JOINT BASE SAN ANOTNIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Subway's famous spokesperson shared his story about how "eating fresh" changed his life March 13 at the Arnold Hall Community Center ballroom as part of National Nutrition Month.
During a 20-minute speech in front of Basic Military Training Airmen, Jared Fogle talked about how eating two low-fat sandwiches twice a day along with exercise led to him losing 245 pounds in one year. To demonstrate how morbidly obese he used to be, Fogle exhibited the 60-inch waist pants he used to wear. He became a Subway spokesperson 15 years ago after his weight loss was chronicled in his alma mater Indiana University's school newspaper.
Fogle said it was gratifying to share his weight loss journey with Airmen who are required to be physically fit.
"It was really important that they heard the message because they are going to have to make choices everyday when they are on or off base," he added. "There are a lot of restaurant concepts that they can choose from, but they have to pick in moderation.
"If they eat too many burgers, fries, pizzas, fried chicken,
etc., they could find themselves /in trouble especially as they get older. Hopefully, they took the message to heart."
His message was heard loud and clear.
Airman Jessica McClendon, 324th Training Squadron, said she needs to pack away the Nintendo when she returns to her hometown, Phoenix, and spend more time outdoors.
"There's a lot of things I should change like consuming less dessert during meal time," she elaborated. "I need to push myself more when it comes to exercise because being inactive is not going to get me anywhere."
Her fellow Airman from the 324th TRS, Airman Jacqueline Farber, thought "it was really cool" to hear his story.
Like McClendon, she learned that she needed to make better eating choices and improve her exercise routine, which she noted was almost non-existent before arriving to basic military training.
"I think we all have trouble with that sometimes," she explained. "You can lose weight if you want to. It is all about what you put into it. I have had to exercise every single day since I have been at camp so I just want to keep that going."
When told that Airmen were inspired by his speech, Fogle was touched by the kind words.
"It is an honor to speak to the Airmen," he concluded. "I have one of the coolest jobs in the world by just being me. Because of these guys defending our country, I have the chance to do this 'knucklehead' job that I have."
For more information about nutrition, call the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center Outpatient Nutrition Clinic at 292-7578/7587 or visit
http://www.whasc.af.mil/departments(clinics)/nutritionalmedicine.asp