Press Release Summary = Steve Vaught the cult fat man who is walking across the US, was not always fat. He was in the marines and was in fantastic shape, until a traumatic event occured in his life that caused him to pile on the pounds, discover what that event was and how walking across America is going to help him regain his self belief
Press Release Body = Have you heard about the "Fat Man" who decided to walk across the US to lose weight--leaving his family behind-and camping by the roadside? You may laugh but he's got a publishing contract, been on the Today Show program and next it's Oprah.
\"That's absolutely nuts" you say. Here is what Steve Vaught wrote about his coast-to-coast plan. \"Well, maybe. But how nutty is spending a fortune on miracle weight-loss drugs or fad diets that never seem to have lasting results or dangerous surgeries that cost the same as a luxury car? I don\'t want to miss out on birthdays, graduations, marriages and grandkids because I chose not to take my life back. That, to me, is nuts.\"
His 3000 mile journey has been full of self-discovery and as much an emotional journey as a physical one.
Steve had been a marine and was in excellent shape. I was amazed when I looked at the photo's of him in his younger days http://tinyurl.com/heakr What I was struck by was that he was able to trace his weight gain to a specific event. When he was twenty he was in a car accident in which he struck and killed two elderly pedestrians. This lead to years of being depressed and comfort eating that resulted in massive weight gain.
The turning point for Steve in his battle with his weight was when he realized that he was out of breath walking across the supermarket. At the time of writing this in March 2006 he has completed over 2500 miles with just 500 to go, and has lost 114lbs. But that is not his greatest victory: He has stopped taking his antidepressants and he is happy again.
When I read stories like this my role as a Total Success CoachT comes to the fore and I try and work out why people become like this. In Steve Vaught\'s case my opinion is that he stopped living since the tragic accident which was a traumatic event in his life.
The cynic might say that traumatic events like this happen to people all the time and that's no excuse to start eating yourself to death or drinking alcohol to excess or taking drugs to numb the pain. I would have to agree, but what happens is that if people don't have a supportive family or group of friends, it is easy to start the downward cycle into depression and self loathing.
What I admire about what Steve is doing is that he is no longer refusing to play the role of victim rather he is taking charge of his life. He is now he is adding countless positive experiences to redress the balance
Where would you be in your life if you truly were able to get over all the "bad mistakes" you've made and were to launch forward powerfully in your life without guilt and remorse?
A worthy question isn't it?
Gavin Allinson is a Total Success CoachT with www.totalsuccessinstitute.com