Earl Curry's Story
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printer-friendly version| By Earl Curry |
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General Information Age: 46 Highest Weight Ever: 397 my senior year of high School, much more later on, but no scales went that high. My Story
I was always a big boy, weighing 150 pounds in kindergarten. I was already taller than my teacher in the second grade and had a mustache by the sixth grade. By my freshman year in High School I was 350, not so lean and mean pounds. I was what I call an active fat person. I lifted weights, played football and competed in Track and Field, throwing the shot put and discus. I was pretty fast for a fat kid. I could run a 40 yard dash in 5.0 seconds. Even at the tender age of 14, doctors told me I had high blood pressure and an enlarged heart (I found out during testing in 2003 that ?fact? was not true). Every time I visited a doctor, I was warned I was going to die young. I basically turned to booze and drugs for a number of years, since I thought my life was going to be short lived anyway, I thought?let?s party. I woke up around the age of 28 and thought ?Crap (cleaned that up for all the young readers.), look at all the years I?ve wasted.? It took about another 10 years to build myself up, self esteem wise, career wise, and financially. Then I hit 40 and all those years of high blood pressure and being overweight started to take its toll. I developed and was on medication for type-2 diabetes, increased high blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension, sleep apnea and high cholesterol. My grandmother and father had both died of complications from diabetes. I was getting a little concerned about my health, but I thought medication would take care of it. I had continued to lift weights all those years setting a few powerlifting state records and winning the Masters Nationals Bench Press competition. I had a lot of muscle and strength, but I had a ton of fat too and was grossly out of shape. My wake up call came in September 2003 when he was walking out to get the mail. I couldn?t catch my breath and had this pressure on my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack. I was 43 and thought I was going to die young like my father had. While not a heart attack, I had suffered a pulmonary embolism, a sudden blockage in a lung artery, usually due to a blood clot that travels to the lung from the leg (I had accidentally kicked a fence post while cutting the grass). I recovered, but was told I needed to lose weight or I was going to die. That night, while lying in the emergency room and sucking on a nitro pill, I thought about my Dad. After he had died, after years of suffering through multiple heart bypass surgeries, (mainly caused by complications from his Diabetes) my Mom was cleaning out the medicine cabinet in the kitchen one day. She had filled up a huge paper back full of his medications. It was the pill band wagon, take one pill for whatever is wrong with you and have to take another pill to undo the side effects of the first pill. It?s a never ending cycle once you get started. I did not want to get on that cycle. At that point, the decision for me to have weight loss surgery was a no-brainer. I already knew everything I needed to know about the Bariatric Surgery Program at OSU Medical Center because I had researched it with my (now ex) wife, the year before. My ex wife had the surgery and had lost 125 pounds. On June 17, 2004, I had the surgery and never looked back. Contrary to what many think, surgery is not the easy way out. It?s just a tool that helps an obese person shed excessive weight. I honestly believe that having the surgery has doubled my life span. Another plus for me is I?ve been off all the medications I used to take prior to surgery. My blood sugar and blood pressure levels are lower now than when I was on the medications. I?m finally off the pill bandwagon and am feeling good. My motivation for wanting to contribute to the Fitness Forum on Obesity Help:
I?ve heard if you study ?anything? for 1 hour a day, in 3 years you will be an expert. Well, since 1972, I?ve been reading everything I can get my hands on, watching every video and movie related to training and weight lifting, attended every seminar and lecture on training I could afford, worked out with Mr. USA and Mr. Ohio, trained with World Record Holding Powerlifters, National Level Olympic Lifters and Professional football players and have been coached by National level Olympic coaches and Olympians. I?ve competed in Football in High School. I competed in powerlifting, winning the Ohio State Title and setting a few state records. I?ve competed in Bench Press competitions, winning the National Masters Bench Press. I?ve currently competing in Masters Track meets, throwing the Discus and Shot Put. I met Arnold before anyone outside of bodybuilding knew who Arnold was. I?ve been a writer and photographer for a few bodybuilding magazines, local newspapers and track newsletters over the years. I?m currently studying for my ACE Personal Training Certification. Having a piece of paper seems to be a requirement to do what I love, but I think I?m slightly ahead of most personal trainers I?ve met. 2. There?s a lot of misinformation out there about training I would like to help clear up. In some ways weight training is just not rocket science. You?re basically just moving some kind of resistance. But in other ways it?s a skill that needs to be developed, with many fine points that make all the difference in getting so-so results or outstanding results. 3. There?s an intimidation factor for many people using a gym or fitness facility for the first time that I would like to help people overcome. Especially for people that have had WLS or have been overweight and generally had low self esteem. The reasons to not go to the gym that I?ve heard are everything from the machines are too complicated to figure out to ?I don?t like looking at myself in a mirror.? That?s what Curves was founded on btw. I train at home most days, but I love going to the gym and would live in one if I didn?t think gym members would look at me funny while I was watching reruns of Three?s Company in my underwear. |
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On June 17, 2004 I had RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery at the age of 44. I weighed in at 358 very large pounds. Not really my heaviest weight ever, since I?ve weighed as much as 397 pounds (when I could find a scale that went up high enough to weigh me). I?m sure I weighed over 400 from time to time. I just couldn?t find a scale that went high enough to find out for sure.
1. I have years of experience and knowledge in weight training and sports nutrition, that I feel can help others achieve their weight loss and fitness goals.
