Man now nearly half his former 500-pound self thanks to cycling
Dangerously overweight, Chris Quick needed to make a change
Dangerously overweight, Chris Quick needed to make a change
Dangerously overweight, Chris Quick needed to make a change
They all used to call him 바카라 게임 웹사이트Big Chris.바카라 게임 웹사이트 But Chris Quick, now 33, hated Big Chris.
Sure, it seemed like a fun nickname for someone with his frame. By the time Big Chris hit the sixth grade, he was 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. When the high school football coach in his Montana town took one look at him, he saw someone who could push around other massive young men in the trenches of the gridiron. The coach was stunned he바카라 게임 웹사이트d have to wait three years to add Big Chris to the team.
Eventually, Quick fulfilled his nickname, as a wide-shouldered, thick-necked, big-bellied lineman, even though he didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t care much for football. When he started college at North Dakota State University, he hung up his cleats and fell victim to the affliction that affects so many freshmen: college weight gain.
In his case, however, he packed on 50 extra pounds instead of the traditional 15. No matter; that was Big Chris.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s funny how your brain plays tricks on you,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Quick told over the phone. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I assumed since so many people knew me as the big guy, my weight wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t really a big deal. In my mind, I was just always going to be that guy. So I got used to it.바카라 게임 웹사이트
As Quick continued growing after college, he blew up. First to 300 pounds, then to 400. He took A/V sales jobs after graduation and worked concert security on the side. Any time a popular musician rolled through town, Big Chris was the beefy ringer called in to guard them. No other human barricade was better suited for the job.
Once Quick reached his late 20s, he had settled into a life he knew was unhealthy. He바카라 게임 웹사이트d chug three Mountain Dews in the morning, down a few Burger King Whoppers for lunch, and polish off an entire pizza for dinner. In between meals were endless bags of corn chips and bottles of pop.
It turns out a 4,000-calorie daily diet takes its toll. For Quick, even the simplest physical tasks were a struggle: Walking up stairs left him winded, bending down to tie his shoes was a burden.
Air travel proved tricky, too. 바카라 게임 웹사이트When I바카라 게임 웹사이트d fly somewhere for work, I바카라 게임 웹사이트d have to request one of those seat belt extenders,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트That broke my heart.바카라 게임 웹사이트
To avoid embarrassment, he stayed at home and retreated inward. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I was depressed,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I found myself not doing anything, period. I didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t want to go outside and deal with being that giant sweaty guy. It was much easier to withdraw and pig out.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Eventually, Quick stopped weighing himself altogether. It wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t so much out of fear of the number on the scale, but mostly because he couldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t actually find one strong enough for his size.
It was only at the doctor바카라 게임 웹사이트s office when he was 31 that he finally heard the verdict: He had topped out at 475 pounds.
The doctor put it more bluntly: 바카라 게임 웹사이트Chris, you바카라 게임 웹사이트re too f---ing fat.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Something had to give, his foul-mouthed physician reasoned, or Quick바카라 게임 웹사이트s body would ultimately give out. Soon after hearing the doctor바카라 게임 웹사이트s orders, he found himself on the couch in the summer of 2016, staring at the beautiful Bismarck, North Dakota, sun waiting outside his window. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I just realized how much I was missing,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I knew I needed to get outside. So I thought about riding a bike.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The only problem? He didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t have one. He hadn바카라 게임 웹사이트t even sat on one since he was a kid. So he ventured to his local sporting goods store, gave his pitch to the salesman; "I바카라 게임 웹사이트m almost 500 pounds; got anything that will support me?" and walked out with a . 바카라 게임 웹사이트The bike is meant to get people moving and 바카라 게임 웹사이트shift바카라 게임 웹사이트 their lifestyle,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트That concept really spoke to me.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The first ride was short: a few miles, maybe 5, along his neighborhood bike path. It was so painful that he could barely sit down the next day. 바카라 게임 웹사이트But I felt a kind of enjoyment that I hadn바카라 게임 웹사이트t felt in such a long time,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I wanted to go for another ride right away.바카라 게임 웹사이트
That was the day Big Chris began to outgrow his nickname.
Quick quickly fell in love, immersing himself deeply in the world of bikes: how to ride them, fix them and even build them. He spent hours at a time falling down YouTube and Reddit rabbit holes, acquiring all the information he needed to gear up, gain endurance and replace the pesky parts that occasionally fell apart.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Sure, I broke some spokes here and there because of my weight,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트But that바카라 게임 웹사이트s a $30 fix. And I wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t going to let $30 keep me from living a better life.바카라 게임 웹사이트
As the miles increased, the pounds disappeared. Quick was fitting in 20-mile rides after work every weekday and rapidly dropping pants sizes in the process. Within a few months, he was down 50 pounds. Before long, 100. His reward: a decidedly faster , to satiate his need for speed. 바카라 게임 웹사이트It made me feel like I was flying,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. Still, he had his eyes on an even bigger prize.
When Quick found himself approaching 275 pounds earlier this year바카라 게임 웹사이트 he credits a strict adherence to the ketogenic diet for aiding in his weight loss 바카라 게임 웹사이트 he knew he바카라 게임 웹사이트d soon make it under the rider weight limit for . After clearing the benchmark in June, he pulled the trigger. 바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s just beautiful,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Quick said of his new ride.
In two years, Quick has . He no longer has to specially order 6XL-size shirts for work (he바카라 게임 웹사이트s a 2XL now), or steer clear of carnival rides because he couldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t fit in the seats, or huff and puff when he gets in and out of cars. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Everything just feels easier,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. Call him Medium Chris.
Quick said his ultimate goal is to crack 200 pounds and eventually compete in a triathlon. But for now, he바카라 게임 웹사이트s happy helping others kick-start their own weight-loss transformations on two-wheelers. He often pokes around in bicycling forums and offers words of encouragement to riders hoping to shed their own spare tires, sharing the advice that inspired him when he was first starting out: 바카라 게임 웹사이트Just get out there and ride.바카라 게임 웹사이트
If you can manage 2 miles today, he바카라 게임 웹사이트ll tell them, try 3 next week. Then, go for 4 after that. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Mostly, I want people to know that they shouldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t let their size keep them from doing new things in life,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트For so long, that was me, until I got fed up and decided I wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t going to do that anymore. So I got on a bike. And then I just kept going.바카라 게임 웹사이트