Morbidly obese man to ride across America to get his wife back

HIS wife left him, and his health was rapidly declining. But after he heard a famous love song, Eric Hites made a pledge to get it all back with a giant gesture.

254kg man’s attempt to save life and marriage

HE SAYS he’s doing it to save his marriage, but Eric Hites’ giant gesture could very well save his life.

Weighing in at a whopping 254 kilos, the 40-year-old is riding across America in an effort to win back his estranged wife and save his ailing health.

He says his increasing waistline and corresponding decline in health caused tension in the marriage and contributed to his wife’s decision to leave him in 2014.

“Mostly because of my weight I was depressed and grumpy and it kind of fell apart,” Hites told ABC News from Rhode Island, the beginning stage of his journey.

He knew he needed to do something drastic to take back control of his life. He was searching for a gesture to prove to his wife that he was serious about saving their marriage when he happened to hear The Proclaimers song, I’m Gonna Be (500 miles).

The renowned love song from the Scottish duo turned out to be the spark of inspiration he desperately needed.

“I can’t walk another 500 miles, but I can do it on a bicycle,” Hites recalled thinking at the time. “I can do it from East coast to West coast to lose weight.”

While the character in the song walks a thousand miles to his lover’s door, Hites will be riding much more than that as the distance from coast to coast is approximately 3,000 miles (4,800km).

He has started an almost self-effacing website called Fat Guy Across America to document his progress throughout the journey.

And the site reaffirms his motivation for the epic undertaking: “Most of all he wants to show the love of his life, that he will be around for the long haul, to be there when they are old, and to prove by actions instead of words in a big way that his love has no bounds.”

As he begun his ride earlier this month, the man from Indiana admits he had some doubts.

“In the first week I had a couple doubts. ... I had self doubt about ‘What have I done?’” he told the ABC.

But the huge amount of support that has flooded in on social media has served to dissipate any anxieties he once had.

“Such an inspiration. I am living vicariously through your journey. I can’t thank you enough!”, Laura Holt commented on Facebook.

“Good luck sir! You’re doing a great thing for yourself and I’m sure your story will inspire others!” wrote Edward Reyna.

At the time of writing, Hites is about to exit Rhode Island and head towards Philadelphia. And while the countless messages of support keep flooding in on social media, Hites keeps peddling.

Which is a good thing, because he’s got a very long way to go.