H ow does one man feel about...

H ow does one man feel about weight lifting? “When I first signed up at the ATA Fitness Center,” says Eric Kohnen, 33, “I weighed 390 pounds. I now weigh 320. I was pushing a 58 (inch) waist. Now I’m 52 to 54 inches. I’m intending to get down to 250. I started with Nautilus, now I’m also doing TaeKwonDo (a Korean martial art). I tried a number of diet programs, but doctors swayed me away from most. I’m an epileptic. I can’t take medication, and a lot of those put you on medication, give you shots, that kind of thing. Doctors describe me as ‘morbidly obese,’ but I do have a lot of muscle mixed in with the fat. That’s one reason exercise seems to work better. I haven’t really changed my diet, though I know it isn’t so good. I drink a lot of soda, about six to seven Coca-Colas a day.

“Obesity has always been a problem. I was ostracized when I was younger. I was shunned as far as dating. I am a very large person. I haven’t had anybody turn me away from jobs because I weighed too much, but they have turned me away for epilepsy. Emotionally, I haven’t noticed that much difference since losing 70 pounds. Weight doesn’t bother me. I’ve always been big. And I figure I always will be.”