From Fat to Fortune - Jared's Subway Story

The story begins in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, where one Jared S. Fogle was born on 1st December 1977. Attending North Central High School, Jared was massively overweight, weighing in at 425 pounds, and reputedly sporting 6XL shirts. As a student of Indiana University, Jared roomed with a medic who diagnosed him with oedema, after which he was sent to hospital. Jared was told that his excessive obesity could lead him to the grave by age his mid-thirties if he didn't change his ways.

Realising the severity of the situation, Jared decided to take action. Intrigued by a local Subway's "7 for 6" ad campaign (which offered a menu of seven sandwiches, each with less than six grams of fat) he began a diet of a 6-inch turkey club sandwich for lunch, and a foot-long veggie sub for dinner. The diet was a success; within three months Jared had shed almost 100 pounds, and the visible reduction in his size spurred him on to begin taking regular exercise. Rather than using transport, Jared began to walk everywhere he could, choosing to take the stairs rather than the lift wherever possible. By the end of the diet, he had lost over 240 pounds, dramatically reducing his waistline and lengthening his life expectancy.

Struck by Jared's huge weight loss, a dorm-mate who barely recognised him (due to his new slim look) wrote an article about Jared for the Indiana Daily Student in April 1999. A writer for Men's Health read the article and went on to write a piece for the magazine which included a mention of the "Subway Sandwich Diet" in an article called "Crazy Diets that Work".

A Subway franchise owner in the Chicago area read the article, and went to speak to the director of Subway's Chicago advertising agency, believing the story could be used to promote the company in some way. The situation snowballed and it wasn't long before Jared was brought in to tell his story on camera, which then became a nationwide TV ad campaign.

The commercial was a huge success; the day after it was first aired, Subway's marketing director started receiving calls from USA Today, ABC News, Fox News and even Oprah. The story grew, and soon hotels in Indianapolis were full of reporters keen to meet the man who had shed so much weight by eating what was considered fast food.

It seemed that the USA - a nation famously overweight in the eyes of many countries, could relate to Jared's battle with the scales, and above all, the fact that Jared was a real person with a genuine success story, rather than some fictional advertisement. Subway reaped the rewards with sales rising by 18% that year, and a further 16% the following year.

Jared is now a well-recognised phenomenon who has been parodied on various mainstream TV shows and films, including 'The Simpsons', 'South Park', 'Scary Movie 3' and 'Saturday Night Live'. He continues to be employed by Subway as a spokesman on fitness and healthy eating.

Matthew Pressman is a freelance writer and frequent flyer. When not travelling, he enjoys golf and fishing.

Weight Loss Problems in a Progressive World

There is not a media source that does not mention the world epidemic of obesity several times per day. What is worse is that we are not living in the times of King Arthur where medieval sorcery was used many times for medicine.

No, we live in the 21st century. A progressive world that I like to reference. Yet, obesity is running rampant not just in the third world countries but in developed countries.

Just type in the words 'weight loss' and millions of site searches appear. Which one is the best? Who do you trust? That in itself has become a serious decision making process.

Those who are overweight need to continue educating yourself. Loss of weight is not automatic. One can only blame outside problems for so long. One must make a decision to take some action now and stick with it. And education will help you to make some of these tough choices a little easier.

I'm talking about education on different weight loss means such as lipo therapy, lipodissolve treatments, liposuction, weight loss diet pills of every sort imaginable and of course, changing one's eating habits which is a lifetime choice to pursue.

All of the above have worked for thousands of people, yet not all of the above will work or have the best outcome for you. You must learn about all the sources. Read some articles as well on weight loss.

Last but not least, overcome the natural tendency of being judgmental towards yourself and whatever you currently are weighing. This of course goes for how we view others too. Happiness starts with small steps at times and this desire to lose weight must be the same. Putting it on did not happen overnight; neither will taking it off.

Just make the decision to do it. You will be happy for deciding to do something about it. And don't forget to read as much as you can on weight loss dieting. Eat more fruits and vegetables as you look into more effective steps as lipodissolve, liposuction or even safe diet pills. All will help in achieving your goal... just know which is best for you.

FJ Tapia, a respected author, has been doing research in the areas of financial and health for over 10 years. Most avid readers realize these two sectors go together more than most realize. FJ reaches millions and shares with them the most relevant and accurate information on weight loss diets. Visit: http://www.nosurgerylipotherapy.com/index.php

Be Slimmer Weight Loss - Exercises To Help Burn The Fat

You've been eating right and trying to walk or jog each day, but it's getting boring. We've all been here before. A secret to weight loss is diverse set of exercises so that:

a.) you won't get bored

b.) you will work different muscles.

The following are some great ideas to get you moving and motivated. If you really want to lose weight you need a cardio workout as these exercises have been systematically proven to lose pounds.

One of the simplest and healthiest weight loss exercises you can perform is walking. The best part is that it's free and you can do it practically anywhere no matter where you live, rural, suburban, or urban. Because of these reasons you will find walking is a great way to begin your workout.

Jogging and running are similar exercises that will show big results. The early mornings are the best time to do this and it can be very relaxing actually. Caution should be applied to this exercise though as it can be hard on the knees, if you are older or have had sports related injuries in the past, consult your physician. If not, try a 30-45 3-5 days a week, but always remember to take it easy

If you can afford one, treadmills are an excellent way to perform the previous exercises without having to leave your home. You can also make the workout more enjoyable and less boring by watching TV or reading the paper to make time go faster.

Cycling is a fun and efficient form of weight loss exercise and it's also inexpensive. You can ride your bike around the block or if you prefer purchase an exercise bike to save you time and bother.

Now's a great time to mention resistance training. After you've performed exercises like the one above for some time, you may begin to see a decrease in results as your body is in better shape and has adjusted to a more active lifestyle. Now for resistance training, all you really need to do is to add some light weights to your workout. What this does is add more resistance to the muscles forcing them to work a little harder.

If you have a pool or have access to one, definitely consider swimming. It's fun, not too strenuous, and shows great results. There are even water aerobics which are simple exercises you can perform in the water. They'll show better results as well because of, you guessed it, resistance training. The only drawback to swimming is it takes more effort to prepare for, and if you don't have a pool you'll have to drive to the one closest to you which can take a large part of your day.

These are just the tip of the iceberg, but are perhaps the best place to start your weight loss exercise regimen. Have fun, and remember no matter which exercises you choose, stay consistent and stay faithful to your workout plan.

Kelly Lester is committed to one thing, and that's helping YOU lose weight. Visit his website right now at Guide To Weight Loss for some great information on losing weight. Or, want to see the #1 weight loss course online? Visit the Burn The Fat Review section of Kelly's website.

Weight Loss For Your Health

Possibly the saddest comment anyone can make about our modern way of life concerns our obsession over how we look. The diet and weight loss industry markets almost entirely on the basis of how we think we look, rather than how healthy we are or how we feel. As important as looks are, when we base our weight loss goals on looks, we set ourselves up for serious disease and ultimate failure in the looks department, too. This article will help you set realistic goals that will drive you, not to go on another crash diet, but to take the right actions for a permanent lifestyle change that will give you the good looks and much more.

Lose Weight For Health: You'll look better! Yes, looking good is more than fitting into the latest fashions. By far, the best looking people, regardless of age, have made good health a priority in their lives. We've all seen the pictures of smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts and the morbidly obese. These pictures all have one thing in common...the people look old well beyond their years and as sick as a living person can be. Healthy people not only avoid harmful, addictive things, but they pursue healthy activities as a lifestyle. Healthy people don't need to "go on a diet" because they manage their regular diet and exercise so they never need to lose more than 10 pounds. I envy them! I'm just learning to do this in my 50's. Considering where my health choices have left me, I would have felt a lot better most of my life, had I just made health my priority. Fortunately, there's still time for both of us to feel better.

Lose Weight To Feel Better: Instead of looks, we need to manage our weight to feel better. There's no question that people who feel better look better. Half the time, I look terrible because of the asthma and diabetes caused by my previous bi-polar health habits. Tired, crabby and out of breath aren't pretty. Now that I'm down 50 pounds from my high, six years ago, It isn't as bad as it was. Feeling better is a great reason to lose the weight we need to lose. Of course, no one who is on a diet feels good. Their bodies don't have enough nutrients (that's why you lose weight) and their minds are fighting them at every turn. Oh, why can't I have that pie, hamburger, French fry, Ice Cream? We go from feeling sick and tired from carrying around the extra weight to feeling sick and tired because of our drastic diets. If we want to lose weight to feel better, we'll find a smarter way...with a permanent lifestyle change, including eating and regular exercise.

Lose Weight To Be Smarter: While developing a healthy lifestyle is smarter, it makes you smarter, too. Weight loss diets deprive us of nutrients necessary for optimum brain function. We lose concentration and become more sluggish and irritable. It really doesn't matter whether you're cutting carbs or proteins, your body is teetering on the edge of starvation, and that makes thinking far more difficult. When you lose weight using a low fat, balanced diet and exercise, the opposite is true. You get mentally sharper, feel happier and think better. That's because a balanced diet provides all the nutrients your brain needs and less fat to clog up the blood supply, while the exercise pumps the blood more thoroughly through the brain and produces endorphins that elevate mood and relaxation. Though you lose the weight more slowly, you're happier, more energetic and mentally sharper than before the lifestyle change...in short...you start getting healthier immediately.

Lose Weight To Avoid Disease: Speaking of being healthier, avoiding disease is right on the top of that list. In addition to the diseases I mentioned above, being fat causes or contributes to cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, depression, anxiety, phobia, rapid aging, allergies, and a host of other diseases. If your weight loss goal is to be healthy and avoid disease, the last thing you would want to do is stress your body further with a weight-loss diet. In fact, too few nutrients during a diet can cause many of the same diseases as being overweight. Based on my symptoms and blood tests at the time, I contracted diabetes when I was thin (170 pounds), after losing over 55 pounds in 6 months on a high carb/low protein diet program. My doctor never mentioned the high blood sugar, apparently because my weight wasn't out of control. Our bodies don't react well to the bi-polar practice of eating way too much and correcting it by eating way too little. It's a recipe for a health disaster.

Lose Weight by Healthy Living: Over the last 6 months, I've lost 20 pounds by eating the right balance of healthy, fresh foods and by getting lots of exercise, mostly aerobic exercise. Diabetes makes weight loss far more difficult because eating too few nutrients can cause a coma. This disease has forced me to use the very weight loss method I recommend in my articles and on my web-site. I expect to lose another 20 pounds over the next 6 months, then, to take about 9 months for the final 17 pounds, to reach my goal of 180. It's taking so long, because I'm replacing body fat with muscle, rather than just starving both on a traditional weight-loss diet. When you do this, you lose inches quickly, but weight slowly. So, I look lighter than I weigh. In my opinion, two things make this weight loss method superior to any other I've tried. The first is the fact that I haven't given up any kind of food. All I've done is eat the good tasting "bad" stuff less often. Pizza once every couple months, for instance. The second thing is, when I reach my goal I won't need to change a thing. The same eating and exercise that got me there will keep me there.

When you're deciding on a weight loss program, make sure you have the right motives for losing weight. If you lose weight to be healthy...to feel better, think better, live longer and avoid disease...you'll make the right choices for a healthy lifestyle. If your looks are the primary motive, you could lose your health...and your good looks.

Glen Williams is Webmaster for http://www.e-health-fitness.com, founder and CEO of EHF, Inc. He has done extensive research on personal and family health and fitness issues and has been helping and advising people on health since 1987. You can comment on his articles at Health And Fitness Forums.