For most The Biggest Loser contestants, their extra pounds are something that have always bothered them, and many have felt held back emotionally and physically by being overweight.

For Neil Tejwani, however, this wasn't necessarily the case. After a broken leg interrupted his previously-active life which involves sports, he just never quite got back on the exercise bandwagon.

He has admitted, "I lived a lazy lifestyle. I was that guy sitting on the couch, eating potato chips and watching football. ... It's easy to get caught up in bad habits."

Even as his weight ballooned, it didn't necessarily spur him onto action, primarily because it didn't seem to affect his self-image. He said, "I was one of those people who was never self-conscious about my weight. It never affected me when meeting women or getting a job."

So what finally prompted Neil to not only take action, but take the drastic step of signing up for a nationally-televised weight-loss program like The Biggest Loser?

While Neil might not have been yet feeling the emotional effects of his extra pounds, he was starting to experience the physical ones, and this concerned him. He said, "When you're 25 years old and diagnosed with all these problems, a lot of health problems that a 25-year-old shouldn't have ... The doctor made it clear there's a good chance I won't see past age 30."

And he had someone else to think about: girlfriend Stefanie Nigro. She, too, was concerned about Neil's health, and urged him to sign up for The Biggest Loser.

Neil had been starting to feel that it was time to settle down, and with his weight possibly compromising the idea of a happy future with Stefanie, it seemed clear that it was time to do something.

Luckily, he had just what the producers of The Biggest Loser were looking for. NBC Spokeswoman Jill Carmen told the Cordele Dispatch, "We like people who have great personalities," and Neil fit the bill.

While Neil, obviously, can't discuss yet exactly what his results have been, he does say that he's happy he went on the program, despite some people's concerns that it's exploitative.

He countered, “It's a positive experience even if you're going to lose 1 pound," he said. "It's a positive experience because it changed my life forever….I hold the show in the highest regard," he said. "They change people's lives. They inspire."

We will still have nearly an entire season to get through before we know exactly where Neil and the other contestants landed on the scale, but a comment he made about his girlfriend gave us one clue.

He told the Dispatch, “[Stefanie] loved me at over 400 pounds...She still loves me."

Since this would seem to indicate he is no longer over 400 pounds, and since Neil had the highest starting weight ever of 421, it might be safe to assume that Neil was able to take off over twenty pounds at the very least, and possibly much more if he turns out to be another  The Biggest Loser success story.


- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Cordele Dispatch
(Image courtesy of NBC)