Article published March 09, 2009
MOTIVATED TO LOSE
Less stress, more exercise, better diet put Eric Randolph on the right track
By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
On the second Monday of each month The Blade will feature one of the participants in Lucas County's Million Pound Challenge.
Eric Randolph was anticipating big numbers when he stepped onto the scale recently at the start of his new diet.
But not quite 435 pounds big.
"It's a number you don't want to see," recalled Mr. Randolph, 38, of West Toledo. "It was very sobering. I guess that's the only way to put it."
Though always a larger guy, Mr. Randolph said that it was not until the end of his first marriage that he began putting on serious weight. Food became his salve for life's stresses, anxieties, and moments of depression.
"Food never told me I was fat. Food never told me I was ugly. Food was always there for me," said Mr. Randolph, who is just over 6-feet-1-inch tall. "I love food and a lot of times I would eat just to eat. It's stupid, but it's the truth."He is one of the 1,311 enrollees in Lucas County's Million Pound Challenge who are aiming to lose a collective one million pounds before the end of the year.
As the challenge's highlighted participant for March, he will receive a free one-year family membership to any branch of the YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo, a set of Toledo Mud Hens tickets, and a $50 gift certificate to an area restaurant.
The Blade is a challenge sponsor, and those who enroll are able to track their weight through a private journal on the Blade's Web site, toledoblade.com.
Mr. Randolph hopes to eventually slim down to under 245 pounds, or about 200 pounds less than what he weighed three weeks ago.
And considering his heart attack two years ago, he believes that his life may well depend on reaching this goal. He and his wife have adopted two young children, now ages 2 and 3, and he wants to be there as they grow into adulthood.
"The way I look at it, God gave me a second chance in life," Mr. Randolph said. "He's given me two beautiful children, he's given me a loving wife, and I feel like I'd be failing them."
Mr. Randolph is tackling his weight loss through a mix of diet and exercise. He has been following a no-salt diet since last month's humbling weigh-in experience that's precluded him from eating many of the high-calorie and high-fat foods he once indulged in, such as potato chips and fried foods.
Although cutting salt does not melt away pounds without a corresponding decrease in calories, the strategy has helped Mr. Randolph be vigilant and aware of what he is putting into his body.
"I find the no-salt diet the easiest because you have to eat smart," he said. "If you're eating no-salt foods you're not eating chips - you're eating fresh fruits and fresh vegetables."
Compounding the challenge is his place of employment. As manager in training at the Burger King on West Laskey Road, Mr. Randolph must deploy self-control every day to fend off the steady aromas of juicy burgers and sizzling fries.
He's managed to keep an iron nose so far.
"When you're working you don't get to eat anyways, so it's all about eating the right foods on your break," he said.
He achieved some initial weight-loss success after his 2007 heart attack. He was 427 pounds at the time of the heart attack, and got down to about 340 pounds through his no-salt diet and twice-daily 1 1/2-mile walks around his neighborhood.
However, he regained all the weight and more due to the stresses of his second adoption. Some people relapse to a smoking habit in times of stress, and Mr. Randolph was once again overeating.
"That's what I basically am - I'm addicted to food. And to be addicted to food is the worst addiction you can have because you have to have food" to live, he said.
Now that stability has returned, Mr. Randolph said he is more committed than ever to losing weight. He explained that while being a part of the weight loss challenge is helpful, his greatest motivation to live a healthy and long life is at home.
"The love of my life is my wife and children," he said. "They're the ones I get up for in the morning."
Those interested in joining the Lucas County Million Pound Challenge may enroll by visiting the Blade's Web site at toledoblade.com.
Contact JC Reindl at:
jreindl@theblade.com
or 419-724-6065.
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