SayreKulp: The Celebrity
 

I don't know if there already is a thread on this, a cursory glance found none. Sayre's weight loss efforts are front page news in the Reading area today.

http://readingeagle.com/ (At present, it's right in the middle of the page)

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=265144

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx...obref=obinsite

Once again, a great big Huzzah to Sayre's accomplishments!

Now for me to get that serious... my buddy's putting me to shame BIG TIME!

Congratulation Sayre.....er, uh I mean Mr Sayre

I can't believe the author missed picking up on Sayre's biggest accomplishment, over 20 MPH on the Clyde 20! :thumb:

My sincerest congratulations!

You think THAT'S my biggest accomplishment?! That's just a benefit of the real accomplishment!

Very nice article. Congratulations on achieving all of those goals. We must ride again sometime. I want to lose 50 more.

You are an inspiration. You lost what is whole, pretty good sized person!!!!!

Bill

Sincere congrats to you Sayre~! Making this a *life* change for you and family - your daughter will thank you in your future with her.

:thumb:

I felt like I was crowding Sayre, so I didn't post them. It was his story. Now it's all over PA's 5th biggest city.

BTW, the print edition is even better. The article layout and photo selection is fantastic.

The Reading Eagle passed on this photo for some reason......

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/...3689c029_b.jpg

That's the photo evidence that I am, in fact, a mere mortal.

And that too much Gatorade does in the best of us.

"Honestly, the last few days I feel like I've developed some kind of misguided hero worship and it's really weird to me. Like I said on another thread - I'm no hero. I'm just a guy who used to be really, really fat and is busting my buns to be less fat. ..... I am no celebrity. I'm just working really hard for my own selfish gains and all the compliments I've been receiving lately sound so weird on my ears, it's just messing with my head a little bit. Like I said - fat guys don't hear this stuff and I still tend to think of myself as such."

Guess who wrote that. :-)

fify.

Sayre, congrats on your notoriety and recent "fame", but mostly on your success. I'm sure when you started your journey, you never would have imagined the impact you would have on others. While doing all this for your daughter/ family/ self, whatever, you have helped many others. You seem to me a modest person who just got tired of being fat and not someone looking for kudos. Posting your battle here on BF, you've found a few friends, and helped many people while only trying to journal your process. I'm personally thrilled that you are getting the recognition you deserve because you have earned it. Don't be put off by all the people looking to garner weight-loss tips from you, there's a reason that the diet industry is so profitable. People want to know what your "trick" is. We have a hard time wrapping our minds around the fact that watching what you eat and exercising is really all their is to it. They are looking for that "magic pill" to make them lose weight. You have found it, diet and exercise!(who would've thunk it?) I'm sure Mr. Stormcrowe has had his share of what you are going through as well. All I can say is that I'm pretty darn proud of you for doing what many have done, but most have not. You are one of "us" and its great seeing "us" succeed. You now have a bit of a burden, bare it or don't, it will not change what you have accomplished.

Sorry, the "collapsed at RACC" photo is not proof of awesomeness. This one is. And the word "awesome" applies to both men in the frame. You are a big part of Sayre's transformation. He's lucky to have you as a friend.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/...244c0707_b.jpg

Dude, my sincerest congratulations! Not just because of the article, but because of your transformation and determination. If you ever come to San Diego, give a shout and we'll do a ride together.

The Clyde forum is awesome, there are lots of inspirational success stories all the time!

If you click through to see his goals, at the bottom it says

"On the Web

For more information, visit www.bikeforums.net."

Too bad they didn't point to the clyde forum, but it's good to give people a place to read about our great passion!

The reporter had a lot of detail to note. She got the name of the Great Allegheny Passage wrong, for instance.

Also, the subject's name proved to be a stumbling block. The Eagle's webpage headline promised an article about "Saryre Kelp" when it was first posted. Under the circumstances a link to Bike Forums was all that could be expected. :-)

I think I remember reading about a "Saryre Kelp" when I was researching seaweed diets.

Something fishy about that.

Now that is truly celebrity status. The local vegetarian restaurant is naming dishes after you Sayre!

Bill

Poor Sayre. This has all got to wear on him a bit. I know it would me. Pretty soon it's gonna be like the Randy Newman song "My Life Is Good," where Bruce Springsteen says to Newman, "Ran...I'm tired...how would you like to be boss for a while?"

;)

I think he should enjoy his 15 minutes while he can. His new lifestyle is going to become less of an event at some point. Never dull, but less of an event.

I took the celeb on a hike up Neversink Mountain this morning. This was terra incognita for the two of us, even though I live less than 30 miles away and Sayre lives in the mountain's shadow. Four hundred pound guys don't hike up mountains. "And yet here we go" said Sayre as we started out from 14th Street.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5048736_n.jpg

I found the trail rocky, and in one instance I threw down the hiking stick and descended on all fours. So much for going off trail to see the abandoned quarry. We turned around at the West End Pavilion, or as the locals call it the Witches' Hat.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1301440_n.jpg

From the Hat we went down to the overlook, which on a clear day showcases a spectacular view of Reading. Haze limited visibility this morning.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7139281_n.jpg

Still, we could see the Pagoda and Firetower atop Mount Penn.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8070670_n.jpg

Sayre and I are both thoughtful, artistic types - I'm a writer and failed pianist, and my friend is a musician and writer - and our conversations range widely. Much of today was on the subject of backsliding. I'm a good example of that, I suppose, since I've added back about 50 pounds from my low three years ago. It's not a secret to Bike Forums posters that Sayre's been concerned about returning to being a 400 pounder. As I told him this morning, that's a fear that causes me to wake up nights in a cold sweat. But when I'm awake, I think about how different I am from those days. I'm not sedentary. I live every day. And if I gain weight, as I have lately, I know how to get rid of it. Sayre's not the same man he was a year ago, as every step of today's hike showed, and while life might put mountains in front of him, he can climb them as easily as we scaled Neversink today.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6592956_n.jpg

Amazing accomplishments! Congrats and ride safe!

Jeff