“The Subway Guy” Jared Fogle spoke at the Perry Cafeteria Thursday morning about his weight issues, the Subway Diet and his new book, “Jared the Subway Guy: Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around.”
Fogle said his weight problems began in about the third grade and peaked when he reached 425 pounds his sophomore year at Indiana University.
“Food really started to control my life at an early age,” Fogle said.
His weight reached its highest in college due to more independence, which allowed him to make poor decisions about his health, he said.
“At Indiana you swiped your meal card, and the second you walked in that line, you had unlimited access to food essentially,” Fogle said. “You could graze as long as you wanted to.”
Fogle said he made a change in his life because at age 20 he began to experience health problems. He suffered from sleep apnea and edema. The sleep apnea caused breathing problems, and the edema caused his ankles to swell from the fluids in his body.
“I had so much fat around my neck that when I would sleep at night, all that fat would crush my wind pipe, and I would literally wake up gasping for air,” Fogle said. “I could literally push my finger into the side of my ankles and my skin would stay indented for minutes and minutes.”
After reading about the low-fat sandwiches at the Subway he lived next to on campus, he decided to begin a diet of sandwiches.
“I didn’t tell anyone at first about it. I think that sometimes when you tell people about a major change you’re making, you put added pressure on yourself,” Fogle said.
Fogle usually ate only lunch and dinner. He ate a turkey sandwich with no mayonnaise, oil or cheese for lunch with baked chips and diet drinks. For dinner he ate a foot-long vegetable sub.
After losing about 100 pounds on the diet, Fogle was able to incorporate exercise into his routine. He began walking instead of taking the campus shuttle.
“I could remember taking a 45 minute ride on the campus bus to avoid a five minute walk,” Fogle said.
After a year of diet and exercise, Fogle lost 245 pounds. His campus newspaper, The Indiana Daily Student, ran a story about his weight loss. The story was later picked up by other publications, and Subway saw the story. The sandwich franchise offered Fogle a test commercial.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Fogle said. “I thought it was only going to be a one shot deal.”
Fogle maintains his weight through keeping a primarily low-fat diet, walking and eating fatty foods in moderation.
Fogle said he felt lucky to have the opportunities that he has had such as starting races for NASCAR, appearing on Oprah and being able to write his book.
Fogle handed out T-shirts and Subway sandwiches to students on the Drill Field at a meet and greet before his speech. Fogle’s visit was sponsored by the Campus Activities Board (CAB).
CAB student director Bobbie Lee Daniel said Fogle’s agent contacted the university to see if he could visit.
“We brought him in because he is such a big name,” Daniel said. “I think it also shows that we are health conscious here, even after that study was published saying we were the third fattest campus in the U.S.”
Fogle travels to many campuses speaking and thinks college students are getting healthier.
“Students want to look and feel better. I think the overweight problem is definitely getting better,” Fogle said.
Director of the Colvard Student Union Eddie Keith said he was glad Fogle came to MSU.
“I’ve actually heard Jared speak before at another university, and he gives a strong message of taking personal responsibility for his own problems and being able to overcome them,” Keith said.
Junior marketing major Katie Williams attended Fogle’s speech.
“I think it’s really neat how he’s made it this far and inspired so many people to do the same,” Willams said.
Dietitian intern Janice Giddens said she would like for people to talk more about body image and not be so obsessed with losing weight to be thin.
“It was good for him to lose the weight because he was unhealthy. I would like to see somebody here promoting health at any size, though.”