For the past 14 years, Firefighter Robert Gregor has served in the military. His service included five years in the Marine Corps. He currently serves as a medical technician in the Minnesota Air National Guard.
While Robert served in the Marine Corps, it wasn’t difficult for him to keep his weight under 200 lbs. After getting out of the Marines, and as he got older, however, he found he couldn’t eat like an 18 year old any longer. By the time he was hired as a firefighter, his weight was up to 240 lbs. The vigorous physical training new firefighter recruits undergo, however, helped him lose 20 lbs. by the end of the Fire academy.
Robert was deployed to Kuwait for six months soon after graduation from the academy. On deployment, there was not much to do except work and workout. Restaurant choices were limited. He began running more, and participated in a 10K and a bunch of 5Ks. He also completed his first marathon on this deployment.
He returned home from the deployment and by the summer of 2014, his weight had climbed back up to 245 lbs. He realized it was important to make changes because, in addition to his health, it could affect his military career. Robert began working out consistently. He ran two more marathons – one with his wife. He began watching what he ate. He cut out sugar, pop and beer. His efforts paid off and by July, 2015, he reached his goal of weighing less than 200 lbs.
Since meeting his goal, he has maintained a consistent work-out program. In addition to running, he includes elliptical training, bicycling and Crossfit. While he doesn’t currently have plans for running another marathon, he wouldn’t rule it out for the future.
Like many people, Robert’s weight would fluctuate up and down. He knows now that to be successful at losing, and more importantly, maintaining his weight, setting a goal is a key component. While not everyone needs to run a marathon, combining exercise with diet is important for success.