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RV-7 N159SB Brian Chesteen (Brantel)

One of the first things I did when I finally committed to building my RV-8 in 2015 was to also commit to a weight loss program, because I had gained a LOT of weight in the previous decade. I had used Jenny Craig in the '80s with some success, so I chose to take that route. It's been two years now, and I've gradually gone from 290 to under 220. My target weight range is between 200 and 220, and I will NEVER AGAIN be over 230 for the rest of my life. I know I can do it... because I've done it, and I did it right. I intend to keep the lessons learned as part of the way I will live from now on.
 
I am so impressed with this thread,,, I am 53 with a family history of heart disease and diabetes and that scares me yet I am 30lbs overweight and starting on my 9A build this month,, Brain you have inspired me to START TODAY to lose the sugar and start moving..

I am in knoxville quite often for business ( seeing boat builders ) I hope to meet you someday and see the 7 as well..

just wow..
 
Useful app and another tip

Brian,

Your non-sugar diet is going to pay off big time. It will also get easier to adhere to it once you get it out of your system and your digestive system returns to a healthy state (probiotics help). It made a huge difference for me.

A couple of things for you, if you have an iPhone, try the "Lose It" app. I have NEVER counted calories before, but this made it super easy to set weight and calorie targets.

Another suggestion, if you haven't already, try eliminating all dairy. For me this was super challenging. I LOVED dairy in all shapes and forms. That said, once I gave it up, I immediately lost 15 pounds, without any exercise. After that 15 went away, I added the very low sugar and no alcohol modifications in and lost another 15. I added in some very basic body weight exercise and the scale keeps going down and the muscle tone I lost 20 years ago is coming back!

I have added approximately 35 pounds of useful load to the plane and ideally have another 10 to go.

Good luck!

Antony
 
Brian,

First of all, congratulations on your progress and another excellent thread! My wife and I made similar decisions some time ago and we have never looked back. I want to live to fly this RV for a very long time and this is the path to travel.

One point I wanted to elaborate on a bit is that I see a lot of builders going to extraordinary lengths to "keep it light" when it comes to building their plane. Shave an ounce here, an ounce there, and end up with a lighter, more nimble RV, right? But you can only go so far with this plan. Although they do add up, most weight-saving techniques result in fractions of a pound.

Then one day it occurred to me, I'm going to all this effort to make my airplane as light as possible. But the pilot becomes a part of the airplane when it flies. I think when the airplane is weighed at the end of the project, the pilot should be seated in it. That's the true weight you're dealing with, when you weigh your airplane to see how well you built it. After all, it doesn't fly itself! It's not really accurate to take the pilot out of the picture. So if you think about it that way, the quickest (and healthiest) way to take some weight off of the airplane is to take it off of the pilot who flies it. It's easy to overlook that. And here we're talking about pounds, not ounces! In some cases, many pounds. In my case, my finished airplane with me in it will be at least 25 pounds lighter than a few years ago. Keeping that in mind really helps me when I'm temped to stray. If I eat or drink that junk, my airplane will be heavier and more sluggish as a result.

Just a few thoughts to ponder. It's a different way of looking at it, and it helps me.
 
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Fellow RV friends,

Just wanted to give you an update on my battle to stay healthy enough to keep enjoying my RV7 (and most of all be around to love, support and enjoy my family). As many of you know I started taking this battle seriously about 4 years ago.

While I have had a few setbacks, I am proud to say that tomorrow I will attempt to complete my second Dopey Challenge at Disney World. It is a 4 day progressive 48.6 mile road race. 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon.

For me running has been the best way for me to maintain my RV performance enhancing weight loss and for me to keep my known coronary artery disease in check!
 
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Awesome!

Way to go. It is a daily battle to live a healthy lifestyle. The race sounds like a grueling affair. I would say enjoy, but survive seems more appropriate.
 
I am proud to say that tomorrow I will attempt to complete my second Dopey Challenge at Disney World. It is a 4 day progressive 48.6 mile road race. 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon.

Proof that someone who built a plane in their garage really is nuts! :D

Go for it, Brian!
 
I did it! Again!

48.6 miles in the bag!

EMu0oBU.jpg


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"Brantel" Just Doesn't Work Anymore

With all that hardware hanging around your neck, how about "Mr. B".
Great job.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
 
Congrats Brian

Brian,
Congratulations on your success.
You are an inspriation for sure.
Wishing you many years of continued good health!
 
Thanks for all the encouragement guys! It helped me get thru and reach my goal!

Here is a link to my photo share for anyone bored enough to want to look at em :p

Had no time yet to organize or add captions but you will get to see how Dopey my wife and I are at 3 am every morning!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CxeqwfVkWnLRAkp73
 
A bittersweet message....

I figured this thread was the best place to post the news. As of yesterday, I am no longer the caretaker of N159SB.

I have entrusted Blake Tillotson and Mark Antry of Salt Lake City UT to care for and enjoy the bird for many years to come.

Life has a way of reorganizing one's priorities and this is the reason for the sale and my absence here on VAF for the past couple years.

My wife made a quick video that almost brought tears to my eyes:

https://youtu.be/7O0uyw8InBA

It was a surreal experience watching the plane leave. I am the only person who has ever been PIC of N159SB before yesterday.

While I will no longer be an RV owner, I will always be an RV builder. Likewise, I have been a part of VAF since all the way back to the Yahoo Groups days before Doug moved to his own dedicated site. That being said, I will still participate when I can.

I will forever be thankful for all the friends I have made in the RV community, thank you Doug for your contribution which was a huge enabler for that to happen!

I guess I have to change my signature now! :p
 
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Brian: Thanks for being a contributor here, your trials and insight have been helpful and appreciated especially with canopy fit and batteries. Your absence has been noticeable, at least to me, over these last couple of years. Thanks for letting us know that you will still be around.
 
RV's

Yeah Brian I know how you feel after I sold Miss Sandy back in 2013. Not flying much anymore but I still love going to OSH for 3 weeks every summer. Please try and get up in '23.

Blue skies
Jerry
 
Brian, good to hear from you.

What have you been doing? Still making beautiful beans at the day job? ;)
 
Brian, good to hear from you.

What have you been doing? Still making beautiful beans at the day job? ;)

Yes sir! The pandemic drove us into overdrive as everyone started eating at home again. We also lost an engineer that I have been working with for years to another company and our company decided not to replace him. I have absorbed most of his responsibilities. The wife and I have missed seeing you at Osh the past couple years. We want to try and get up there next year. We will be in the 5th wheel RV though. :p
 
Yeah Brian I know how you feel after I sold Miss Sandy back in 2013. Not flying much anymore but I still love going to OSH for 3 weeks every summer. Please try and get up in '23.

Blue skies
Jerry

Hey Jerry,

Good to hear from you! Yep, we are gonna try to get up there next year!
 
Brian: Thanks for being a contributor here, your trials and insight have been helpful and appreciated especially with canopy fit and batteries. Your absence has been noticeable, at least to me, over these last couple of years. Thanks for letting us know that you will still be around.

Louavul,

You are welcome. I have always wanted to give back as much as I can. I have shared the good the bad and the ugly.

I know many of our older threads are missing many images and this decreases their value to newer builders. I wish there was a way to fix that but what it is what it is. Even this thread is full of broken links.

Thank you for the note!
 
Hello

Hello Brian,
Sandy and I look for you at each and every KMOR breakfast. We hope you can make the next EAA breakfast.

Marvin McGraw
 
Great Luck un whatever comes up next

Hey, I know it's bittersweet, but another wonderful opportunity will pop up and you'll relish that too.

Best of luck to you two and your family.

It was fun watching your project meeting you two at OSH.
 
Hello Brian,
Sandy and I look for you at each and every KMOR breakfast. We hope you can make the next EAA breakfast.

Marvin McGraw

Hopefully I can make the next one. The wife and I miss seeing you to the past couple years at Osh.
 
Hey, I know it's bittersweet, but another wonderful opportunity will pop up and you'll relish that too.

Best of luck to you two and your family.

It was fun watching your project meeting you two at OSH.

Jerry,

The wife always ask about if I have heard from you. She calls you the "hugger". LOL

You know your governor still lives on in N159SB and does a fine job at what it does!

Thanks for the note!
 
Stick around, Brian! As many others have said, your break from VAF has been noticed.

Bring the 5 wheel RV up to OSH next year and maybe walk away with an RV15 kit on order? :) Great for that camping stuff!
 
Hey Brian,
Having noticed I had not seen any posts from you for a while I started to email you just to see how you were doing. I have missed OSH the last two years and have not seen you guys.
Was about to ask about the RV-10 but just notice it is shown as sold in your signature line.
Hope to see you guys around in the future.
 
Brian,

Fair winds to you and Chantel, and I hope those winds bring our paths together soon! I saw the youtube goodbye vid, and could feel the emotion. I think many of us feel it, because you shared so much here on VAF. So congrats on a great plane made by your hands, and here's to the next adventure!

Cheers,
Bob
 
Brian, what's great about this story is that we can all relate to it, we'll all be there some day. You have handled it with class and grace. Can't wait to read the sequel. Be well, my friend.
 
Priorities

Brian, many of us can relate with your story and I greatly appreciate your candor. You and I are both Jurassic RV guys going back to Doug’s Yahoo group and snail mail to Vans in North Plains before that! My RV4 tail kit was made when Reagan was Prez, my RV6X build included a RV4 wing kit #37 (1978). I too have sold my two RVs and recently by Gods grace have punched a terminal C diagnosis in the nose.

HE heals all and I’m very thankful, sounds like UR2!

V/R
Smokey
 
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Stick around, Brian! As many others have said, your break from VAF has been noticed.

Bring the 5 wheel RV up to OSH next year and maybe walk away with an RV15 kit on order? :) Great for that camping stuff!

Brad, we are going to try and get back up there in 23. We will definitely look you up! You know I won't be able to stay out of the Garmin tent!

Hey Brian,
Having noticed I had not seen any posts from you for a while I started to email you just to see how you were doing. I have missed OSH the last two years and have not seen you guys.
Was about to ask about the RV-10 but just notice it is shown as sold in your signature line.
Hope to see you guys around in the future.

Yeah, the 10 start was a brain fart. Not sure what I was thinking. The roller coaster of life hit me just about the time the wings showed up. I have not been to Osh since 19 but we hope to get up there next year. Good to hear from you my friend!

Brian,

Fair winds to you and Chantel, and I hope those winds bring our paths together soon! I saw the youtube goodbye vid, and could feel the emotion. I think many of us feel it, because you shared so much here on VAF. So congrats on a great plane made by your hands, and here's to the next adventure!

Cheers,
Bob

Thanks my friend. We will hopefully see you next year at one of the social gatherings at Osh. I keep up with you on FB and am still amazed at all the cool things you have going on!

Brian, what's great about this story is that we can all relate to it, we'll all be there some day. You have handled it with class and grace. Can't wait to read the sequel. Be well, my friend.

Thanks Pat! When building I never thought the day would come!

Brian, many of us can relate with your story and I greatly appreciate your candor. You and I are both Jurassic RV guys going back to Doug’s Yahoo group and snail mail to Vans in North Plains before that! My RV4 tail kit was made when Reagan was Prez, my RV6X build included a RV4 wing kit #37 (1978). I too have sold my two RVs and recently by Gods grace have punched a terminal C diagnosis in the nose.

HE heals all and I’m very thankful, sounds like UR2!

V/R
Smokey

Smokey, so glad to hear that you put your faith in the one and only true physician and showed the C who was boss! The Lord has and continues to bless me more than I deserve every day!
 
I might as well chime in as well. Brian has been a great friend and we have shared a lot of interests over the years! I am very proud to be the next caretaker for such an awesome plane. My hangar neighbor and I will be partners on this one and hopefully between the two of us we can give it the exercise she needs. I knew Brian's workmanship was on a whole never level, but my partner did not. But, once he saw the airplane and we flew it around the patch the first time, he was a believer.

It was a sad day several years ago when I convinced myself to sell my RV-7 (Made by another VAF'er John Siebold) and for some reason bought a C-180, that was an awesome plane. But it is good to be back in the VAN'S CAMP and in such an awesome plane!

I still never left VAF! What an awesome resource! Glad to be back!
 
Sorry to see it go Brian, but obviously there are more important things in life. I have no doubt the new owners will love the heck out of it.

We met one year at Oshkosh but we've never hung out, talked on the phone, or exchanged Christmas cards. However we did rock the "Show us the status of your 7/7A project!" thread back in 2010/11!!!! :D. It was fun completing our planes about the same time. Your informative posts helped me a lot in my build.

Tailwinds
 
Blue skies

Wishing you the best. Been on here with you since Vaf got started, finished our birds at close to the same time and flown into kosh a few time when your bird was there too and always enjoyed your posts. Sorry to see you sell, hope the next chapter is a good one for you and your family. Blue skies Brain.
 
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