Regional News
Email
Print
Figure on Him To Inspire: Man credits weight loss to spiritual experience in ICU, a better diet - and hours of working out at the Y
Journal Photo by Jennifer Rotenizer
Robert Brown was hospitalized with a host of medical issues before losing weight.
(Click to see a 2003 photo of Brown before his weight loss)
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: July 25, 2009
King -- For Robert Brown, a biscuit, sausage and gravy for breakfast on Saturday morning is a splurge.
It used to be a daily occurrence. Except, one biscuit would turn to two, and eventually five or six.
Before he knew it, Brown, 63, ballooned to 329 pounds. He spent most of his day sitting down. He got so big that he had to holler for his wife, Elizabeth, to put on his socks and shoes whenever he wanted to go somewhere.
"I knew he was headed for danger," Elizabeth said. "But you know men. He wouldn't listen."
Brown does not disagree.
"I was stubborn and bullheaded," he said. "Nobody could tell me nothing."
Four weeks on life support and a spiritual encounter in the intensive-care unit at Forsyth Medical Center got his attention. Today, Brown is a model of fitness. He works out at the Stokes Family YMCA almost every day for up to five hours.
Most of his workout is spent on such cardio machines as treadmills and stationary bicycles. But he also lifts weights, though not as vigorously as he did about a year ago when, he says, he was lifting a total of 1 million pounds a month on the Y's various weight machines.
Tiffany Boyles, the wellness director at the Y, said that Brown serves as an inspiration to people who are new to exercise.
"He amazes me," Boyles said. "He gets excited about doing four hours of cardio."
Brown lives about five minutes from the YMCA in King. He and Elizabeth have been married for 45 years and have five children, 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He worked in construction for many years and later operated a forklift. He is now retired.
Brown has always loved to eat, but for years he was able to keep his weight around 225 pounds. He started packing on the pounds in 1994 after he kicked his three-carton-a-week smoking habit. His waist expanded to 50 inches, and his shirt size grew to triple extra large.
"I knew something was going on with my body, but I just didn't want to admit it," he said. In 2004, he was hospitalized with a host of medical issues, including congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a progressive disease that makes breathing difficult. He was also borderline diabetic and had blood clots on his lungs.
Brown slipped into unconsciousness. Doctors called the family so they could tell him goodbye.
"Me and the Lord proved them wrong," Brown said.
His life turned around one Sunday night while he was in ICU.
"All of a sudden, the room lit up. I looked around to find who had turned on the light. But the light was turned off. I knew," Brown said, "that it was a visitation from God."
When he left the hospital, Brown was told that he would need breathing treatments and a walker to get around for the rest of his life. Brown breezed through physical therapy and was able to walk unassisted after one year. After two years, he no longer needed the breathing treatments.
He joined a walking program in Pilot Mountain and maintained a weight of about 270 pounds.
Then, gas prices rose, and Brown decided to buy an exercise bike rather than drive to Pilot Mountain every day.
"That lasted two weeks. I just quit," Brown said. "I'll be honest. I just got too sorry. I didn't want to exercise. I went, and I sat back on the couch, and my weight got back up to 300 pounds," Brown said.
His wife fretted that Brown was back to his sedentary ways.
"Knowing him, he'd never been that energetic. I was afraid he'd just sit again," she said. "He fooled me."
Brown, again, credits God for jolting him.
"The Lord gives me strength to do whatever is needed," he said. A younger brother suffered similar medical problems and died. Brown decided he needed to get moving and start watching his diet.
He told Elizabeth that they were going to start 2007 by joining the YMCA. Their membership is through Open Doors, a program that offers financial assistance.
Brown started working out with Billy Walker, a fitness coach at the Y. In those first few sessions, Brown lifted 10 to 20 pounds on a variety of weight machines and did 10 minutes of cardio.
"It was pretty rough," he said.
Slowly, Brown built up his strength and endurance. Walker knew that if Brown stayed faithful to his workouts for at least three months that he would stick with the program. Walker has worked with a lot of folks whose enthusiasm for exercise fizzles after a few sessions.
"He's made as dramatic a turnaround as most people we get," Walker said.
Brown also started eating less. He still eats what he wants, but he limits meals to one plate of food instead of three.
Brown's affinity for the Y goes beyond fitness. The people who work out regularly, particularly the morning crowd, are like a second family. Getting up at 6 and exercising until noon has become part of his routine.
Elizabeth often accompanies him. On various weight machines, she lifted more than 748,000 pounds in June, making her the top woman lifter at the Y.
"I felt like I needed this," she said about working out. "But I wouldn't have done it without him."
Brown has reduced his waist by 14 inches and is now a 36. He is also down to 190 pounds. He hopes to get back down to 180, which is what he weighed in 1971.
He said he probably could have reached that goal if not for muscle he has added.
"I built up muscles I didn't know I had," Brown said.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lo'donnell@wsjournal.com.
Email
Print
