336770898851.shtml”

“and he plans to tow a small wagon so he can collect clothing along the way.


Hmm. If he is contemplating towing something all the way there, you'd think he would shoot for something with a higher value to weight ratio.”

“What a copy cat!”

“NEW YORK — The Big Apple will greet a big man on Tuesday who has lost at least 105 pounds during a yearlong walk across the country.

Steve Vaught, 40, of San Diego, trekked through 12 states, suffered two kidney stones and was struck by a Big Gulp drink thrown by an angry passerby during his adventure, which began last April 10 when he strolled out of his house, The New York Post reported.

He'll lumber across the George Washington Bridge Tuesday and then head down to Rockefeller Center to mark the end of his journey. He still weighs in at about 305 pounds — not thin by any stretch of the imagination but a definite improvement over his starting mass of 410.

"I am a changed man. I can't believe I could walk across the country when before I couldn't walk across Target," Vaught told the Post. "It has taught me so much about me and my life, and I think I have helped others."

One year and one month ago, Vaught was depressed, unemployed and obese. He decided to walk ... and walk ... and walk in the hopes of losing weight and regaining his life. The journey meant leaving his wife, April, and two children behind, and now the couple plans to divorce, though they remain friends, he says.

Other than a 21-day stop to work with a personal trainer in Dayton, Ohio, on nutrition and exercise, Vaught hasn't stopped moving, the Post reported. Each day consists of eight to 12 hours of walking, dining at restaurants along the way and sleeping in cheap motels or his tent.
Not surprisingly, he's attracted his own fan club of sorts, who have been following him on his Web site, thefatmanwalking.com. Vaught is not walking for any specific cause and has no support system helping him on his super-hike.”

“I have this image of Forest Gump running now.”

“did he take in blue blazed roads? hmm? Hmmm? well! cuz if he did, he can't say he's a thruhiker .... wait, sorry, wrong trail.”

“If I lived in NY, I would go walk with him into the city. I think he's inspirational.”

“He might not be so stable:

Fifteen years ago, Vaught, a fit ex-Marine, was driving into the sun when an elderly couple crossed his path. His car struck them both. The woman went through the windshield; Vaught spent the night in jail with her blood in his hair.

That brief moment was the beginning of a downward spiral into depression and obesity

http://www.carfreeuniverse.org/Members/colin/thefatmanwalking/”

“have him thru hike and i guarantee he will lose another 50...”

“if he stays in New York, perhaps he can dayhike the Devils Path with us next weekend.”

“Somewhat similar story:

http://whatwouldjacobdo.com/”

“note...dont watch that last video...gross LOL!”

“note...dont watch that last video...gross LOL!”