- December 16, 2025
Bob Gamblain pledged to lose 100 pounds in six months for Relay for Life. He’s at 56 so far.
When Bob Gamblain joined the local Relay for Life two years ago, he had never been personally affected by or lost anyone to cancer. But now, as chairman of the organization’s board, he’s planning to lose a lot for the disease: 100 pounds, to be exact.
In October, Gamblain announced goals of dropping 100 pounds before the Relay’s annual event, April 28 and April 29, at Town Center. Three months in, he’s halfway there, with 56 pounds gone and 44 to go.
“I just can’t keep taking my life for granted while there are so many out there fighting to keep theirs,” he said, adding that the link between obesity and cancer is massive. Men with a body mass index of more than 40, he said, have a 52% greater chance of dying from the disease than those below that number.
For woman, that probability goes up to 62%.
When Gamblain first heard those statistics, he was 6 feet tall and 364 pounds. His BMI was 50.49. He knew what he had to do.
“I knew that I had to do exercise as well as diet,” he said, “(but) I was really worried that the exercise … would hurt my back.”
About 15 years ago, Gamblain moved a coffee pot on his counter, felt a pain shoot up his back and “went down.”
At the hospital, he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and three bulging discs in his lower back. He was hospitalized for three days, then in nursing home treatment for another three. Doctors were unsure if he would ever work again.
Ultimately, he did return to work, in healthcare, an industry he’s been in for 27 years. But the ailment hinders his current workout routine.
“I have to be mindful that I don’t hurt myself and lose valuable time toward my goal,” he said.
Still, that didn’t stop him from swinging for the fences. He could have set a smaller goal, he says — maybe to lose 40 pounds, or 60 — but where would be the fun in that?
“I wanted to have an impact,” he said. “This is something I can’t just easily do. This is something I really have to work for.”
Through a strict diet and low-impact aerobics/core training, Gamblain has lost 56 pounds in three months, lowering his BMI more than seven points, to 43.07.
He keeps track of everything he eats in a FitDay.com food log, which tracks his calories and goals. At stores, he’ll park as far as he can from the door. On weekends, he’ll ride his bike or climb the lighthouse at Ponce Inlet.
And he’s doing it all completely solo.
“No Weight Watchers, no nothing,” he said. “Just plain old paying attention.”
Recently, though, Gamblain hit his “plateau” point, where the weight has stopped melting off him. Now, he’ll exercise for days and eat great, but only lose an ounce or two per week.
“It’s kind of daunting,” he said. “I was doing so well in the beginning, and now it’s hard.”
But it will get better — at least that’s what everyone keeps telling him. He hasn’t let up in his routine, and he won’t, even after April 28. His ultimate goal is to reach a BMI of 36 and get down to around 200 pounds.
It’s been 16 years since he has weighed less than 300 pounds.
“The problem with losing weight, especially when you’re obese, is that it’s such a huge process. It’s overwhelming,” he said. “But eventually, it’s totally worth it.”
Gamblain thinks big but relishes the small things. Maybe he hasn’t lost too much weight the past couple weeks, but where he used to be able to only walk two blocks at a time, now he can go five miles without stopping. He can mow the lawn. And he’s inspired others.
His fiancée, for example, has lost 25 pounds in the same amount of time, he says. Another in the Relay has shed 50.
Most satisfying, though, might be that Gamblain’s clothes no longer fit. In three months, he’s gone from a 52 pants size to a 44.
“It’s kind of like a badge of honor,” he said, taking off his belt in the middle of Starbucks, showing off a new hole he recently cut into the leather. “I came from the end and I’m working my way down.”
The Relay’s fundraising goal for the year is $85,000. But Gamblain’s shooting for $100,000.
“Set the goal high,” he said, grinning. “It gives you at least something to shoot for. … Go big or go home.”
SUPPORT. JOIN IN.
Bob Gamblain set up a website at the start of his weight-loss journey. To support his campaign, donations to benefit the Relay for Life can be submitted at www.Main.ACSEvents.org/GoTo/BobGamblainsPage.
To pledge your own goals, contact [email protected].
