"The Biggest Loser" Pete Thomas - Made Fit TV - Ep 44

Jennifer: Alright hello and welcome to Made Fit TV. I am your host Jennifer DiDonato and this is episode #44. Made Fit TV is everyone’s source for health and fitness information and entertainment. So, thanks so much for joining us today and just about some statistics for you to give you an idea what today is about. As you know or may not know about 60% of all American adults are overweight and 30% are obese. And the statistic is scary because only 10% of people who lose that significant amount of weight from being obese to being healthy, BMI. Only keep it off for one year or more, only 10% of those people. But today I am lucky enough to have one of those people right here joining us today, Pete Thomas. He is such a loser because he want to know something, he is one of the wears from season two biggest loser, $100,000. Pete: $100,000, it was a big day. It was a big day. Jennifer: That’s right. It’s a perk you know I mean because how much weight did you lose? Pete: I lost, well I was on the ranch for 62 days and I lost 83 pounds in 62 days. And then I came home and lost another 102 pounds over the summer for a total of 185 pounds— Jennifer: Okay. And so that was before the season finale right a 102? Pete: Exactly, 102 at home by the time I was voted off to show, I’d lost 83 pounds, lost another 102 at home. So, when I went back for the live finale, I had lost 185 pounds total. Jennifer: Wow! Pete: Well, I should say if you want to be statistically correct, I lost a 195 pounds of fat and put on 10 pounds of muscle for a 185 pound net. Jennifer: Put it there, that is awesome. That is awesome. See, I like it. See, the muscle is good. Don’t count the pounds with the muscle because that’s good. You need that. Pete: Absolutely, absolutely. Jennifer: So, I mean because you have cut it off for about four years now, right? Pete: Yeah. It’s been over four years and actually it’s my anniversary. The first day I step on the ranch was March 10th 2004 so over four years. Jennifer: Wow! Gosh! God! Congratulations! Pete: Thank you. Thank you. Jennifer: And so is it like you obviously you’ve made it your lifestyle now so it’s not really a battle? Pete: No, you know what it’s one of the things. When you’ve come from where I have come from, when you have had this big issue with obesity. You have to realize when I allowed myself to get that big 416, that wasn’t just making a few mistakes. And you know I have a problem, I had a—and there was really an addiction to food and there are issues behind them. So, I have to pay attention to those things, otherwise that addiction will come back. But you know, I've kind got and handled it now. I came to know what I am doing. When I came back from the show, once the finale was all over, here’s the interesting story. So, the finale is over. It’s not likely it is now where they go on these big Press Tours and all of that. The next day it’s just over, you get ready for your flight to go back home. You know and so that very next morning, I get up, strapped on my running shoes and go out for an hour and have run. There are no cameras, no nothing, get back to the hotel, see some of the other of contestants, they’re in the restaurant eating breakfast. And one of the other contestants says “Pete, do you ever stop?” And I am thinking, well now is when it really starts, you know what I am saying? Now is when it really starts and so that was my mindset. I’ve got to keep the goal up for five years and then I’ve got a 10-year goal etcetera, etcetera. And so the work started once the show is over, the maintenance part of it. Jennifer: Yeah, because the thing that I was worried, it’s like okay so you are voted off the show. And it’s a fact that you came home and now it’s like okay, well now, what now is completely up to me. Pete: Absolutely. Jennifer: What did you do differently or what did you change or maintain when you came home versus being on the show and on the ranch? Pete: You know the big thing is when I came home, my mindset was, I’ve got to learn why the stuff on the show worked? You now one of the things I had Jillian as a trainer, she said “I can't tell you everything about why this works. I can't tell you everything why you are here on the show.” The reason, I am coming out with a book. If I tell you all the stuffs on TV then NBC will own the rights to my book. Jennifer: Yeah, yeah. Pete: So, I can't tell you everything but I am going to send you my book and basically she taught me how to fish. She told me general information and I was able because it was in my mind to do this. I was able to go and do research and read about health and read about nutrition. What type of exercises are most effective for weight loss and that kind of stuff. Jennifer: And don’t you think that that’s one of the biggest like obstacles for people who come to actually just accept it and then do kind of the work themselves to rule I mean. Pete: Absolutely. Jennifer: Like was it hard for you to be like to go from extreme to another? Pete: Well, it wasn’t hard from the standpoint of I realized I’ve got to do the work. It’s up to me. I’ve got to do it, there’s no quick fix. Jennifer: Just come in pack with yourself, it was like I got to do it. Pete: That is right. And see that is the thing most people who are in my condition, we’ve gone on multiple diet. But we’ve never said, you know what, I am actually going to do some reading and research to figure out what’s going to work a long term. We’ll always have the short term mind set. If I go onto this little diet, I’d lose these 20 pounds and the issue will be gone. You know it’s more to it than that, you know and so that was in my mind set was I’ve got to learn this for life and that’s what I am going to do. Jennifer: Now, going to the nutrition obviously that’s such a big part of the results. But then with the exercise, I mean what I want to know is okay so you’re on the ranch and it’s like, now what? I mean like how do you ever picked up a weight in your life until you became the biggest loser? Pete: We count it like triple waffle. Will that count as a weight? You know, it was pretty heavy. No, my first day on the biggest loser ranch I worked out for two and a half intense hours. And I mean it was incredibly first day, so I go from 07:30 to work it out for two and a half hours and it was this. Jennifer: Which people should not do unless they are being certain— Pete: Right medically supervise and all of that. Jennifer: So, don’t try that if you haven’t— Pete: You know but it was so—and we’re doing everything from push ups, we were lounges, we were at some point we would walk up this hill. When some of us would walk over the others obviously at 416 and if it looked like things were just a little bit too easy for us jilting with jump on our back to increase the resistance, it was really, really intense and that was two and a half hours of first date. Everyday thereafter was four hours a day minimum, minimum of exercise. Jennifer: Now, is that consecutive or did you ever break? Pete: Broken out, first thing in the morning what I would do is I’d get up. We’d worked out for an hour amongst our team, by ourselves and our cardio. Then Jillian would come in the afternoon and worked us out for two hours. When I resist training another hour of Jillian’s cardio which was crazy. Jennifer: Which just helps— Pete: Exactly, exactly right. Jennifer: I always think of sleep it on TV. Pete: That’s right. Jennifer: I can't imagine. Pete: And then at night we go back and we work out for another and tense by ourselves. Now, every consecutive season that has come after, it’s just been more and more hours and more and more intense working out. That’s why the results have just gone to the roof but it was a very brutally hard, very hard not to mention we were in an environment where we were secluded from the rest of the world. No telephones, no internets, no newspapers, no magazines, no anything. A beautiful place $75 million horse ranch but it was nothing more than a pretty prison. You know what I mean? Jennifer: I can imagine. Pete: It’s a sweat shop and so it was intense but it accomplished its goal. Jennifer: Well you know what, you’ve even inspired me and you know people. You know all of the weight lifting and a fair competing but I really like to do at least to have a marathon. And I think that is another goal of mine so thank you so much. Pete: You can, you can do that absolutely. Thanks for helping me, thanks, awesome, awesome! Jennifer: Thanks so much for coming, I just love meeting people like this and it’s just such an inspiration you know looking at it from the different perspective and like I said WinningMan.com. Pete: That’s it. Jennifer: That is website, check them out. He’s always—you have the weekly podcast going on weekly. Pete: Yeah, the weekly podcast and once the season is over, we will have some more tips. Check out Made Fit TV, she’s got great stuff. Jennifer: You can check us out on iTunes MadeFitTV. Pete is on Twitter he’s Pete Thomas. I am on Twitter, Jenny DiDonato. He is also on Facebook as Pete Thomas of course and I am on Facebook Jennifer DiDonato. And you can also catch me on Viddler MadeFitTv.com. So, thanks so much for joining us today. This is such an awesome episode. It’s just so near and dear to my heart so thanks so much and remember Made Fit TV, fit bodies don’t just happen, they’re made and this is the proof. So thanks so much for joining us guys, take care. You can do a couple of push ups if you want. Pete: Oh my goodness. Jennifer: Until you’re going up. Let’s see. Where do you want me to go? Pete: Come on we—she is going to crash me at this. Look at her all just great form. Jennifer: Keep the abs tight. Pete: So look, I need to slide back on the ball to make it easier.