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Definition The Subway diet is the weight-loss plan created by Jared Fogle, an obese college student who weighed 425 pounds (192.7 kilograms). The 22-year-old Fogle lost 245 pounds (111.1 kilograms) in 11 months by following a daily diet that consisted primarily of two low-fat sandwiches purchased at the Subway fast-food chain. After losing 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms), the 6-foot-2 (187.9-centimter) Fogle added walking to his daily routine. His dramatic weight loss led to Fogle's appearances in Subway commercials and his role as a motivational speaker and an advocate in the fight against childhood obesity.

Origins Jared's Fogle's unique diet led to his weight loss and international fame as the star of Subway sandwich commercials. He created the Subway diet in March of 1998.By1999,heweighed 180 pounds (81.6 kilograms). In 2000, he began appearing in Subway TV commercials. His weight loss was illustrated by the image of the slender Fogle holding his pre-diet jeans with the 60-inch (152.4-centimeter) waist. At that time, Fogle weighed 190 pounds (86.1 kilograms). He had maintained that weight as of the spring of 2007 and wore pants with a 34-inch (86.4-centimeter) waist. The public identified Fogle by his first name or as the "Subway Guy." The Subway diet was one component of Fogle's fame; the public also celebrated his weight loss and his campaign to educate others about the importance of diet and exercise. Fogle drew upon his life experiences when speaking about those issues to the media, on talk shows, and in presentations to schools and other groups.

Progressive weight gain Physically, Fogle's ankles and wrists had swelled with edema. His blood pressure was high, and his sleep was interrupted by apnea. Overweight people are at risk of sleep apnea, a condition where blockage causes the person to repeatedly stop breathing. Fogle realized it was time to start dieting, and he described those efforts in his 2006 book, Jared, the Subway Guy: Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around.

Deciding to diet Fogle decided to lose weight during his junior year of college. He had moved out of the dorm and into an apartment located next to a Subway shop. While the shop was close to home, Fogle tried three other diets before creating the Subway diet. His first diet limited calories to 1,800 per day and involved extensive food preparation. The preparation was time-consuming, and he ended the diet. Next Fogle went to the store and stocked up on low-calorie and diet frozen meals. He disliked the taste of the microwaved meals and embarked on another diet. This one involved drinking diet shakes for breakfast and lunch and eating a sensible meal for dinner. Fogle thought the shakes tasted terrible. He abandoned that diet but was determined to lose weight. He researched and rejected what he called "one-size-fits-all" diets. As spring break approached, Fogle found inspiration in Subway's "Seven Under 6 Grams of Fat" menu, a selection of seven low-fat sandwiches. In March of 1998, Fogle developed a weight loss plan that consisting basically of eating two sandwiches each day. Once he shed 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms) on his customized diet, Fogle started walking to school. He eventually established a routine of walking 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) each day. By the following spring, Fogle had shed more than half of his original weight. Fame came when he encountered Ryan Coleman, a college friend who hadn't seen him in some time. Coleman was astounded about Fogle's weight loss and wrote about it for the college newspaper in April of 1999. Organizations including the Associated Press ran the story, and Men's Health magazine included Fogle's story under the heading "Crazy Diets That Work." That led to a Subway menu items with 6 grams of fat or less Menu item Serving (g) Calories Fat (g) Cholesterol (mg) Sodium (mg) Carbohydrates (g) Protein (g) Dietary fiber (g) Veggie Delite® Wrap 159 210 5.0 0 610 37 7 3 Salads Ham 378 120 3.0 20 840 14 12 4 Oven roasted chicken 392 140 2.5 50 400 11 19 4 Roast beef 378 1220 3.0 15 480 12 13 4 Subway Club® 411 150 4.0 35 840 14 18 4 Turkey breast 378 110 2.5 20 580 13 12 4 Turkey breast and ham 388 120 3.0 25 790 14 14 4 Veggie Delite® 322 60 1.0 0 75 11 3 4 Sandwiches Ham, 6" 223 290 5.0 20 1,260 47 18 4 Chicken breast, oven roasted, 6" 237 310 5.0 25 830 48