Pete Thomas, motivational speaker, author and Season 2 At-Home Winner of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” was recently named the 2014 Pilot Flying J Health Champion. In this role, Pete is dedicated to helping Pilot Flying J’s team members and the company’s customers improve their health and wellness.
We sat down with him for a Q&A:
Tell us about participating on “The Biggest Loser?”
I went on the show in 2005 weighing over 400 pounds. I was voted off the ranch after only 62 days, but before I left, I had lost 83 pounds! When I got home, I continued to learn about weight loss and wellness and lost another 102 pounds on my own.
When I left the show, I set a goal to keep the weight off when the cameras were off. That’s when it really matters. You can’t change your life in front of a camera. Cameras will give you motivation to help you start, but changing your life happens one day at a time.
Do you have any personal connection to the trucking industry?
In my job I travel constantly, so I spend long periods of time seated and sedentary. On a more personal level, one of my best friends is a professional tandem driver. This and other relationships, along with my own travel experiences, have allowed me to better understand the unique challenges faced by professional drivers.
How can professional drivers maintain their weight loss when they stop at travel centers and travel plazas every day?
The key lies in what I call the 3M’s: Master your Mind, Manage your Mouth and Multiply your Muscles. The first step is learning how to make the decision to make a healthy choice (Mind). Then, you have to have a plan and pay attention to what you eat (Mouth). Finally, you have to understand that moving is also critical (Muscle).
The key is to start small and do something every day—the goal is to start a habit that becomes a “forever habit.” Having healthy forever habits allowed me and many others to maintain weight loss.
What’s the hardest part of maintaining your weight loss?
I believe that focusing on weight loss is the incorrect choice. We have all lost pounds before, and then we gain it back. So we need to set a different goal. Rather than just trying to lose a certain number on the scale (usually by methods we can’t sustain), I encourage folks to achieve a healthy weight and maintain it for the rest of your life. The focus should always be on developing habits that will last a lifetime.
Be on the lookout for more from Pete Thomas as the year goes on! More of his health and fitness tips will be shared exclusively with all of you right here.
