What was Steve Vaught’s purpose of his epic journey at first?

A forty-year-old father of two, Steve Vaught took the final steps of his epic journey as he crossed the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan. (24)It took him a year and a month to walk nearly four thousand eight hundred kilometers from his home in California. (23)His original aim had been to lose weight after falling into a depression and developing an eating disorder. He did arrive a hundred pounds or forty-five kilograms lighter but he learned that weight loss was more about the state of mind than body. He now realized the secret to becoming thinner was being happier. His voyage of self-discovery was viewed by millions around the world on his website "A Fat Man Walking" and he now plans to publish a book about his experiences. But before disappearing into a hotel, he told reporters his first plan was to put on some new socks.