One of the country’s biggest weight-loss icons visited one of the nations heart-healthiest elementary schools on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
Subway spokesman Jared Fogle paid a visit to the students at Hamagrael Elementary in Delmar after the school was recognized with a national award from the American Heart Association for its fitness initiatives.
Fogle told the students that his gain of nearly 300 pounds and a negative self-image began with a favorite pastime of many children video games and junk food. He said his journey back to a healthier body weight began with a simple lifestyle change of eating right and exercising.
His message to the third- and fourth-graders at Hamagrael was to make healthier eating choices, get lots of exercise, and to practice moderation when watching television or playing video games.
My grades went down, my self confidence went down,` Fogle said. `Everything around me began to crumble as I got heavier and heavier.`
Fogle, who is an Indianapolis native, said he was about the age of the students in the audience when his quality of life declined. He said he couldn’t play sports any longer or go to the movies, or eventually even sit in the back seat of a car.
Fogle said he eventually reached the tipping point, when he weighed more than 400 pounds, and knew that he had to do something. That change began one day when he was in a Subway shop reading its nutritional information and Fogle said he thought if he ate two sandwiches a day and walked at least 30 minutes a day, then he could lose the weight.
He lost more than 90 pounds that first month, he said.
Fogle now travels the country as his full-time job speaking to students and other groups about the benefits of a healthier lifestyle. He said his No. 1 priority is to speak out against childhood obesity, a cause near and dear to his heart.
Fogle said he endorses the American Heart Association’s call for the New York Legislature to pass a calorie-labeling bill introduced by Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, D-Brooklyn, and state Sen. Kemp Hannon, R-Garden City.
Subway currently labels the calories of its items in its menus in New York City, and Fogle said the restaurant chain plans to do it nationwide. The legislative bill calls for calorie labeling in chain restaurants throughout the state.
The American Heart Association cited a study that shows people who see calorie labeling generally order 52 fewer calories than those who do not.
`Hamagrael is also a participant in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart program, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year,` said a release from the Heart Association. `In three years, Hamagrael students have raised just under $30,000 through Jump Rope for Heart.`
Fogle jumped rope with students at Hamagrael during his visit, and although he no longer eats only Subway, he said he still focuses on making healthy choices.
`This is the old me,` Jared said, pointing to pair of 60-inch waist jeans. `I don’t want you to ever put yourself in the position of having to wear a pair of pants this big.`
Last year, based upon Hamagrael’s participation in a variety of heart-healthy programs and initiatives, it was named the American Heart Association’s `heart-healthiest` school in the country. Prior to Jared’s presentation, American Heart Association Regional Director for Youth Markets Jeffrey A. Masline congratulated students on the honor.
`We didn’t give it to you; you earned it,` Masline said.
Jared said he is planning on walking at the North Country Start Heart Walk on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs. The walk is also being sponsored by Spotlight Newspapers. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10:45 a.m. For information, call 869-4046 or visit spotlightnews.com and click on the Heart Association emblem or visit www.saratogaglensfallsheartwalk.org.“