It’s never too late to lose it. Just ask John.

LMQC blogger, Alan Sivell, catches up with old friend (and former roommate), John Riches. John is – quite literally – a new picture of health, having lost nearly ninety pounds thanks to some new healthy eating and exercise habits (and two new knees).

By LMQC Battle of the Bulge blogger Alan Sivell

ARCONIC’s Community Relations Manager, John Riches

John Riches knows how to lose weight. That’s because he’s done it a lot over the past 40+ years.

The first time he got serious about losing weight was in 1980 when he was a reporter at WQAD. He had covered the Bix 7 Road Race the first time Bill Rogers had run it. He decided that he and his then-roommate (that would be me, your LMQC blogger) should get in shape for the next Bix.

John was dedicated to his training for the 1981 race, got in great shape, and successfully completed the race.

Life catches up to you

But then he got married (to Julie Kirkpatrick, the former WQAD-TV sportscaster and Weekday Magazine anchor), had children, and took on more responsibilities at work, first as news director at WQAD and then as community relations manager at Alcoa (now Arconic). His physical fitness and weight control fell down the priority list.

And over the years, John’s weight has gone up and down. And up and down. Etcetera.

Now he’s down – dramatically down. Nearly 90 pounds in the past two years and 50 pounds since January. This time he intends to stay down. That’s because he has two new knees (thanks to ORA and Dr. Joe Martin) and some new, healthy eating and exercise habits.

Weight loss before surgery can make a big difference

“When I was first talking to Dr. Martin about replacing my knees, he told me I really needed to lose weight before the operations,” John said.

That was the motivation John needed, and he began checking in at the Utica Ridge Y regularly.

“I met someone there who told me that it takes 12-16 weeks to form a habit,” John said. And that inspired him to make fitness a habit. Most days, John goes to the Y twice a day.

In the morning, he’ll do 10-15 minutes on the elliptical and 30 on the stationary bike. At night, workout #2 of the day, he does the elliptical and the stationary bike, but then he’ll either row for 10-15 minutes or work out on the e-gym equipment, which takes about a half hour.

John says by exercising in these small intervals, he doesn’t get bored.

Successful dieting can be a team sport

On the intake side of things, John says he hasn’t done too much differently other than cut down on portion sizes and stay out of the kitchen after dinner.

It also helps that his wife, Julie, also decided to lose a few pounds.

“It made it a bit easier because we could hold each other accountable,” John said.

For even more accountability, in the past two years, John and Julie have participated in the Biggest Loser Challenge, run by Bettendorf police officer Josh Paul. It’s a three-month online program with weekly weigh-ins offering cash prizes for weight loss.

Real numbers tell the story of John’s success

But the real proof of John’s improved health doesn’t come from the picture or the fact that he’s had to buy some new pants. It comes from real numbers.

For eight years, John has been taking medicine to ward off Type II diabetes. His blood sugar levels were too high. But because of John’s commitment to healthy habits, those numbers have dropped, and he was able to stop taking the medicine this spring.

“I feel good,” John said. “But it’s not easy. You have to work at it.”

ARCONIC’s Community Relations Manager, John Riches

Life catches up to you

Weight loss before surgery can make a big difference

Successful dieting can be a team sport

Real numbers tell the story of John’s success