No one ever likes to see a Biggest Loser contestant eliminated. So, when Sam Poueu was voted off during this past week’s episode, a few heavy sighs were heard from loyal fans. His kind-hearted, level-headed and motivating attitude over the past few weeks has won the hearts of not just one specific Biggest Loser contestant, but also millions of viewers across the country. Sam left knowing that despite his departure, he made Biggest Loser history by becoming the first person in the show’s history to reach his goal weight before the finale.
Sam started out at 372 pounds and weighed in last night at his goal weight of 246 pounds. Since leaving the series, he has lost an additional two pounds after relocating to Los Angeles with his live-in girlfriend and fellow Biggest Loser contestant, Stephanie Anderson. He still intends to shed a bit more weight before the finale and improve his fitness level, but overall, he is proudly satisfied with his current weight.
Listen here as Sam discusses how he and Stephanie motivate and inspire each other as well as what his daily diet and fitness routine look like in his newly adopted city.
He and Stephanie use the same trainer four days a week to stay in shape. In fact, it’s the same trainer that Jillian Michaels relies on to keep her own bum toned. Despite living in one of the most automobile-friendly cities in the country, he forgoes a car for his feet and a bike, which he depends on daily to hit the gym or run errands. In addition, he lives close to Runyon Canyon, UCLA’s campus and tons of other hiking and biking trails that he takes advantage of to keep his body in shape and challenged.
While he credits the Biggest Loser to changing his life, he is particularly grateful for the show’s ability to reconnect him with his athletic and competitive side, two sides of himself that he lost after a few life events derailed him from his disciplined ways. Being on the Biggest Loser Ranch forced him to get back in touch with the internal power to excel at the physical and mental challenge of achieving a goal.
But as a contestant on the Biggest Loser, he didn’t want to hit the weight extremes like many other previous Losers. He hit one extreme before the show and Sam is now happy and content with the weight he has lost and progress he has made. His weight loss goal therefore is not to drop another 40 pounds or to get super slim, but rather to maintain a healthy and athletic weight, and fit into a perfectly tailor-cut, European suit that he has been eyeing in the pages of GQ magazine.
One of the great benefits of losing weight has been the freedom that comes with choosing clothes. Just last year, he and his cousin, Koli, had to drive 45 miles just to get to a clothing store that carried their size. By the time the costs of gas for their car, lunch and parking were factored in, Sam’s shirt cost him close to $400! Now, to have the body to shop locally to find a pair of shorts or a dress shirt in a flash has been such a great relief to him and his wallet.
Maybe we’ll get to see him in that suit during the Biggest Loser finale.
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