http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...=2006610120462
Taking it off
Six years and 400 pounds ago, David Oberley's life and weight were out of
control
By PATTY ALLEN-JONES
There was a time when David Oberley would eat six hamburgers, cheeseburgers,
double cheeseburgers, Big Macs or Quarter Pounders and super-size fries
after finishing a home-cooked dinner.
He ate 10 Whoppers on a dare from a buddy after they graduated from high
school.
He could consume at least a loaf of bread in a day, making peanut butter and
mayonnaise, baloney and cheese or straight home-made jelly sandwiches.
Up until three years ago, Oberley weighed nearly 700 pounds and had a
64-inch waist.
"Weight wasn't an issue," said the 39-year-old Arcadia man, until his wife
left him in 2000, taking the couple's two girls. He moved in with his mom
and dad so they could care for him.
Today, he is more than 400 pounds lighter with a 38-inch waist after
switching to a healthier diet and exercise.
He was named an "outstanding survivor" and "lifestyle hero" by the American
Heart Association, along with other Southwest Florida residents, who
volunteered to help spread the word about the recent Manatee/Sarasota Heart
Walk.
"I don't really know why she left," Oberley said. "I'm sure my weight had a
lot to do with it."
Oberley saw a Jared Fogle, "The Subway Guy," commercial and decided to do
what Fogle did. Fogle earned national recognition when he lost 245 pounds on
the Subway diet.
"I looked at that and said 'You know what, if that boy can do it, I can
too,' " Oberley said.
He began eating Subway's six-inch turkey subs with green peppers, no cheese
or condiments, and salads for lunch and dinner.
"I looked at my stomach and said you're done," Oberley said. There were no
hunger pains.
He started walking.
"I went as far as I could," Oberley said. "I went to the stop sign. That was
the first determination I ever had."
He cheated. Every Monday, he had barbecue ribs "to get it (the craving) out
of my system," Oberley said. "I was off the train one day, it kept me
comfortable. Then, boom, I was back on."
"The weight came off" immediately, Oberley said. After 45 days, his pants
were falling off. "The more I ate (healthy), the more I was determined. I
was thinking about my daughters, I wanted to be around for them."
Oberley was always big growing up in Zulu, Ind., a farming community near
Fort Wayne.
"We played football out in the yard," he recalled. "They called me the whole
front line." Like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' A-Train, Mike Alstott, "the kids
piled on and I kept going."
Relatives on his mom's side are all heavy, he said, and so is his younger
sister. His dad's mother was skinny, his grandfather tall, and his dad is
about 275 pounds.
"In my whole family, I was the biggest they ever had," Oberley said.
The family ate lots of fried foods -- potatoes and onions, salmon patties
and steak. He loved his grandmother's "mighty fine" lemon pie.
He ate hamburgers, hotdogs and several pizza slices at school.
When he was 12, the family moved to Arcadia. The high school there offered
students a salad bar.
"I would get two or three lettuce leaves, rake in the meat and cheese then
add one pound of dressing," he said. "Everyone knew I liked to eat."
Oberley, who sells NASCAR and Hot Wheels at the Red Barn in Bradenton, was
close to 400 pounds when he married in 1990 at age 23.
Because of his weight, the tub in the couple's double-wide trailer crashed
through the floor while he was taking a shower.
He couldn't fit behind the wheel of his Lincoln Continental Town Car. The
driver's seat was pushed back up against the back seat, but still it wasn't
enough room.
It cost Oberley $100 to buy a pack of three 6X T-shirts and jeans with a
64-inch waist. He lived in the jeans or shorts.
He managed to fit in a king-size bed, but had to eat all his meals sitting
on the couch in front of the television.
Oberley had sleep apnea, he was a diabetic, and his blood pressure shot up
to 180 over 100.
Doctors didn't have scales big enough to weigh Oberley when he went to the
hospital to get his blood pressure checked. It was suggested he go to a
cattle market. He weighed in at 550 pounds.
"It was humiliating, but I just kept putting it (the weight) on," said
Oberley, who tried different diets that didn't last. "I would go to
McDonald's to comfort myself by grabbing a Big Mac."
The turning point came when his wife left him after 10 years.
"He was disgusted with himself and everyone else, and it made everyone
miserable," said Machelle Ballard, who divorced Oberley.
She married again and had two more daughters, but that relationship has
ended.
She has reconciled with Oberley, and the two plan to remarry as soon as her
divorce is final.
"I left, and he started getting his life together," she said. "I focused on
the kids, he focused on losing weight. That was a good thing."
Oberley eats salads, baked chicken, ground turkey, vegetables, natural
snacks and Subway sandwiches. He no longer drinks sodas, and he works out at
the gym.
He had a full body lift at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville this summer,
and is planning another procedure.
He and Ballard still argue, but it's not like it was before, she said.
Customers at the Red Barn say he no longer looks grumpy. And according to
his wife, he's now able to play with the kids.
Oberley no longer takes medication for diabetes and high blood pressure. But
he's been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and will need daily injections
to keep it under control.
Six months after starting his weight-loss program, Oberley noticed he was
walking funny, "like I was drunk." It was difficult eliminating body waste,
and the fingers on his right hand felt numb. It took doctors several years
to diagnose MS.
"I battled one of the worse diseases there is, now to have this happen,"
said the 6-foot-4 Oberley, who also has two pinched nerves in his lower
back. "I feel fine, I feel great. The only thing is my legs wear out and my
feet hurt. Then I know it's time to lay back and take it easy."
He has influenced Ballard and the children to eat healthier, and they have
lost weight. Harley, 5, the youngest girl, has autism and is on a
gluten-free diet.
And whenever asked, he shares his story to show others that obesity is not
healthy.
"You've got to be mentally focused, stick to it," Oberley said. He hopes to
continue improving his fitness. "If you fall off, don't get discouraged. I
want (people) to do it for themselves and their family. You've got to be
motivated. It can be done."
Last modified: October 12. 2006 7:28AM
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