Canton’s John Forger a new man after stint on ‘Biggest Loser’

John Forger thought he was ready. He wanted to lose weight. He had started to exercise. The travel arrangements were complete. And then, on the day before he was scheduled to fly to California to appear as a contestant on Season 12 of the NBC program The Biggest Loser, he changed his mind. He was not going to California.

John Forger weighed 328 lbs. at the start of his weight-loss journey.

But before making his decision official, Forger wanted to talk it over. So he got in his car and drove to a cemetery in Milton where three of his good friends are buried.

“It was very quiet that day,” Forger recalled. “Not even the birds were chirping.”

After spending several hours with friends who had died too soon, Forger knew that he needed to start what he calls his mission: to lose weight, improve his health, and inspire others to do the same.

Forger, who weighed 328 pounds when the season began, was eliminated from the show during the second week.

“That was the point that turned my life around,” he said. “I didn’t take it lightly. It gave me more determination.”

As of last week, he was down to 255 pounds and was still working to reach his goal weight of 215-220 pounds.

At the age of 18, Forger weighed 185 pounds and was strong enough to lift a car engine. But when he bought his first car, he stopped riding a bike. He also spent a lot of his real estate career working behind a desk and typically ordered a 24-ounce steak when he went out for dinner.

His journey to a healthier lifestyle began last Christmas, when he was enjoying drinks and appetizers at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Paul Rooney. Forger was 65 years old and Paul asked him if he knew people who were his size and had reached the age of 70.

“I thought, ‘What’s he talking about?’” Forger said. “Then a switch flipped on in my mind.”

As a Christmas gift, the Rooneys gave him a membership to Fuzion Sports Club, which included the services of personal trainer Carlton Soberanis. A few months later, The Biggest Loser held interviews at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, and Forger charmed the judges by singing “God Bless America” to bring out his personality. He was selected and became a member of the Blue Team, whose trainer is Anna Kournikova.

Forger has lost 73 pounds as of last week.

Forger found some surprises on The Biggest Loser ranch. “I had an idea you had to do some exercises,” he said with a laugh. He quickly discovered that he couldn’t use excuses to avoid the workouts, as he had sometimes done at Fuzion by telling the trainers that he could only exercise for a limited amount of time.

Now that he is back home, Forger is working hard with his trainers and watching the pounds melt off. Season 12 of The Biggest Loser features an upcoming marathon for all contestants, and Forger is preparing for it by doing some jogging and walking 12-mile loops on Castle Island with Soberanis.

Two weeks ago, Forger reached a very personal goal. He participated in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk in memory of the late Pam Gefteas, the daughter of close friends. He and Soberanis walked from Babson College in Wellesley to Copley Square.

“I’ve always wanted to walk it,” he said. “But I was too heavy or it was too far. I always had an excuse.”

Allie Mantia, fitness director at Fuzion, has seen a change in Forger. “John’s spirit is larger than he ever was!” she said. “It’s the first thing everyone feels when they first meet him. Carlton Soberanis has been an inspiration through this process as well. It has been a joy to watch them work together, transforming John.”

In addition to the Rooneys, Forger is grateful to many people for their support, including his wife, Joan, their two sons and their wives, Glenn and Melissa Forger and Gregg and Danielle Forger, and his nine grandchildren: Alexandra, Nicholas, Will, Maggie, Charlie, Kate, Taylor, Finn and Cameron.

He described Mantia and Soberanis as “flawless” in their training and everyone at The Biggest Loser as “phenomenal.”

Forger is committed to raising awareness about the dangers of obesity. “I’m going first,” he said. “Come along with me. If one kid, or one mother or one father can be saved, that would be awesome.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Oct 5 2011. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.