'The Fat Man' walks toward a new life

The cross-country walker has lost about 70 pounds.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Former Youngs-towner Stephen Liller Vaught is a bit behind schedule as he walks across the United States to lose weight and leave some bad habits behind.
The San Diego, Calif., man, who once weighed more than 400 pounds, started his hike April 10 from Oceanside, Calif., facing roughly 3,000 miles to his goal of New York City. Vaught's objective was to be in Youngstown by the end of July, stay through the beginning of August and celebrate his 40th birthday. He acknowledges he was naive about the time it would take to walk the distance.
"Somewhere along the way, the time frame dissolved and was replaced with the desire to explore, learn and interact with people and places," he said.
"This does not deter me in any way because you cannot quantify the time needed for self-discovery. It takes the time it needs."
As for his birthday, it was a special one. He was featured on the "Today" show, then visited a meteor crater site in Arizona. "I have wanted to go there for years. It was amazing," he said.
The Vindicator published a story April 9 announcing Vaught's cross-country trip. As of Oct. 9, Vaught had logged 1,252 miles and was near Elk, Okla.
Had reached 410 pounds
The former Marine said he has gained nearly 200 pounds in the last 15 years and tried many weight-loss programs. Nothing worked. In the weeks before he started his walk, Vaught said he hit 410 pounds; now his weight is at 342 pounds.
Vaught, who left Youngstown in 1983 and moved to the West Coast, works in auto repair services. He said stress and a hectic lifestyle had contributed to his weight gain.
Health concerns prompted his drastic action. In the previous story, Vaught had voiced concern about his weight shortening his life. His doctor agreed to the trek, though he promoted a more conventional weight-loss regimen.
Vaught said he knew he would face a long separation from his wife, April, and children, Melanie, 8, and Marcus, 3. The family keeps in touch by phone and e-mail. The same communication also keeps Vaught in contact with his sister, Lisa Sattarelle of Boardman.
"He's almost at the halfway point. ... The states are getting smaller," Sattarelle said. "He's getting there. ... He's faced 115-degree heat, blisters and muscle aches. He's going from the hottest part [of the country] to the coldest and hasn't been in snow for some time.
"I'm his sister so I think it's great. But it seems kinda scary to me ... not knowing where you are and so on," she said.
Will publish book
Sattarelle also said she is collecting anecdotes about her brother for a book to be published in January. She is seeking information from family, friends, neighbors and former classmates at South, Hillman, Wilson and Struthers schools. Send e-mail to lee.fmw@gmail.com or call her at (330) 726-0794.
Vaught has a Web site, TheFatManWalking.com, and it's updated as he has time. The site features the story behind his walk, photos, map and e-mail messages from supporters.
There's no typical day on this trip. Vaught said his walking, eating and sleeping routine has been "changing as the climate and environment change."
When temperatures were high, Vaught said, he started walking at 5 or 6 a.m., continued to about 9 or 10 then took a break and resumed at 6 or 7 p.m. and walked until he found a campsite. As the weather has changed, he gets started at 8 or 9 a.m. and walks until about 2 p.m.
"I sleep wherever I can find a suitable campsite," he said. And if that's not to be found, he has slept "on the side of a highway under or near trees, under a bridge ... or amongst tall grass."
Vaught said his food consists of what he is carrying with him, or he stops to eat at a truck stop or restaurant.
Showering, well, that's another matter. "Most of the week it is comprised of wet nap towels," he said. Sometimes he gets a hotel room and cleans up.
Many good people
Vaught said that along the way he has met many great people. "They range from people who want to help to people who want to walk. But I can tell you that they far outnumber the bad. I have been delightfully surprised at the outpouring of good spirit."
People who stand out are Bill and Barbara Keys of Devore, Calif., and Randy and Kathryn Dudley of Albuquerque, N.M. "Both opened their homes to me and treated me like I was family and both came at critical times ... almost like they were guided to me. I cannot thank them enough for their support and kindness."
So when he's walking down a stretch of road, what does he do to keep his mind occupied? Vaught said there are two distinct phases for him. "I sort of meditate on the feeling of being there and being alive. I pay attention to my breathing, heartbeat, stride and sounds," he said.
The other is the stimulus phase when Vaught said he listens to music or books or explores the environment. "Sometimes I even sing and dance. But I am not going to demonstrate that for anyone as both of those skills are better suited for desert solitude," he said.
A growth experience
As his trek began, Vaught was approached by a documentary film crew to chronicle parts of his journey. "[The filmmaker] said that the walk was about a man trying to find his soul. At that time, I was still very rigid and felt that the walk was very mechanical and was about X miles equals X pounds equals happiness," Vaught said.
After a while on the road, Vaught said he came to realize it was he who was missing the point of the journey; the filmmaker had summed up its essence.
XFor some information in this story, Vaught responded to questions via e-mail.