Overweight Man Bikes Across the Country to Get Healthy and Win Back Wife

• comments
• 
• 

A 40-year old, 563-pound native of Danville, Indiana is bicycling all over the United States in the name of health and love. Eric Hites, who created the blog "Fat Guy Across America", is determined to cross the continental U.S. via his bicycle after he and his wife separated in 2014. He shared that the separation was caused by his poor health and burgeoning weight.

Reporting from Rhode Island, Hites told ABC News: "Mostly because of my weight I was depressed and grumpy." He also said his marriage "fell apart" because of this.

Inpired by The Proclaimer's 1988 hit song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," with lyrics, "But I would walk five hundred miles / And I would walk five hundred more / Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles / To fall down at your door", Hites decided to take on the challenge of losing weight while on his bike, traveling cross-country.

Before embarking on his grand journey, Hites consulted his physician and cardiologist, who approved of his mission. He then began to slowly gain momentum and build up stamina because of the extra weight he was carrying. He began his nationwide journey in Massachusetts and is now in Tiverton, Rhode Island.

Hites said he took small steps at a time, going for a hundred yards and taking a break in the beginning, but now, he is able to bike a mile before taking breaks. He has lost 60 pounds since the beginning of his inspiring journey.

"In the first week I had a couple doubts," he admitted. But his love for his wife is what truly drove him to pursue this amazing endeavor. "I’m doing it because I love my wife and it kept me going. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Hites' blog documents his cross-country journey to fitness, which he recently changed from a five-month trip to a seven-month sojourn. He was also surprised by the amount of support he had gotten from his readers.

People find that biking or cycling is a great and fun way to lose weight. In fact, Men's Fitness reports that according to Andy Clarke, the president of the League of American Bicyclists, "Biking is far lower impact [than running] and engages the muscles in the legs without as much force coming down on the knees. So long as you keep your legs pumping on your bike, it ends up being a smoother, lower risk form of cardio you’ll appreciate."

It's also fun because you get to travel and meet new people wherever you explore. On top of losing weight, reducing stress, and improving your fitness, you can also enjoy seeing the sights and sounds of the world around you.

In the U.K., cycling is the third most popular recreational activity, according to the NHS U.K. Not only does it help you keep fit, it also saves you money and is a mode of transportation--a lot of benefits in just one activity.

Hites is set to visit Philadelphia, where he is looking forward to visit the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the place where the iconic Rocky run was filmed.