Yesterday me and Monica were really hungry for lunch so we drove 75 minutes north for some Subway.
Randomly we ran into Bobbi from NHerShoes.
And then we saw Rose and her sweatiness there too. Everyone just wants a 5. 5 dollar. 5 dollar footloooooooong.
Just kidding. We went up there for a blogger event. but seriously, me and Monica were hungry.
Leah from Mamavation and her husband, Bobbie and Monica
And the guest of the hour: Jared the Subway guy.
Let me just say this: Jared is the nicest, most down-to-earth, Midwest boy around. Seriously, so easy to talk to and open and humble. Amazing spokesperson.
His story in a nutshell:
He weighed 420 pounds at 20 years old and finally one day had enough; he wanted to change his life and so in 1998 he started eating 2 Subway sandwiches a day, a bag of baked potato chips, and water – about 1600-1700 calories.
In 3 months he lost 94 pounds.
In less than a year, he lost 245 pounds.
Jared’s college newspaper wrote an article about him and it took off. Before he knew it, Jared was in his first Subway commercial, on Oprah at 22 years old, The Today Show, etc. For the past 13 years, he’s worked with Subway and travels over 200 days a year!
I loved that he was so real – he said he absolutely loves food (“I’d still eat 10,000 calories a day if I could!”) and he still struggles with maintaining his weight. He has his ups and downs like anyone else, he said.
While we ate our subs, he gave some tips that have worked for him over the years.
*Don’t splurge everyday; splurge every now and then. And don’t let your “now and then” become everyday.
*Once you reach your goal weight, you have to continually re-evaluate where you are. Jared said that he’s noticed as he gets older, it takes more work and more exercise to maintain his weight.
*When he’s at home, he exercises every day. He has a personal trainer and says it’s completely worth the investment because his trainer pushes him harder than he would on his own.
*Jared’s New Year’s Resolution is to work out more regularly while on the road and traveling; it’s more of a struggle to work out while traveling instead of being in a routine at home.
*When eating out, “be smarter than the menu” meaning avoid the deep fried foods, ask for all sauces on the sides, ask for things that might not be on the menu.
*He still eats Subway multiple times a week when traveling because he knows it’s healthy and knows exactly what’s going on it and he can customize it to what he wants.
My turkey on wheat, no cheese, all veggies, extra pickles and mustard
Jared’s favorite sandwich is the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki with no cheese.
Rose and Bobbi: NHerShoes, more like NHisPants
And yes, he brought along his old 58” pants. They’re the only pair of clothing he kept but he even got up to a 60” size! Jared speaks at a lot of elementary schools and said these were a great visual aid for kids. and dumb blonde bloggers…
If you follow on twitter, you’ve seen this picture already.
When asked his motivation for losing all the weight, Jared said that for the first time in his life he began eating to live instead of living to eat and that he wanted a second chance at life, at real living. How inspiring is that? Jared is the original Biggest Loser!
Monica’s picture. totally stole but I don’t feel bad because I let her ride in the smartcar yesterday. yes, let.
What do you order at Subway?
I normally get turkey on wheat hold the cheese with extra pickles but sometimes I get the veggie. And yeah, I can put down 12” NBD.
