Eric Wilson
Tropic Blue/Lime Team
My name is Eric Wilson. I am thirty-four years old. I work at Lincoln Financial. I grew up in Northern New Jersey just outside of New York City, but moved to Fort Wayne about eight years ago.
I am so excited to be selected to participate in Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner. I am confident that with the help of their professional advisors, I will be successful in reaching my goal weight. I have struggled with my weight and self-esteem for most of my life. I have a vacation planned for later this year and want to be able to participate in all activities available to me as well as being able to be more active in my everyday life
I love to travel and explore new cities and historical sites, lately my weight has started to cause my knees and ankles to hurt and prevented me from being as active as I’d like to be. I can’t wait to being this transformation and take back my life and live it the way I have always wanted to!
Enjoy my blog
7/2
Wow. The half marathon is over. The monster that couldn't be tamed is now just another footnote in the history of this amazing 15 week ride I am still on. We have all come into this program thinking "We can't" or "we won't" but these 15 weeks have shown us not only that we can but we will do anything we set our minds to. This program these 15 weeks they are just the beginning, we all have the rest of our lives to lead after this and that's all possible due to the work Rick and Tina put into this program. If you even think to join this program, know that you can and you will We all have. Thank you for saving my life!
6/29
The second to last week, and the beginning of the "lasts". Today was our last Wednesday run and tomorrow is our last pool day. Bitter sweet, but I have loved and enjoyed every single moment of this journey and love these people that I have taken it with like an extended family. It's going to be a hard and wonderful last two weeks.
6/26
Lucky number 13! Week 13 has been crazy! It started with an amazing dinner at the wonderful Eddie Merlot's where we had a fantastic 4 course meal prepared for us from the mind of a terrific chef who really relished the opportunity to turn some normally not healthy options into a nutritionist's dream! However, this amazing meal was followed up by a weigh in that was the lowest in FWSW history across the board, I did still lose over 2 lbs but it was far from a successful weigh in. After the initial shock of the weigh in, and the brutal workout that followed it, I think as a team all 24 of us bounced back and came at not only this week but the competition from a new and eager angle to not only dispel the bad week, but we are now in the final stretch and trying to not only catch the leaders but propel ourselves out of the nest with added momentum so that once the training wheels come off in two weeks we can fly and not crash.
Any journey comes with a pit stop or an accident or two, as long as you are able to dust yourself off and continue on the journey, every misstep is well worth the pain. Finally, I would like to take the time to give a shout out to Howard and Haley O'Neal they ran with me on Wednesday and Saturday and I wanted to thank them, not just for the motivation to push myself which I apparently need to reach my goals, but for a much bigger reason. When I entered FWSW, yes it was for me and improving my life, but a big part of that reason was because at 34 I am looking at the future and the children I will have and the role model I can be for them. I didn't want to be the fat parent who could only cheer from the side or tell my children how proud I was of them without actually ever helping them. Howard and Haley have shown me the type of relationship I would want with my children someday and I couldn't be more proud to have said I was able to run with them. Thank you again for everything!
6/18
Week 12, getting to the end of the line! People are starting to get tired and tempers are wearing thin, but we are all a team and we will carry each other through and over the finish line if we have to! I also had another revelation this week, while running our amazing/grueling 10 mile run. While running, I passed a woman who had to use two walking sticks to walk, but she wanted to get out so she did whatever she could to make that trip whether it be 10 steps or 10 miles. All of us on this journey have had a gift our whole life, the gift of health, and we have been squandering it and I know at least I for one am done squandering that gift. I am going to embrace this change, embrace my health, and embrace life again. I can't wait to see where this journey will take me at the end!
6/11
Week 11 wow. We are coming down to end here and this journey has been life changing for me. If you or anyone you love ever takes this journey or thinks about taking this journey. You will think about the time you have to put in, all the diet changes you have to make, and even the embarrassment of finding just how out of shape you are. But i urge you to think instead of the extra years you will get with your family, the lifestyle change that will effect not only you but those you love around you and the pride you will feel at tearing down obstacles and challenges you never even dreamed of attempting. This program has saved my life and hundreds of others. Think about that when you think about what it means to be involved with this program.
P.S.
Julie you were my rock today, I could not have done the run today without you. When my body was failing, my will was weakening and my *&^%$#@ band-aids were falling off, you kept me going with your awesome personality, always upbeat outlook and hilarious stories. You are one of the examples of how fortunate and blessed we are to have such great alumni to help us on this journey!
6/5
Well, week 10 has been a whirlwind! I started it with another good weigh in of 7.8 lb loss to get back on the horse after the .6 loss of two weeks ago. The workouts this week were fantastic as always, with a special shout-out to the basketball exercise routine that Amber thought up for us on Wednesday! But this week for me at least was about my running and the strides (no pun intended) that I felt I made this week thanks in large part to a new face in my journey Antoinette Francher-Donald!
I wasn't able to make the Wednesday run this week due to some car trouble, so I had to go to the Thursday run to make sure I got my run in this week, once there one of the running coaches, Antoinette, asked the group who would be setting the pace and while I was looking around for who was the fastest on Thursday I was surprised (and a little nervous!) to notice that I had been elected as the pace setter. They say you are the last one to notice changes and I generally consider myself a middle of the pack runner, but once we got started I found I had reserves that I didn't know I had. While on Thursday I did eventually get caught by Armando "Brown Sugar" Rangel, I couldn't believe how well I had done and learned more than a few tips to running from Antoinette and promised myself I would continue to improve.
That brings us to Saturday and our daunting 8 mile run. A little aside before we get into the run, if you receive an email explaining "Running Preparation for long runs" before doing your first run, please read it no matter how busy you are haha! I did not have an opportunity to and I forgot some band-aids and by mile 5 I spent the last 3 miles holding my shirt away from my body to prevent my shirt from looking like a set of a horror movie! So back to the run, I was starting out on my typical pace to walk at the start to open up my hips and warm up my muscles, when I received a tap on my shoulder from none other than Antoinette who more told me than asked me "Let's run?'. So off we went at the same pace we had kept on Thursday, just without any of the walking breaks we had on Thursday. As we began to get going Antoinette told me we were going to try for a 10 minute miles and she had to be back to take her daughter to a game later in the morning; I was sure I would fail or fall apart at some point during the run, and there were times I was close, but I remembered getting caught on Thursday and the promise I made myself to improve when I could so I kep going as best I could and when I was at my lowest, Antoinette was there to tell me to either fight through the emotional journey. At Mile 4 amazing alumni Jenni Mason caught up to Antoinette and I and she began to help push me as well as talk to Antoinette, which hearing people talking and trying to pay attention is by far the best distraction from running for this man! So during this stretch Antoinette explained to us that even experienced runners have lows and highs and that we shouldn't let the lows stop us from pushing through. Finally, as I started to lag and wear out on the 6 miles mark both of these wonderful women offered (or threatened, depending on your point of view!) to even hold my hand through the end of the race! As we came to end I realized I had done better than I had ever done or even thought I could do, I was in 3rd place among the contestants coming in behind only Broc and Adam and getting Antionette back in time for that Soccer game! It felt like an amazing accomplishment and to hear all the encouragement from all the other contestants as I finished was just simply amazing to me. I can only hope that in these last weeks I can build on this success!
5/28
Wrapping up week 9 and heading into week 10, double digits and the home stretch! This week has been amazing, we had 4 great workouts that couldn't have been more different from each other by a different awesome trainer for each one, but today is about running. We ran 5 miles today and with some great advice from Lennart, Tina and Kaitlyn I was able to push myself harder and go farther faster than I've been able to before. I can't thank Mama T enough for turning her ever watchful eyes on to me today, I feel like I really turned a corner today and I can't wait to get out there again!
5/24
Wow, great weigh in! Tropic Blue went from worst to first this week capturing the Idol for the second week! And let me tell you we had one of the best workouts of the season today to follow that up. With EJ out of the country on his Honeymoon (have an awesome time!) Mary lead our workout and wow. It was a circuit of just pure agony, and I loved every second of it! I was completely spent, zero gas in the tank afterwards and as hard as I pushed myself, I couldn't have done it without the help of Nate. He was a constant shadow never letting me quit on myself or the routine and I can't thank him enough for showing me just how hard I can push it. It's kind of corny and I know he is going to make fun of me for it, but I just hope that I can be half the Alumni he is when I leave the program for other contestants trying to make this same journey. A truly transformative day!
5/22
Well, week 8 is behind us and what a week it was. I hope by the end of the program I can call this my trial week. It was my first (and hopefully last!) week of extra credit and it was also the first week I didn't make the "clap cutoff" of 2 lbs. With a loss of .6 I re-entered this week razor focused and tried to never let the scale effect my mentality, personality or determination. This program is all about trust. Trust in your trainers, trust in your teammates, trust in yourself and above all else trust in the program. Well, I trust everything and everyone involved in this amazing journey, so after a week of 5:30 am work outs I re-doubled my efforts on our 7 mile run, to try to run longer and more than I have previously, and I can't wait for this weeks weigh in, because I think my team is going to have an amazing bounce back week along with everyone else, as this week was just amazing workout and change wise!
Finally a big thank you to running coach Ashley and alumni Jerry for keeping me moving on Saturday Made a tough run a great time!
5/14
Another Saturday and another amazing week in the rearview mirror! I know the blogs are usually about ourselves and our experiences, but I just wanted to take this week to say how amazing it is to see everyone else changing! To be able to see every one of the other contestants slimming down, being able to do more of the exercises and to see their faces on weigh in days! It makes all the 4 am breakfast cooking and 6 pm after work gym stops not even slightly difficult to do! No to mention you have these wonderful and amazing people with you every step of the way. Every week is about being thankful to be on this program, but this week I am thankful for the people I am able to take this journey with!
5/7
So week 6 is in the books, we had our first challenge this week. The 100 floors stair stepper challenge, where we had to go up 100 floors twice and try to improve upon our time. The first time I did it in 32 mins and the second time I did it in 29, I also discovered that not all cardio machines are created equally as this machine kicked my butt! Also on our run on Saturday I ran the entire 4 miles which I had no idea I could do and probably wouldn't have found out without the help from Julie and Richelle!
Finally, I wanted to thank the always awesome Andreas from Summit Physical Therapy for fitting me for custom inserts for my shoes so I can start getting my stride corrected and help out my poor ankles and feet! As well as Mama T, for always making sure we are doing everything we can to keep ourselves healthy and for wearing 5 hats and doing 5 jobs all the time!
4/30
Week 5 is done a third of the way through this amazing, life saving program! And it was another great week of firsts as well. I did hot yoga for the first time on my own, however, I still dragged my but back into Spiece to get my second work out in whereas just a few weeks ago I would have just given in and went home. I ran my first 5 miles, I thought a few years ago when I ran my 1st and only 5K that that would be the most I would ever run, boy was I wrong! We also had a fast swap pulled on us by our amazing trainers, when Amber showed up for an EJ day and we learned not to fall into a routine and to always be ready for anything!
Tina and Rick the first day told us this program was going to be more than just a program and that some of these people would become life long friends and everyone would become family. They were right!
Finally, I would like to thank all of the Alumni for all of their contributions every week helping us crash through the walls of self doubt that we have all built up, but I would especially like to thank Dave Cooper for helping me push through and push myself running my 5 miles on Saturday always telling me I could do more and will do more as time goes on and just keeping me moving. Also, to Ashley Sprunger one of our running coaches for showing me a few tips and tricks to running on Wednesday and showing me that I can increase my pace without failing. So blessed to have all of the support of the wonderful group of people!
4/20
The start of week 4 and I've never been so bummed to hear that the zoo opened. In commemoration of the zoo, amber had us do some frog squats, and boy where they bruta! And I loved every second of it!
Went for my run/walk after the work out today and found out I was CC's buddy for the day, but we did some work! Ran more than I thought I could and learned some great technique's from another amazing coach! I also found out the Firehouse has a public restroom! :)
Can't wait to keep on this journey, pool day tomorrow and then Yoga on Friday! I can't wait to find out what that is actually like. This is a tremendous journey and I am so thankful every day for not only every step that brought me here, but every step I take here and beyond in my new life. Thank you again Rick and Tina and all the trainers and people who make all of this possible. You are not just saving lives, you are helping people live them again.
4/16
Whew, week 3 was a whirlwind! The workouts ramped up and our amazing trainers took it up a notch across the board. Ej and Amber keep us on our toes leading all our workouts during the week and I've begun to hear CC's voice even when I'm not working out! I'm pretty sure I heard her say "It's not social time people!" while on my break at work this week, almost started doing some high knees right there!
We started our party trains this week, and that is a blast as well as a great workout! We get to see a variety of exercise and we just never stop moving it, I loved every second of it. We also ran our first long distance this week with an exhilarating 3 miles run this morning. it was great to see all the contestants really coming together for one another while on the run some even waiting until every contestant crossed the line! I wanted to also thank our amazing running coaches who never let us quit and keep us pushing ourselves the whole way through the run. An additional shout out to one of running coaches, Mike, who couldn't be there because he was travelling to the Boston marathon! I know he is going to do amazing!
Finally another thank you to 3 Rivers Running Company for the amazing footwear they have put me in because I've never ran any distance without feeling sore, but these new shoes of mine I'm ready for another 3 miles!
4/8
This week has been absolutely amazing and has been a roller coaster from beginning to end! it started with our first weigh in, where I simultaneously felt like i was going to throw up and also jump out of my skin. I have never been so relieved, elated and proud of myself when that number came up on that scale and that weight came off my body. After another awesome nutrition class when we learned to read the labels on food and find out what we are looking for along with correct portion size.
Then we had to gear up for our first week of 2 Amber days! Honestly I love every minute of every workout whether it's with Ej or Amber or CC or Josh or any trainer we have because I love that feeling of family and support that we get at every work out.
Finally I wanted to thank Amber for our workout today. She at least for me let me be a kid again and showed me that working out can be fun, it doesn't have to be 60 minutes of planking, it can be running around and trying to pop some balloons, anything to just keep moving. And that iss what I'm going to do not only for these next 13 weeks, but for the rest of my life. Just move.
4/2
Well week 1 is in the books! Had an awesome week! Survived my first Amber day, had some great work outs with EJ, saw my team come together to support each other like a family and saw all the rest of us grow closer. Ran my first mile in a few years, coming in at 12 mins and 58 seconds looking forward to seeing what that time becomes at the end of this amazing journey! Otherwise that half marathon is going to feel like 15 weeks by itself! :) Absolutely blessed and thankful for this opportunity!
3/29
First work out of this new journey is over and I can't wait for tomorrow and for my own workout tonight. This is going to be the beginning of the rest of my life!
3/28
Today is the first day of the smallest winner, but this isn't the beginning of a 15 week diet and exercise plan for me. This is the beginning of a new life. A new way to look at food, to determine what is good for my body and how much of it I need and to get myself on the path to regular sustainable exercise. And I cannot wait to begin not only this journey but the rest of my life! Thank you to everyone who made this possible!