Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – April 29, 2024 – Like every epic journey, Craighead County Deputy Sheriff Marcus Gragg Jr.’s began with a single step.
Then another. And another and another.
Gragg has lost over 100 pounds by walking the halls of the Craighead County Courthouse and neighboring courthouse annex building while on duty over the past two years.
He averages walking about 6 miles a day, walking a continuous loop on the brown polished floor when he works security at the courthouse’s main entrance. He also walks on the courthouse’s third floor and crosses the walkway over Union to reach the annex building.
There, he walks among the courtrooms of the annex’s fourth floor and the first floor hallway between the assessor’s and collector’s offices.
Gragg, 42, said he knew he had a major weight issue when two things occurred. First, he said, he could barely fit in a ride when he took his family to an amusement park while on vacation. Then, when he returned home, Gragg had difficulty squeezing in the seat at Munchy’s restaurant; the fixed seats wouldn’t budge and the table cut into his girth.
“I played sports in high school,” he said, referring to his days at Westside Consolidated School District. “I knew what to do to lose weight. I just had to do it.”
In 2022, Gragg, who has been with the Craighead County Sheriff’s office for 15 years after serving in the U.S. Army and being deployed to Iraq in 2006 and 2008, began walking.
“After coming back from Iraq, I gained an average of 10 pounds every year,” he said.
He noticed his stamina was waning. Climbing stairs was a struggle. Wrestling with unruly inmates at the county detention center took more out of him.
He also noticed his blood pressure was higher and physicals showed his liver enzymes and cholesterol had increased.
He had ballooned up to 310 pounds. At 5-6, the weight was becoming dangerous, he said. “I looked like a guy who ate me,” he said.
Gragg’s wife works in the medical field and became worried. “She didn’t mind the weight, but she was concerned about my health,” he said.
He began tracking his weight loss after he started walking each month. Some months showed remarkable success. Others didn’t. But he kept on.
Gragg also watched his diet, doing intermittent fasting and eating a low-carb diet, dining on 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day. He lost 60 pounds in seven months.
Now, two years after taking that first step, Gragg is down to 195, a loss of 115 pounds.
“Marcus has done a great job,” said Craighead Sheriff Marty Boyd. “The benefit of what he’s doing is two-fold. He’s getting healthier and he’s also patrolling the courthouse constantly.”
By moving around, Gragg has often been at the right place at the right time. He’s stopped potential fights in tense courtroom situations and settled down angry people who contested their tax bills at the collector’s office.
“People have wanted to fight the clerks,” he said. “When they see law enforcement, they straighten up.”
“He’s a great people person,” Boyd said. “He’s moving around, seeing people and giving the buildings more of our presence.”
Other deputies have followed suit.
Craighead County Deputy Sheriff Mark Ballard is walking more now while on the job and conferring with Gragg about eating habits.
After a recent physical, Ballard said his doctor told him he was on a path to some serious medical issues if he didn’t change his diet.
“Marcus has been a great inspiration,” Ballard said. “It’s amazing what he’s done. He’s helping a lot of us.”
Another deputy has lost about 25 pounds in the past few months following Gragg’s lead.
The downside of the weight loss: Gragg has had to buy three sets of uniforms for his job. He’s gone from a size 55 in the waist to a 38. He once wore 3X shirts. Now he fits comfortably in Large-sized shirts.
“It takes discipline,” he said when asked how he stuck with walking and dieting. “You’ve got to stick with it. But it works.”