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| Folsom inspires others as he sheds pounds |
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| Sports | |||
| Written by David Wolman | |||
| Friday, 19 June 2009 08:22 | |||
 Rusty Folsom had to do some last-minute shopping earlier this week. He needed a new T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes. Shopping for new clothes is something he has had to do quite often during the past several months, but he hasn’t minded at all — although it has cut into his family budget a bit. This trip was the most exciting so far. Folsom picked out something to wear for Saturday morning’s John Brown Jamboree Jog 5K in Osawatomie. It will be the first race he’s competed in, and he’s excited. “I’m trying not to psych myself out, just relax and enjoy the run,” he said. Running the blacktop of the track at Osawatomie High School’s Lynn Dickey Field — or competing in any race, for that matter — was something Folsom didn’t fathom until January. It wasn’t too long ago that obesity was a serious concern for the 30-year-old Lane man. He said he got a big reality check when Miami County Family YMCA personal trainer Michelle Evans approached him to talk with him about the dire consequences he would face down the road if he continued to let his weight get out of control. “The reality was that I had to sit down and think about it when Michelle talked to me; there was no guarantee, being 375 pounds and 30 years old that I would even make it to 40 if I continued the way I was going,” Folsom said. He had been exercising on and off for five or six years, but he said he didn’t get serious about it until January. Obesity runs in his family, he said, and no one had been frank with him about it until Evans. Smoking also had been an issue. In high school, Folsom said, he was a good student and took part in many extracurricular activities — including debate, forensics, science, computer and chess clubs — but smoking snagged him. He picked up his first cigarette when he was 17 and smoked a pack a day for the next 13 years. Folsom’s bad habit was something Evans didn’t pick up on when he first started working out at the YMCA. “He didn’t tell me he was a smoker, so that was a surprise,” she said. Folsom believed Evans noticed over the course of his first workout that she started to pick up on that bad habit. But “when I could barely do five minutes at a low pace on the treadmill,” Folsom said, “it was pretty obvious my huffing and puffing was smoking-related.” He hasn’t smoked a cigarette since. A new lifestyle Eating healthy was the biggest change he had to make. Folsom said he ate fast food all the time. “I hardly ate any vegetables,” he said. But hamburgers and fries were replaced with turkey, chicken, tomatoes, onions and green peppers. Evans made Folsom keep a diary of the contents of every meal he ate, in addition to performing a metabolic test. “It told me how many calories I break down at rest, then how much I break down at work, so we’re able to adjust and say, ‘OK, we’re doing this much exercise, this is what we need to be eating,’ ” Folsom said. Evans even came up with a catchphrase to implant in Folsom’s mind: “If it’s a drive-through, drive by.” Focus has never been a problem for Folsom. When he first started training with Evans, he worked out five days a week, plus some extra days on cardiovascular exercises. There were times along the way when he was working out eight times per week, but he now keeps himself at five days to allow his body to recover. He keeps his workouts intense. “I get tunnel vision very easily, so when I focus on something, I stay very focused on it,” he said. “In the beginning, it was very hard. It hurt. I was miserable for a good couple of weeks. I really didn’t want to push sometimes. Like Michelle told me, it all kind of clicked; it all made sense.” When Folsom first started exercising at the YMCA, he could barely run a mile. Memories of that feeling made him unsure about whether he would be able to complete the 5K. “He asked if there was a 1K,” Evans said. “I said there was no 1K.” ‘The real world’ Folsom once filled out an application to compete in the NBC TV show “The Biggest Loser.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t selected. “It was pretty disheartening in the beginning when I was working out,” he said. “But I kind of decided after a week of moping around ... ‘I’m going to do this at home by myself or with Michelle’s help at the YMCA, and I’m going to do this while I’m in the real world, while I’m out there with all the temptations, while I’m at work with people bringing in doughnuts.” Six weeks after starting at the YMCA, Folsom noticed the pounds starting to melt away. In six months, he lost 51 pounds. “It didn’t click in until two weeks ago, when I realized how close I am to being under 300 pounds, because I can’t remember being under 300 pounds,” he said. “Looking back and saying I was almost 400 pounds, that is crazy. And looking back and seeing that I’ve lost this much weight and being close to a goal I’ve never come close to reaching is very overwhelming.” Folsom’s ultimate goal is 240 pounds. He spreads the message of his success in overcoming obesity to others on his Facebook page online; he’s received many replies. Folsom also passes on the knowledge Evans has provided. He said he updates his page every day with workout information and looks to inspire others. “A lot of people have been encouraging. A lot of my friends have been encouraging me,” Folsom said. “A lot of them have been saying, ‘Thank you for motivating me. I’m going to go on the treadmill.’ ” After competing in the Jamboree run, he plans to set his sights on a 10K race in October and maybe a half-marathon next year. “When I started, I was one of the laziest people in the world,” he said. “So if I can get off the couch and I can make the dedication and commitment to do this without surgery, without pills, then anyone else can do it.”
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