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John's Transformation Story
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Summer 2001
388 lbs
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Christmas 2003
230 lbs
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John Hibbard compares being obese to being in prison. In December
2002, at the age of 32, John weighed nearly 400 pounds and his health
was rapidly deteriorating. So when his wife, Hiroko, told him all she
really wanted for Christmas was a healthy husband, he decided it was
time to free himself from the bonds of obesity. "If I did not do anything
to lose this weight and get in shape," says John, "I was headed for an
early grave." During this same period of time, John's good friend's wife
was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and had really taken a turn for the
worse and on Christmas eve 2002 she passed away. With a heavy heart
of his friend's loss and scared for his own health, John realized he
needed to make a change.
With this commitment and the support of his wife and family John was
able to begin a new life. Over the course of almost two years he lost 160
pounds and finished an Ironman triathlon. "It was anything but easy, but
I truly believe anyone can do what I did if they make a firm commitment
and decide to pursue their dream," says John.
How did he accomplish such a seemingly impossible feat? By taking
small steps toward what John calls his "ideal." Beginning on Christmas
Day 2002, John went for a five-minute walk. "I originally thought I would
walk for half an hour, but after five minutes I had such excruciating back
pain that I had to rest for an hour to recover." This experience made
John realize he would have to approach improving his health in a totally
new way.
"I decided I would do whatever it would take to lose the weight this
time," says John. In his whole life John had been a healthy weight a total
of five years out of 32. He had tried many diets and weight-loss
schemes, some of them with temporary success. Yet John regained the
weight every time.
To succeed this time John needed an ideal to work toward. For him the
highest level of physical achievement would be to compete in an
Ironman triathlon, which includes a 2.4-mile swim in the ocean, a 112-
mile bike ride and a full marathon of 26.2 miles. To get to that ideal John
took baby steps, first working toward losing 150 pounds through
improved diet and exercise. He began keeping record of everything he
ate and calculating the calories. His food journal helped him realize that
he was eating about 3,500 calories a day. Further analysis of his eating
habits helped him understand that he overate to combat stress. John
found this information could help him make informed choices about
what foods were best for him.
Coupled with the dietary changes were fitness changes John began to
make, first taking regular walks, adding daily yoga and treadmill walking.
Within six months John lost 113 pounds. "It was not the incredible
struggle that I had experienced with other diets," he says. "The positive
habit of tracking my food created a positive momentum that made
sticking to my new habits easy." The best part was not having to follow
any impossible meal plans prescribed by somebody else. "I learned what
we all need to learn and that is what is right for me in terms of nutrition
and food choices."
John’s next step toward his ideal was to run a marathon. He took his
first run on July 8, his birthday, a little more than six months since he
decided to change his life. "Even though that first run of two miles was
difficult, I felt elated and on top of the world," says John.
By December 2003, John was ready to run the Honolulu Marathon, which
he completed in five hours and 13 minutes. Cheering for John at the
finish line was Hiroko. "The thing that makes me happiest is that I was
able to give her the Christmas gift she had requested a year earlier," he
says.
Over the next 11 months John remained committed to training and
eating healthfully. He continued to lose weight through these natural
means. In May 2004 John completed the St. Croix Half Ironman. The
intense training paid off and he was confident he could achieve his
ideal of being a true Ironman. John says he was often asked how he
could be so optimistic about completing such huge endurance events.
"I believe that if other people can do something, then so can I", he says.
At 7 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2004, John joined more than 2,000 other athletes in
Panama City, Fla., to compete in the Florida Ironman. In 12 hours and 54
minutes he crossed the finish line where his wife, two sons and parents
were waiting. "Believe it or not, that five-minute Christmas day walk I
took less than two years before had been far more painful than the
whole Ironman race," says John. "My family was blown away when after
the race I could walk fine and felt good. It just goes to show you how far
I have really come."
Today John continues to be very physically active, participating in foot
races, biking the 40 miles each way to work several days a month and
swimming and working out at his local health club. "I really wish I could
bottle up what I have felt over the last two years and share it with
everyone," he says. John adds that he wishes each person could
experience this feeling for themselves. "I want everyone to know that
they can do it, too. I am not some extraordinary person--I just finally
learned what I needed to know to achieve my dreams."
