Jared the Subway Guy, superstar
Trying to enjoy the whirlwind of celebrity
TAMPA, Florida (AP) --Like many famous people, Jared Fogle rarely gets through a meal in a restaurant without being interrupted by well-meaning people introducing themselves. Fogle is "Jared the Subway Guy," famous because he lost 245 pounds a few years ago by eating Subway subs and not much else. Instantly recognizable now from his TV commercials for the sandwich maker, he's evolved from unwitting part-time celebrity to something of a pop-culture icon, making a comfortable living traveling around with his old 60-inch waist jeans and telling his story. Fogle was recently in town for a Subway-sponsored American Heart Association walk and spoke to school children about nutrition. He stopped at a pancake house for breakfast, and ended up signing autographs and chatting with other patrons and waitresses. A truck driver from Ohio named Steve told Fogle he dropped 80 pounds and stops at Subway five times a week. That's great, Jared the Subway Guy said, keep eating those subs -- and go light on the cheese and mayo. It does get a little old after awhile, he acknowledged, having to be "on" in public all the time, especially for a guy who spent so many years as an obese person doing his best not to be noticed. But Fogle, an Indiana University graduate who briefly had a real job at an airline before the Subway gig took off, knows this won't last forever. His 15 minutes were supposed to be up a long time ago. "If people didn't give a damn, I wouldn't be in the position I'm in," Fogle said. "I try not to lose sight of that." The public face of Subway for almost four years, the Fogle, 26, has done and seen things he never could have imagined back when he weighed 425 pounds and couldn't walk across his apartment without getting winded. Thanks to Subway, he's visited all 50 states and several countries, rode a Zamboni at an NHL game, waved the green flag to start a NASCAR race, and chatted with former football greats on the "NFL Today" show on CBS, even trading autographs with former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Having a good laugh
One time he and wife, Elizabeth, a pediatric nurse, stopped in at the bar of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and noticed actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon looking over and whispering. "I could tell they were sort of talking about me, because I heard Subway mentioned a couple different times," he said. "It was a trip. My wife was freaking out." The National Enquirer tried to dig up some dirt on him. He's been goofed on by Seinfeld, Leno and Letterman, and spoofed on "Saturday Night Live," "South Park" and in the latest Austin Powers movie. He's the subject of Internet rumors that he has AIDS or gained all the weight back. Fogle said he gets a good laugh from most of the talk. He's been in the public eye long enough now to know that it comes with the territory. Fogle's story is well-documented. The rotund Indianapolis native went off to college in Bloomington, and in his third year took an apartment next door to a campus Subway store. In March 1998, he started a diet of a 6-inch turkey sub, baked Lays potato chips and a diet soda for lunch, and a foot-long veggie sub for dinner. No cheese, no mayo, no oil. Before long, he was walking around campus instead of taking the bus. A year later, he had dropped 245 pounds and was down to 180 on his 6-foot-2 frame. He's since leveled off at about 190. "I had no intention of anyone ever finding out what I had done," he said. 'He's just a regular guy'
A friend who was an editor at the IU student newspaper wrote about his feat, followed by Men's Health magazine. Subway's national ad agency called, and Fogle shot a test commercial in the fall of 1999. The first one was a success in Chicago, leading to a national spot at the beginning of 2000. Subway's sales were taking off right around the same time and continued to climb during the Jared years, from $3.6 billion in 1999 to $5.77 billion last year. Spokesman Kevin Kane said the company doesn't know exactly how much of that can be attributed to Fogle, but Subway bosses know they've got a hot property. The company still gets way more requests for his personal appearances than they can fill. "I think when he talks to people they can see he's not a slick, polished spokesperson," Kane said. "He's smart and well-spoken, but I think people can see he's just a regular guy." Patricia Dailey, editor-in-chief of the trade magazine Restaurants and Institutions, said Subway's timing was impeccable. The chain had positioned itself as the healthy alternative in fast food just before a major national dialogue over obesity began, she said. And then along came Fogle. "He very efficiently became inserted into the nation's psyche," Dailey said. Fogle said he'll continue to be "Jared the Subway Guy" for as long as they keep sending the stretch limousine to pick him up for appearances. He's also working on a book and thinks he might try motivational speaking. He's on the road now some 230 days a year. He said he's not rich, but Subway has set him up nicely for the future. He and his wife recently bought a new house in an Indianapolis suburb. Fogle still eats at Subway several times a week, usually for free during appearances. He long ago began incorporating regular foods into his diet, but his menu choices still draw glances and comments from people when he goes out to eat. "They used to watch a lot more," he said. "By now most people realize, 'Hey, he's had the weight off for (almost) five years. Cut him a little slack.' "
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