Patrick House lost 202 pounds to win season 10 of The Biggest Loser.
Stop for a moment and let that number sink in: 2-0-2.
That's like piggy-backing a full-grown man -- or, putting it in fast-food terms, eating 808 Quarter Pounders -- and then having all of that excess weight magically disappear from your body.
But magic had nothing to do with House's weight loss. As anyone who's ever watched the overweight contestants shed massive amounts of pounds on NBC's hit reality show knows, getting in shape isn't easy. The Biggest Loser can be seen locally at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays at WNWO-TV, Channel 24.
"There were no crazy pills or surgeries," House said. "We did it all with diet and exercise."
Old-fashioned diet and exercise -- it seems so quaint in our pill-for-everything, technology-to-the-rescue world.
But House and his fellow contestants had one advantage -- and it's a crucial one -- over the rest of us in that they were quarantined on a ranch in California with full-time trainers. Their only jobs for months, or until they were eliminated, was to exercise, eat healthy, exercise some more, and make time for the occasional TV interview and weigh-in.
"On The Biggest Loser we didn't have a job to worry about or bills ... [contestants] could totally apply themselves" to the show, House said, including eight-hour workouts daily. "It really gives you a chance to focus on yourself, dig deep, and realize the things to change in your life."
Their hard work culminated in the show's season-ending finale, a new-look reveal for the thin(ner), healthier contestants who showed off jaw-dropping weight loss. Trips to the sauna a few weeks before the final weigh-in as well as extreme calorie counting helped exaggerate the drops in pounds, much like a boxer trying to make weight before a fight.
The 29-year-old former college offensive lineman is happy with his weight these days, which fluctuates between 235 and 240 pounds. His healthy lifestyle changed his life and most likely prolonged it by years. He no longer suffers from high-blood pressure or sleep apnea, his cholesterol numbers are normal, and his pre-diabetes is gone. His wife also lost nearly 60 pounds, and their two young boys are now eating nutritious foods, instead of a steady diet of fast food.
And he's sharing his story of self-improvement and empowerment with others as a motivational speaker.
House was in Toledo recently for an appearance at a Super Fitness, owned by friend and businessman Ron Hemelgarn, who owns a chain of health clubs nationwide. While in town, House participated in WNWO's own Biggest Loser spin-off, Toledo's Biggest Loser, which airs at 7:30 p.m. the final Saturday of each month. House's episode airs Saturday. The show's host is WNWO's anchor-reporter Kelly Heidbreder, who also writes a weekly garden column for The Blade.
Heidbreder said House knew how to push the local show's nine featured contestants considerably further than they thought possible through grueling exercises and workouts.
"He takes their motivation and rockets it up to outer space. You may want to lose weight a little bit and shed a few pounds, but after working with Patrick for just five minutes, you know in your heart you can get your goal weight," she said. "You know you've got what it takes to dig deep and finally lose that weight you've been trying to lose for years."
Heidbreder said she would love to have House back to motivate more contestants in future episodes. House, meanwhile, is busy spreading the gospel of weight loss to others ready to adopt a healthy lifestyle. He meets these converts in health clubs, shows, businesses, and churches. And as much as others get out of his motivational speeches, House said these meetings keep him focused on maintaining his own health.
"I'm really enjoying what I'm doing," he said, " ... but if I get back to 350 pounds again, then I'm just another statistic of someone who lost this weight and put it back on. I don't want to be that person."
Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734. Follow him on Twitter @bladpopculture.
First Published January 27, 2012, 5:00 a.m.