There have been a lot of changes in Jerry Lisenby’s life in the past year.
“I was a 300-pound guy who wasn’t going to live much longer,” he said. “Now I’m a 190-pound guy who’s riding across the United States on a bicycle.”
He and his wife, Lynne, passed through Pittsburg Thursday and shared their story during a stop at Tailwind Cyclists.
Lisenby, who resides in Peoria, Ill., frequently gets interviewed. That’s a consequence of being a contestant in 2007 on the NBC reality series “The Biggest Loser.”
“I’ll be 64 in November, and I was the oldest contestant they’ve ever had,” Lisenby said. “The producer was afraid to have me on the show. He told me that I’d ruin their ratings if I died.”
He was put through rigorous tests before he was allowed on the air. Then he began breaking more records.
“I lost 31 pounds the first week, which is the most anyone has done in one week, then I lost another 10 pounds the second week, and set a record for the most weight loss in two weeks,” Lisenby said. “I did it by eating six small meals a day and exercising 10 hours a day, monitored by a doctor the entire time.”
He also won a race to become a team leader. But, in the third week of the competition, another contestant dropped him and he tore a thigh muscle.
“I was voted off by the other contestants,” Lisenby said. “They were afraid that if I stayed, I’d win the prize.”
But he won more than money — he achieved his weight goal. He had vowed that, if he reached this goal, he would ride across the United States on a bike.
The couple had done some biking before.
“I was a firefighter for 21 years, and owned the Ace Hardware store in Peoria for 20 years,” Lisenby said. “Then Lynne and I spent 2 1/2 years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay. They said we could have a bike or a horse, and we didn’t want to feed and take care of a horse.”
“We’ve been riding on weekends for the past 10 years,” Mrs. Lisenby added.
But her husband still had to convince her to go on the trip.
“Lynne wanted to have a cause to ride for,” Lisenby said.
The Children’s Home of Illinois was a natural. “I’m a social worker, and I work at the Children’s Home,” Mrs. Lisenby said.
“We offer a variety of services for children from infants to age 21, and I work in the behavioral health part.”
“We’re following the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, and started our trip May 1 from Yorktown, Va., when we put our back tires in the Atlantic Ocean,” Lisenby said. “We’re going to end around mid-August in Astoria, Ore., when we put our front tires in the Pacific.”
The journey hasn’t always been easy.
“I took a wrong turn and got lost in the first two minutes,” Lisenby said. “That’s when I knew this was going to be hard.”
“It would be easier if we had a support vehicle with us,” Mrs. Lisenby said. “But it’s just us doing this.”
“A lot of dogs chased us in Kentucky,” Lisenby said. “We stopped counting at 200.”
They have stayed in churches, backyards, garages and homes. Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine has invited them to camp in his backyard. Mrs. Lisenby’s father was the actor’s commanding officer in the Navy during World War II.
“Early in the trip, we met a woman minister who prayed for us,” Lisenby said. “After that, every day we’ve encountered what we call the ‘trail angel’. We’ve met some of the nicest people in the world, and you get to see a lot of America at four miles an hour.”
They’ve also collected over $4,000 for the Children’s Home. And, if exercise extends life, the couple can expect to be around a long time.
“Before, I’d have been lucky to see my grandchildren graduate from kindergarten,” Lisenby said. “Now I expect to see them graduate from college.”
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There have been a lot of changes in Jerry Lisenby’s life in the past year.
“I was a 300-pound guy who wasn’t going to live much longer,” he said. “Now I’m a 190-pound guy who’s riding across the United States on a bicycle.”
He and his wife, Lynne, passed through Pittsburg Thursday and shared their story during a stop at Tailwind Cyclists.
Lisenby, who resides in Peoria, Ill., frequently gets interviewed. That’s a consequence of being a contestant in 2007 on the NBC reality series “The Biggest Loser.”
“I’ll be 64 in November, and I was the oldest contestant they’ve ever had,” Lisenby said. “The producer was afraid to have me on the show. He told me that I’d ruin their ratings if I died.”
He was put through rigorous tests before he was allowed on the air. Then he began breaking more records.
“I lost 31 pounds the first week, which is the most anyone has done in one week, then I lost another 10 pounds the second week, and set a record for the most weight loss in two weeks,” Lisenby said. “I did it by eating six small meals a day and exercising 10 hours a day, monitored by a doctor the entire time.”
He also won a race to become a team leader. But, in the third week of the competition, another contestant dropped him and he tore a thigh muscle.
“I was voted off by the other contestants,” Lisenby said. “They were afraid that if I stayed, I’d win the prize.”
But he won more than money — he achieved his weight goal. He had vowed that, if he reached this goal, he would ride across the United States on a bike.
The couple had done some biking before.
“I was a firefighter for 21 years, and owned the Ace Hardware store in Peoria for 20 years,” Lisenby said. “Then Lynne and I spent 2 1/2 years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay. They said we could have a bike or a horse, and we didn’t want to feed and take care of a horse.”
“We’ve been riding on weekends for the past 10 years,” Mrs. Lisenby added.
But her husband still had to convince her to go on the trip.
“Lynne wanted to have a cause to ride for,” Lisenby said.
The Children’s Home of Illinois was a natural. “I’m a social worker, and I work at the Children’s Home,” Mrs. Lisenby said.
“We offer a variety of services for children from infants to age 21, and I work in the behavioral health part.”
“We’re following the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, and started our trip May 1 from Yorktown, Va., when we put our back tires in the Atlantic Ocean,” Lisenby said. “We’re going to end around mid-August in Astoria, Ore., when we put our front tires in the Pacific.”
The journey hasn’t always been easy.
“I took a wrong turn and got lost in the first two minutes,” Lisenby said. “That’s when I knew this was going to be hard.”
“It would be easier if we had a support vehicle with us,” Mrs. Lisenby said. “But it’s just us doing this.”
“A lot of dogs chased us in Kentucky,” Lisenby said. “We stopped counting at 200.”
They have stayed in churches, backyards, garages and homes. Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine has invited them to camp in his backyard. Mrs. Lisenby’s father was the actor’s commanding officer in the Navy during World War II.
“Early in the trip, we met a woman minister who prayed for us,” Lisenby said. “After that, every day we’ve encountered what we call the ‘trail angel’. We’ve met some of the nicest people in the world, and you get to see a lot of America at four miles an hour.”
They’ve also collected over $4,000 for the Children’s Home. And, if exercise extends life, the couple can expect to be around a long time.
“Before, I’d have been lucky to see my grandchildren graduate from kindergarten,” Lisenby said. “Now I expect to see them graduate from college.”
