Nutritional Value

Jared Fogle had a message for students at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School recently, and to get his point across, he brought a special pair of pants with him.

As soon as Fogle walked into the gymnasium, many of the students recognized him as the "Subway Guy" or "Subway Jared."

Fogle has made a career of being a spokesman for Subway restaurants after his incredible 244-pound weight loss from eating, you guessed it, Subway sandwiches. It took him about one year to lose the weight, he said. Along with eating a low-fat diet, Fogle said he also began a fitness routine that consisted mostly of walking.

Although they had seen the commercials, many students didn't know Fogle's story or how it could relate to them.

When he held up a pair of size 60 jeans he used to wear, the kids did little to hide their shock. How could this average-size man have ever fit into a pair of pants that big?

The answer, Fogle said, was by making poor choices, beginning when he was in just third grade. By 1998 he was in college at Indiana University and at 6-foot-2 weighed 425 pounds. Now at 190 pounds, Fogle has kept the weight off for 10 years and is working to draw attention to the issue of childhood obesity. Through The Jared Foundation, he is trying to raise $2 million to fight the growing problem of obesity in children.

During his presentation at Brown, Fogle encouraged students to start taking responsibility for their health and nutrition now, instead of waiting until it's too late.

"I wish I would have had someone like me that could have come talked to me when I was younger to make me realize what I was doing," he said.

He said that it took him a long time to stop blaming others for his weight problem and realize it was his own fault.

"I had to realize that I did this to myself," he said.

Like most of the students, Fogle said at that age he started watching television and playing video games instead of going outside to play. He also said he ate too much junk food and drank soda when he should have been eating fruits and vegetables and drinking water.

When he asked the kids how many of them played video games, watched television and ate junk food, most raised their hands.

After he finished talking, Fogle took questions from the students, who asked him about his diet now, what celebrities he has met and even if he had been on a wrestling show. He also stayed so the students could have a class picture taken with him.

Fogle said although he still eats Subway, he now eats other things, including the occasional snack or diet soda.

"It's about moderation," he said.

Students also found out Fogle spent time with NASCAR star and fellow Indiana native Tony Stewart during a recent race and, yes, he had appeared on World Wrestling Entertainment's RAW program.

In his travels across the country to address childhood obesity, Fogle said he has spoken to more than 300,000 kids.

"I'm in a unique position," he said. "People seem to become inspired by the story and to see that it has a positive effect, especially on kids, you realize how worth it it is to continue doing it. We want to encourage as many kids as we can."

Principal Kathy Ross said the school was lucky to have Fogle as a guest speaker and that it was great for the students to hear his message.

"The message is important because our kids need to know that they need to get out and exercise," she said. "They need to make good choices in their life as far as food and just getting active."

Ross said nowadays kids aren't getting the physical activity they need.

"We are running into a culture that it's so much more entertaining to play video games, to play on the computer or to watch TV. We really don't do a good job of getting our kids out to play. The kids don't complain about being bored as much, but we're seeing them get bigger and bigger."

Fogle's visit was arranged by local Subway owners Naomi Roberts and Marcie Kapfhammer. Besides Brown, Fogle made appearances at Subway restaurants in Crothersville and Seymour.