Michael has always been overweight, but now he sees it as a problem.
At 5 feet, 11 inches and 320 pounds, Michael White believes he’s a “marathon runner at heart.” Now, he just needs the body to match.
The 25-year old West Dundee resident has been overweight most of his life but until recently, he never saw his weight as a barrier.
After all, it had helped him in sports — he played football in high school and semipro ball afterward — and, unlike women, guys usually aren’t publicly criticized for their weight, he says. Sure, there were things he couldn’t do, like go sky diving with his buddies or go on the rides at Great America, but it wasn’t enough to be a cause for concern.
At a routine health checkup a year ago, his doctor even warned him about his health. But he still wasn’t ready to change. “The 300 (pound) number came and went,” says White, who works in mail operations at Elgin Community College. He got married in October, ignoring his wife’s pleas to get in shape with her.
Then his best friend of 20 years sat him down. He warned White about heart disease and said, “I don’t want to lose you.” And finally, something clicked. White began to evaluate his lifestyle. “I’m sad it took my friend to tell me,” he says. “I’m sad I never realized it before.”
Now committed to becoming healthier, he says he wants to lose 70 pounds and become active again. “2012,” he vows, “will be a great year.”