Each mile gets you closer to the finish line. It’s like each pound shed that gets you closer to the goal.
Cyclists will come to North Little Rock next month from all over the country for the Big Dam Bridge 100. The longest journey though debatably goes to one cyclist who never thought he could ride in it.
“That goal for me is dropping 200 plus pounds,” said Lee Crow who is training to ride 26 miles. “To earn my first medal cycling."
Crow began his weight loss journey in April 2017.
“I was back in the hospital diagnosed with sleep apnea," said Crow.
That visit followed health issues 12 years earlier including a diagnosis with Type 2 Diabetes with a pulmonary embolism.
Last year, Crow weighed 453 pounds.
“I would go to Rally’s three days a week for dinner. Now? No,” said Crow.
Now a year and a half later, Crow weights 259 pounds. It’s a loss so far of 194 pounds.
"I really feel like my faith in God is the foundation for this journey and I started praying to God asking him to restore my health," said Crow.
Gaining control of his health started with controlling his sleep apnea.
“I put on a machine that help me sleep at night and when I started getting the energy back that’s when I realized I needed to start exercising,” said Crow.
Crow credits consistent exercise, especially cycling, clean eating, meal prepping, and nutritional supplements.
“There’s not a magic pill, there’s not a magic diet, it’s about a lifestyle change,” said Crow. “I haven’t eaten beef in over a year.”
He said yes to a new lifestyle. One year ago, he said yes to another goal while volunteering at the Big Dam Bridge 100.
“I was like okay next year my goal is to ride in the Big Dam Bridge 100 and get a medal cycling. So here I am,” said Crow.
It’s a ride giving him back his life.
“I want to do that for my family, my girls, my wife," said Crow. “I want to be there for them when they graduate high school. I want to be there for them when they walk down the aisle. A year and a half ago I couldn’t. I would have probably been dead by now to be honest."
He’s now earning a medal that’s helping him get closer to the goal.
“Once I pass that finish line, it’s going to be an amazing feeling," said Crow.
Crow is writing a book about his story because he knows how discouraging weight loss can be, but he believes it’s all about saying ‘yes’ and sticking to it.