Jared, the Subway Guy: Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around

by Jared Fogle, Anthony Bruno

Jared Fogel was, is, and will continue to be America's weight loss icon. As an obese college student in Indiana he lost 245 pounds on a self-devised diet of Subway sandwiches. Since 2000, he has appeared thousands of times on national television as the spokesperson for Subway's Eat healthy Platform; and he's slated to continue in this role indefinitely. In fact, Subway worried that he might be getting overexposed and decided to discontinue him. Sales fell off. Jared was quickly rehired. But to keep him from being overexposed, Subway's program runs Jared for six or eight weeks every three months. His book is not so much a diet book (his diet was pretty simple to grasp - eat Subway sandwiches) but it's more a motivational, self-help book which offers hope to people who want to change their lives. Jared has also appeared on Oprah, Larry King Live, the Today Show, Good Morning America, the Jane Pauly Show and has made hundreds of speaking appearances and public appearances at sports and civic events. Jared's lessons Find Your Own Personal SparkOne Size Doesn't Fit AllChange Your Mind to Change Your LifeSee the Big PictureChange is for LifeThe Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Memoir, Inspirational

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2006

About the author

Jared S. Fogle also known as The Subway Guy, is a spokesman employed by Subway Restaurants in its advertising campaigns. He is known for his significant weight loss, attributed to eating Subway sandwiches.

Reviews

[Tressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I'm reading this book. What of it? I dare you to say something about it!

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in the sports industry and read a lot about health and fitness/biographies. I had seen Jared on the subway commercial for years and was intrigued by his story and how he came up with the idea to eat Subway sandwiches. I agreed with him that there isn't a one size fit all approach to weight loss. This isn't a diet book like he states but is a good feel book about success. I enjoyed the humor through out the book and enjoyed reading his journey of losing 250 pounds.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read. Written in a casual conversational voice. His story is inspiring and motivational. His approach, while unconventional, is proof that sustainable life change must come from within.

I would not recommend His method but I do recommend his story. I do wish that all of the comparisons to other addictions had been edited out. I appreciate why they might be relevant but it muddled the flow and detracted from the power of his personal journey.

[M J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I would. It was fun reading about Jared's story and I could relate to a lot of what he said, even though I'm just overweight, not morbidly obese. He says this isn't a diet book, and while I can see where it was going with the other ideas, it really seems to serve best to those of us who have struggled with our weight.

[Merey · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a great book…until you realize what a POS wrote it. You want to root for him but instantly feel awful because you know what he became. He had so much will power and determination with food…. It’s just….. AWFUL HUMAN!

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly an autobiography, which I enjoyed. I read this long before the pedophilia charges and conviction. :-(

[Kezermezer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jared Fogle was a morbidly obese college student who tried several diets unsuccessfully before finding a plan that worked for him - eating only Subway sandwiches. Within 3 months he lost nearly 100 pounds and eventually lost about 250 total.

In Jared, the Subway Guy, he shares his experiences and outlines thirteen lessons for addicts (not just of food, but of drugs, gambling, etc) trying to turn their lives around.

Of the thirteen lessons, none are particularly earth shattering, though there is inspiration to be found here, particularly for those who have only ever tried flash-in-the-pan diets and are just coming to realize the major life changes involved not just in losing weight but in creating a healthy lifestyle.

Curiously, one of the major themes is to create your own plan that works for you rather than adopting someone else's, yet Jared has a tendency to lay down opinions like they were the law. For example, he believes setting small, incremental goals is "just setting yourself up for drudgery and frustration," and that you should "keep your program for change a secret until you start to see some results - visible proof that others will recognize." Those tactics may work for some people, but it's ridiculous to set them down as rules rather than something people should consider. One gets the feeling Jared thought outside the box for his own plan but forgets that his rules won't work for everyone.

I also found it terribly irresponsible to encourage viewing hunger to the point of getting hunger pangs as your body giving you a pat on the back for the good work you're doing. What a terribly slippery slope from there to an eating disorder, especially considering how prevalent that problem is in this day and age. Focusing on not needing to feel full is one (and in my opinion, admirable) thing. This is quite another.

As for the writing, while it's bland and often corny ("Reach for the stars!"), Jared's story is interesting enough to keep the reader going, although there is a strange imbalance between the detailing of his struggles leading up to his Subway plan and what it was actually like going through it. I would have liked to see more of that struggle - the one he actually gets to the successful side of.

Still, this is a fairly inspiring read, with a few gems inside. Recommended - but with a huge grain of salt.

[Brianna L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared, The Subway Guy: Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around
Jared Fogle
Autobiography/Informational

This man, Jared Fogle, had known he was overweight but didn't know exactly how much he weighed. Once he knew he was shocked. He weighed 425 pounds!!! He knew he had to stop this overeating. This meant no midnight pizzas, snacking on junk food while playing video games and a lot of other habits he was going to have to break. He tried and tried different diets. None of them were working. So he decided to try and make his own diet by one day going over to the Subway Sandwich shop near his apartment building. Everything else he tried had either tasted horrible or just wasn't enough for even a diet. But the Subway's Sandwiches were good tasting and they were working. So he continued with this diet, not knowing how much it was working. His family was so surprised and then it was time for Jared to be weighed. He had lost 245 pounds!! His goal had been to be under 199. He weighed 180!! After that he went to a party and a buddy of his was a newspaper writer. he asked Jared if he could put his story int he news. Jared said yes and that wasn't the end. Subway was rocketing in profit and they went even higher after some people called and asked jared if he would be in a Subway commercial. And that is how Jared went from the 425, obese #1 to the normal Jared who won by losing.

I never saw any of the Subway commercials that had Jared (that I remember) but this is very interesting. His lessons aren't just for obese people. They give little clues for alcoholics, smokers and others in the world with problems. When I read about how people around Jared would laugh and point at him I felt really bad for Jared. No one likes to be made fun of. But in the end everyone was happy and proud of jared for buckling down and sticking to losing weight. I know I am. There is even a Subway near where I live so I can go there just about any time. Jared was brave to try o many diets, even though most of them didn't work. In the end though, he found what worked for him.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jared tries to make this a motivational book...but there's a big difference between overcoming obesity and overcoming alcoholism. I wanted to know how he lost 245 pounds---so I skimmed the "motivational" parts of the book and read his story, which is pretty amazing! After losing 94 pounds without any exercise, he started walking to class and eventually walking up all 11 flights of stairs to one class three times a week.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never actually seen one of Jared's commercials, and was only vaguely aware of his story when I began this book. His story is proof that one can achieve any goal with sufficient motivation, or "sparks" as he terms them. Given me a lot to think about with my own issues as I'm sure will be the case for other readers.

[Lorrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew part of Jared's story, but the book filled in the rest. He started a diet campaign without realizing it, and his presence on Subway commercials just kept growing until he's a familiar face now. I guess you could say that he's a semi-celebrity. Anyway, it was a quick read that was interesting.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though Jared comes across as a modest, likeable guy -- and there's no denying he shows great peseverance in continuing to starve himself to maintain his weight loss -- he gives rather contradictory, unhealthy advice in this book.

[Bethany Warsaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Jared's story. It was easy to read and fascinating. He comes across as a likeable guy. I don't know how well his method would transfer to other issues, but his many of steps seem helpful for someone who struggles with weight issues.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for those of us who have yo-yo dieted. I finished it in just a couple of hours.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick and easy read. Somewhat inspirational.

[Heather Truckenmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a diet book, although there are tips in each chapter, it's really just his story. Well told, easy read, enjoyable, and inspiring.

[JoAlice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Philip Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Great story. He is my hero and i will follow his great example. Everyone should follow this book and story

[Carrie Poppy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heh.