It’s hard to express in a blog the amount of hard work and determination it takes to want to lose such an insurmountable amount of weight as I did. I lost 214 lbs. more weight than most people weigh.  But then again, I was 407 lbs.  I didnt get there over night. I didnt lose it over night, but in just 8 short but pain staking months I did it.  Keeping it off was just as hard, and I did keep a majority of it off until 2008.  I started working as a salesperson and traveling in my car for 10 hrs a day, its hard to find a restroom in the territory I was in, let alone a sensible meal.  Fast food was cheap and accessible and it also made me feel better for the moment at least.  I saw it happening but we will get to that at another time.

The Biggest Loser

Being on TV, bearing it all, might leave some squeamish, but I was so desperate to finally do something about my weight, the thought of letting it all hang out sort of speak didn’d discourage me.  I was scheduled for Lap Band surgery, postponned it twice, waiting for the Biggest Loser call.

I met friends and had the support I never could have imagined.  I began to belive in myself that anything was possible, even though I was the heaviest contestant to date.

The time away was sometimes unbearable, but I was reassured by my wife that the children and family business would still be there when I got back.  It’s hard to imagine at the time that I would ever finish my time at the Ranch.

Please leave your thoughts and questions in a comment below.

As many of you know, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is very important to me. But that doesn’t mean it comes easy. Lately, I’ve been stressed out, busy and not paying enough attention to my health. I started to gain the weight back, and as a result, have been extremely depressed, causing me to lose motivation to work out entirely. In my last blog post, I mentioned my recent appearance on Oprah, which was a big wake up call for me. Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes while competing on The Biggest Loser a few years back has solidified the need to maintain a healthy attitude and lifestyle. That’s why I’m excited to announce that I am the national spokesperson for Health Across America: Pharmacists Partnering in Diabetes Care.

Health Across America Tour

Health Across America is a tour bus that will stop in nearly 60 communities across the U.S. raising awareness about diabetes, providing advice on staying healthy and offering free screenings, including cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose and Hemoglobin A1c tests. The campaign is supported by more than 2,000 Health Mart community pharmacies across the country, and it is co-sponsored two leading companies in diabetes care, Bayer Diabetes Care and Novo Nordisk.

Last Saturday we launched the campaign in San Diego. It was an amazing event. Lisa Gordon, protocol director of the San Diego Mayor’s office was there, along with David Sedrak, Health Mart pharmacist and Tim Canning, president of Health Mart. You can check out some of the photos from the event on the Health Across America Facebook Fan page. At the event, I spoke about the importance of working with your community pharmacists to help manage diabetes. Locally-owned community pharmacists are trusted, affordable and accessible resources and are committed to supporting their community’s health..

I’m heading to the Los Angeles area next - check out the details on tour stops and find out when the tour bus will be in your community. Come by, say hi and get tested. Take it from me, it’s better to face your health apprehensions today so you can live healthy and happy for the rest of your life.

I’ll keep you posted on this very important tour and the great things that will come from Health Across America. Be in touch soon!

Please be sure to come back and leave your thoughts and ideas in a comment.

Hi, I’m Erik Chopin. I’m more than a guy who was just on a reality TV show. I changed my life. I won the third season of NBC’s The Biggest Loser in 2006. I was 407 lbs and I lost 214 pounds in 8 months. I recently became public with my life long battle of weight by appearing on Oprah in January 2009, admitting that I gained half the amount I lost on the show back in 2008.

Please leave your thoughts and questions in a comment below.