Steve Vaught looks to future after completing cross-country walk

By: GARY WARTH - Staff Writer | Saturday, May 20, 2006 4:11 PM PDT ∞

Back home after completing his cross-country walk from Oceanside to New York, Steve Vaught got up one morning last week hungry and ready for breakfast.

"I left and walked about four blocks looking for a place to eat," he said. "Then it occurred to me that I have a car."

For the past 13 months, Vaught's life had been devoted to a 3,000-mile walk across the country to lose weight. He completed his walk May 9 and caught a flight home the next weekend.

The accomplishment turned the Valley Center man into a media star, improved his outlook on life and helped him shed more than 100 pounds. At 40, the former Marine and one-time owner of a towing business is considering lucrative endorsement offers, battling with a book publisher and waiting to decide which national television show to appear on next.

Most important to him, he is creating a nonprofit foundation to help children fight depression and obesity.

While all that's a plateful, one of the biggest life adjustments for Vaught has been getting used to the idea of sitting still.

"When I'm not walking, I feel like I'm not doing something that I should be doing," he said.

After his much-publicized arrival in New York, where he appeared as a guest on the "Today" show and on CNN and MSNBC, Vaught drove to Washington, to meet with nutritionist Dr. Pamela Peeke.

Driving a rental car, Vaught said he saw a sign for a rest stop three miles ahead and made a mental note to pull over. Then he saw another sign for a rest stop three miles ahead. And then another sign for a rest stop three miles ahead.

Finally it dawned on him: he was so used to taking an hour to travel three miles, he had sped by the first two without realizing it.

In Washington, D.C., Peeke tested Vaught and found his body fat was at 38 percent, better than what he expected but still higher than his goal of between 25 and 30.

He also found he has more muscle than fat, and since returning home he has spoken daily with Peeke, who gives him advice on what to eat.

"But I don't know that guidance is going to be enough," he said.

Vaught is considering offers to work with weight-loss programs, which would help him lose his next 100 pounds as well as provide some much-needed revenue.

A book publisher paid Vaught an advance, which he said he split with his wife; the couple are divorcing. Vaught used most of his share to pay for expenses during his walk.

A disagreement with the publisher over the book and contract has delayed the publication date indefinitely, so there is no money coming from his potential best seller in the immediate future.

There are endorsement offers and speaking engagements to consider, but so far no checks.

"All those things sound really interesting to do, but the problem is getting from here to there," he said. "Even though they're making headway to getting things done, that don't pay the bills."

Once overcome by depression, Vaught said he now has the perspective to deal with such setbacks.

"Before, I would have had a really hard time dealing with it," he said. "I know one way or another, it will work out for the best. It's balance. It's yin and yang. Good things and bad things are both necessary in your life. This might be a particularly trying period, but it's not going to do me in like it would have a year ago. I know all things must pass."

Vaught's homecoming was brief. After reuniting with his two children, he loaded his car with his backpack and clothes and headed to a motel. He still is torn about whether to move closer to San Diego or remain in North County.

A bum left foot has finally stopped hurting, and Vaught has been exercising daily. He spent Thursday with his children at the beach, and he still is recognized by somebody almost everyplace he goes.

Vaught's fame over the past year has earned him folk-hero status, but he hasn't been without detractors. Among the thousands of encouraging comments left on the message board of his Web site, http://www.thefatmanwalking.com, have been death threats, accusations that he is a deadbeat dad and claims that he cheated on his walk.

Vaught said a reporter for a national newspaper this week also questioned him about whether he cheated after comparing dates in his journal with map locations. Just who he was cheating isn't clear, since his walk wasn't in response from anyone other than himself, and he never intended to set any kind of record with the trek.

Having already appeared on several national television shows, Vaught is concerned that his message will be diluted if he does many more appearances. He is considering requests by David Letterman, Jay Leno, Tony Danza, Ellen DeGeneres and Adam Carolla, but said he wants to have something new to say before going on any more shows.

That something new may be a nonprofit foundation to bring attention to obesity and depression in children. Through the foundation, which he hopes to launch soon, he would speak at schools and other groups about his own experience.

"My whole life was one of no guidance," said Vaught, who first dealt with depression at age 10. That depression spiraled out of control and led to obesity after Vaught was involved in a car accident that killed two pedestrians when he was 25.

Vaught said if someone had noticed his depression when he was younger and offered some guidance, he would not have made such poor decisions in life. Helping children avoid similar mistakes could become the legacy of his walk, Vaught said.

"If I live a long life and at the end, my obituary says 'Steve Vaught championed the rights of children,' I'm good," he said.

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at gwarth@nctimes.com or (760) 740-5410. To comment, visit http://www.nctimes.com.

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