There is life after appearing on “The Biggest Loser,” but much of it is spent at the gym.
Many of the contestants report initially regaining at least some weight after the show, then boosting their exercise to bring it back down. All of the contestants contacted for this article have adopted radical lifestyle changes to accommodate more exercise, while still controlling their eating.
They report that their lives are drastically better–both healthwise and in other ways. Moe Walker, a Season 1 favorite, is working as a paralegal and, for the most part, enjoys the limelight. “Please tell the ladies I’m single,” he says.
Moe Walker
He weighed 436 pounds when he came to the ranch–100 pounds heavier than any of the other contestants. He had lost 71 pounds by the finale, then went home and regained about 50 pounds over the next five months. He then got his weight under control and is down 122 pounds from his starting point.
Walker spends 2 1/2 hours in the gym four days a week. On a typical day, he spends an hour on the treadmill, 30 minutes on the recumbent bike and an hour on weights. He tries to restrict his calories to 1,500 to 1,700 a day.
Kelly Minner
This Season 1 contestant from Coopersburg, Pa., started at 242 pounds and had lost 79 pounds by the finale. She has continued to lose weight and is down 102 pounds from her original weight.
Minner does an hour of Pilates or some form of cardio six days a week and an hour of weight training four times a week for toning. Her daily calorie intake varies from 1,200 to 1,800.
Minner says losing weight in such a public forum has exacted an emotional toll. “There were days when I would get home and cry for no reason,” she said. “Psychologically, I would have liked a little more support.”
Matt Hoover and Suzy Preston
Season 2’s biggest loser started at 339 pounds and lost 157 pounds on the show. He has since regained about 27 pounds, but can live with that. He feels that his final weight was artificially low.
“I have learned that I can’t base how I look on the weight I was for the finale,” he says.
He works out six days a week and is in training for an upcoming wrestling match. A typical routine includes 45 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of weight training and an hour of wrestling. He consumes about 1,600 calories a day.
Hoover married another contestant, Suzy Preston. She started at 227 pounds and lost 95 pounds. She does about 45 minutes of cardio training and one hour of weight training six days a week. She maintains a diet of about 1,200 calories a day.
Hoover recently took a job as a personal trainer at a local gym. “I can’t believe how much my life has changed from a year ago,” he says. “I don’t do anything the same, and that’s good.”
