"I woke up one morning and told my wife, 'I'm just so tired of being fat, and I'm going to do something about it,'" Long said during a brief stop in Uniontown Wednesday for lunch and to escape the scorching temperatures approaching 90 degrees.

When Long began his walk from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo., on Feb. 14, he was tipping the scale at 380 pounds. Today, the 5 foot 10 inch Long has dropped 60 pounds.

Long said he was suffering from a variety of maladies related to being overweight, including diabetes and heart problems. He was hit with a heart attack five years ago.

"I couldn't walk a quarter of a mile in January," said Long. "By the end of the month, I was walking 10 miles a day wearing a backpack full of rocks."

Long believes the answer to the bulging waistline of America isn't with cosmetic surgery, such as liposuction. People need to change their lifestyles in terms of the foods they eat.

Long said he plans on reaching New York City just after Independence Day. He said he has been invited to be a guest on the CBS television show "Late Night with David Letterman." From New York, he plans to fly to the state of California, and resume his walk back to St. Louis.

Long said he was experiencing numbness in his arm while he was walking near Columbus, Ohio, recently. A couple took him into their home and cared for him until he was ready to resume his trek. They have called him on his cell phone regularly to check on him since.

Long, who has been eating one hot meal a day and takes in about 2,000 calories daily, said he was told at a local restaurant about Summit Mountain, which was on horizon for Wednesday's leg on Route 40.

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