Hefty guy goes for the trifecta of sports

Vic Biberston knows what it's like to be the fat guy, the last one chosen for sports teams. He knows what it's like to ride the diet roller coaster of weight loss and gain.

The 45-year-old Clovis, Calif., man, an executive for Pelco, has tried a lot of different ways to slim down: bariatric surgery as a young man, fad diets, even becoming a certified instructor for stationary-bike spin classes.

The weight often came off. Then it went right back on.

As millions of overweight Americans, prepare to battle their scales, Biberston believes he's found a way to stay fit for good.

For the past nine months, he has made it his goal to take part in a triathlon. He even created a website, www.obesetotriathlete.com, to share his experiences and track his progress.

From 300 pounds a year ago, the 5-foot-9 Biberston is down to about 241.

UP AT DAWN

It's no miracle. Several times a week, Biberston rises as early as 4 a.m. to ride his bike to the gym and work. He often throws in an extra 30- or 40-mile loop before arriving at Pelco.

''I'm still 50 pounds overweight,'' he says. ``I don't want to pretend that I'm the most disciplined man in the world. I'm not, or I wouldn't be in the condition I'm in.''

On his website, Biberston says he's spent the past 30 years ``either obese or morbidly obese.''

As a child, he was always chubby. He tried liquid supplements, to little effect. His weight -- at its peak, 308 pounds -- has caused digestion problems, anxiety and flagging energy. He's been diagnosed as a diabetic.

At the suggestion of a doctor more than a decade ago, he bought a bike and began riding it in San Diego, where he and his family lived. He liked cycling so much, he earned a certification to teach spin classes.

SWEAT EQUITY

Every time he began an exercise program, he saw results. But as a businessman who travels a lot, it was difficult for Biberston to stick with it. Being away from home was like a mini-vacation from fitness.

''What you eat in San Francisco stays in San Francisco -- that was kind of my philosophy,'' he says. Now ``it's not a matter of what I eat stays here. It's what I eat here is going to go back with me.''

Even that realization hasn't kept Biberston on the path to greater fitness. Through good times and bad, food was always there, either to celebrate with or to provide comfort.

''I can't speak for everybody, but food was super important,'' he says. ``I would think all day long about what I was going to have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and every hour in between.

``You turn to food, because it's simple, it's easy, it's there. There's little immediate ramification, other than immediate satisfaction.''

Biberston's doctor, Fresno, Calif., internist George Molina, sees a lot of overweight patients willing to overlook the role they play in their physical condition.

'I have patients come in to me all the time who say, `Doctor, I'm not eating that much. I don't understand why I'm gaining weight,' '' Molina says. ``Obesity is really not a mysterious illness or disease. . . . It's basic caloric imbalance.''

Biberston has long understood the equation. But like many people, his goal began and ended with the bathroom scale. Molina says it works better if losing weight happens to be a byproduct of another goal, such as Biberston's.

When his wife, Pam, was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a year ago, Biberston realized it was time to make a change.

'She just doesn't need to be thinking, `Uh-oh, my husband's going to die of a heart attack,' '' he says.

One of his co-workers, a former triathlete, casually mentioned he'd like to get in shape to compete again. The idea appealed to Biberston.

SWIM, BIKE, RUN

''What do we all want to do as kids?'' he says. ``Swim, bike and run. . . . Everyone loves swimming. Learning to ride your bike was this rite of passage.''

Running though? Not so much.

''I hate running,'' Biberston says. ``Running is bad on the knees. But let's see what we can do.''

He's jogged a bit and wants to do more. But to protect his joints, he spends several hours a week on a treadmill or elliptical machine instead. Several hours more are spent in the pool.

Foot surgery slowed Biberston down last month. But for the most part, he rides 100 or more miles a week on his bike.

AN INSPIRATION

Carey Schock, a co-worker who cycles with Biberston a couple of times a week when weather permits, finds the would-be triathlete an inspiration.

''He's very self-effacing,'' Schock says. 'He'll say things like, `Hey, if this fat man can be on the bike, you can get on the bike,' that sort of thing. There's really no excuse when he plays that card.''

Dale Small, another co-worker who cycles, has watched Biberston gain confidence as he's lost weight the past year.

''It takes guts to put yourself out there,'' Small says. ``It's one thing if you have a lean body, another if you're not so lean, and you attempt what other guys are doing.''

Biberston admits part of what motivates him is the wonder in the eyes of others during conversations about his weight loss.

''If I bike to work that day,'' he says, 'and someone says, `Vic, how far did you go?' 'I went 40 miles.' 'Oh, my gosh, that's incredible. You're an animal.' So I'm feeding the ego: Yeah, baby. Who else did 40 miles this morning? Nobody.

``That's probably not the best motivation. But if you can use that as a positive reinforcement, great.''

He hopes to compete in an August event in Utah. It's not a full Ironman triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run). But if baby steps are what it takes, he's willing to enjoy the journey.

''I have a vision of what success looks like in my mind,'' Biberston says. ``That's me crossing the finish line.''