Five years ago Bill Streetman (then age 54) weighed 404 pounds. His health was failing. He could no longer do the things he loved such as hike, snow ski, play soccer or ride his bike. Diets and weight loss plans had not worked for him. On October 4, 2010 Bill underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. The surgery provided him a tool to manage his eating. He implemented a vigorous exercise program and over the next 12 months lost half his body weight. He has maintained his weight loss for four years and has returned to hiking, skiing, playing soccer and riding his bike. He calls his experience a “Journey to Fitness” and today shares his story with people all over the world through lectures and blogging.
A National Conference on Weight
ObesityHelp (OH) will hold their 2015 annual conference in Cary, North Carolina October 16th and 17th. The annual OH conference is the premier event focusing on bariatric weight loss, weight management and obesity concerns in the USA, with a lineup of speakers and presenters including weight loss experts, bariatric doctors, and hundreds of pre-op and post-op patients and weight loss surgery veterans that are navigating their own weight loss surgery journey.
Mr Streetman has been selected to speak at the conference and will be sharing his “Simple, not Easy” presentation in which he outlines the strategies he used to make his weight loss journey easier and shift the odds of success in his direction. (http://events.obesityhelp.com/oh2015-speaker-william-h-streetman/)
Bill worried that he was too old to make the kind of lifestyle changes that both surgery and ongoing weight management needs would require. He feared that if ‘eating well’ would be difficult, exercising, especially at advancing age and after years of inactivity, would be extremely difficult… and painful… maybe impossible.
While childhood obesity is itself a major issue in the USA, Bill found that the needs of obese seniors are unique and often not adequately addressed by the weight loss industry.
As a result of his weight loss and successful ongoing weight management, Bill has focused on helping others in their personal weight loss journey, with a special focus on the needs of people 55+ years old.
Making a Statement and Leading by Example
Route to Conference
To raise awareness of obesity in older adults, to highlight avenues of weight loss success that seniors can follow, and to use his own Journey to Fitness as an example, Bill (now age 59) will peddle his bicycle from his home in Columbus, Ohio, to the conference site in Cary, North Carolina (about 600 miles) in advance of his speech.
Passing through a dozen cities in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina (riding over the Great Smokey Mountains), he will share his story with local press, visit various Weight Loss Centers of Excellence and spread the word that it is never too late to take control of your health, defeat obesity, and reclaim your active, healthy and productive life.
Fans will be able to track the progress of his bike trip on his weight loss website (www.WHS-NewLife.com) where a Where’s Bill “Follow Me” app will track his progress and instantly show his location on a map. Additionally, his body vitals (heart rate, calorie burn, etc.) will be monitored and posted on the website. Lastly, he will document the trip, with his GoPro, streaming live from the road where possible and leaving video messages when being online isn’t possible.
The Route and Schedule
Bill will leave Westerville, OH on October 2nd arrive in Cary, NC October 14th. During his ride he will pass through or nearby the following cities:
Ohio: Lancaster, Logan, Athens
West Virginia: Charleston, Beckley
Virginia: Roanoke, Danville
North Carolina: Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Raleigh-Durham, Cary
Visits are being scheduled with local press and media such as radio, TV and news print outlets to discuss the special weight loss and weight management needs of people aged 55 and older. Additionally, he will be visiting various weight loss clinics and hospitals with Weight Loss Centers of Excellence.