Let “The Subway Guy” inspire you to make a healthy lifestyle change

Dr. Randy Martin: Last spring, I had the opportunity to speak with Jared Fogle, also known as “the Subway guy.” You may already be familiar with Jared’s inspiring story of his 245 lb. weight loss, but did you know how he is helping others reach their weight loss goals? He shared with me his fitness tips, how he’s helping in the fight against childhood obesity and one of his proudest accomplishments since losing the weight.

When he was only 7 years old, Jared Fogle says he began putting on weight. By the time he was 20, he had developed severe cases of sleep apnea and edema.

“Some scary things were happening to me that a 20-year-old should not be [experiencing],” says Fogle. “At that point I said, ‘Enough is enough – I need to find ways to change my life.’”

Like many others who have struggled with weight loss, Fogle says he had many failed attempts before he found a regimen that worked for him – eating Subway sandwiches and making time for exercise. In only one year, he managed to lose a staggering 245 pounds.

Since losing the weight, he has gone from being a self-described “non-runner” to completing the ING New York City Marathon.

“I had never run more than a mile in my life before that,” he says. “It was a big challenge, but it was something I was really excited about.”

Preventing childhood obesity

In an effort to reduce cases of childhood obesity, Fogle founded The Jared Foundation. The foundation provides numerous programs, including Jared’s Challenge and Jared’s Joggers, to teach kids how to lead healthier lifestyles.

“Hopefully through more exercise and better eating habits, we are going to be able to curb this whole childhood obesity problem,” Fogle says.

When you lose, you gain

“When people lose weight, they gain many benefits,” says Jasmin Theard, exercise physiologist at the Piedmont Health & Fitness Center. “Most importantly, people lower their risk of heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.”

Theard says the strategy Jared used to lose weight will work for most people.

“We tell our clients that the key is to get moving. You don’t need to run a marathon, but you can start simply by just walking. Then, as you feel stronger, you can work your way up to strength training and more demanding cardio workouts to continue to see weight loss results.”

Dr. Randy Martin: Jared’s weight loss is truly inspirational. While it didn’t happen overnight, his story proves that once you decide for yourself to make a healthy lifestyle change, you can change your entire life for the better. I encourage you to make a commitment to your health – maybe one day we’ll be hearing about your success story.