SUBWAY Chat with Jared Fogle {Giveaway}

Written by on in Giveaways, Interviews, Tidbits and Treats

Top o’ the Friday, to ya 🙂

Thank you all for the sweet, sweet comments on my last post. It made me happy to read that you could feel the smile on my face as I wrote it – that is certainly true!

Today I’d like to share a very special interview. It’s no secret that I love SUBWAY – it’s been featured on the blog several times. It was also a mainstay in my diet during my first job at the Agency. Whether chicken breast or veggie delight, a foot long sub makes me happy (that’s what she said).

So imagine my (veggie) delight when I was contacted by the SUBWAY reps and asked if I would like to interview none other than the ultimate symbol of SUBWAY: Jared Fogle!

My answer, of course, was a resounding YES 🙂 Almost everyone has probably heard of Jared in some way, shape or form. Whether you believe that he truly ate two SUBWAY sandwiches a day to lose all of that weight back in the day, he still serves as an inspiration for a very big community of people.

The best part? Jared was SO. NICE. We chatted early on a Friday morning while he was on his way to the airport to race in a 10K over the weekend. Totally casual – nothing forced. Having worked in PR, I know that sometimes interviews can be painful as the celebrity spokespeople try to get in all of their key messages about the brand. This time around, Jared was absolutely authentic – and I think it’s because the man lives and breathes SUBWAY every day. He knows the brand and it’s a major part of his life, but there is so much more to him than sandwiches. Read below to see what I mean – enjoy!

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I heard you’re currently training for a big race. How has that been going so far?

I’m training to complete the marathon in New York City and as we speak, I’m driving to the airport to fly out and do my first 10K tomorrow. This is coming from a person who has never run a mile in my life. I didn’t know how I would react mentally and physically but it’s been rewarding so far.

What does your training schedule look like?

I try to get at least three days of running in every week. Two of the days are shorter runs and the third day is a longer run. Right now I’m up to seven miles! The toughest thing for me is my travel schedule – fitting it all in and making sure that it becomes a priority. My schedule with SUBWAY makes me travel a lot and working out can be a tough chore.

What exactly are you working on during all of this travel?

You may see me in commercials from time to time! It requires me to travel up to 200 days a year visiting with people and doing some of the national PR initiatives – SUBWAY just launched their new breakfast menu so it’s been busy. We just completed a 5K fun run in Indianapolis and everybody who showed up got a free lowfat muffin melt. So I’ve been doing a lot of the breakfast initiatives and continuing to talk to the media. People still always ask a lot of questions about my story even though it’s been out so long.

What do people tend to ask you?

They almost always want to know if I really ate SUBWAY twice a day for a year – and I always have to tell them that yes, I did! But I also tell people that you don’t necessarily need to eat it like I did. Just eating it more often can have great benefits because so many of the options are good for you.

People also want to know how I keep the weight off – they say, “so you’ve lost 245 pounds but have you kept it off?” My answer to that is that it’s never easy to keep weight off and I think it’s definitely harder to keep it off than it is to lose it. When you’re losing it you get into the zone where you know what to do and how to lose, but when you get to your goal and you just want to live a normal life and eat normal foods, it’s easy to lose sight of what it took to lose the weight in the first place. But you can’t. You learn to do those things in moderation – and I do splurge plenty, but I just try to make sure I balance it out with the fruits and vegetables. So far, so good. Still eating SUBWAY a couple of days a week, too.

So what do you think are some of the current larger scale health issues?

I think obviously obesity is becoming such a huge issue – people say that either they are very, very health conscious or they just don’t care at all. But that said, I think we’re starting to see that middle ground continuing to get bigger and bigger. People want to change and you never know what’s going to inspire someone to want to change. It’s been humbling to know that I’ve been able to spark some of that.

Speaking of change, are you familiar with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution?

I’m very intrigued by it and I think it’s great – any time you can bring positive attention toward eating healthy I think that’s a good thing. It’s going to take a lot of work for us to change our habits. We’re a country that overeats and fat is cheap. It’s going to take a lot of people like Jamie Oliver to turn the tide – and it’s not going to change overnight. Same with shows like the Biggest Loser. It gives people the hope, inspiration and will to change. It’s a combination of that and determination that will make us change – it’s going to have to be a true cultural shift.

What are some of your personal overarching life goals in terms of health?

My overall goal is to make sure I keep the weight off. I always say I worked way too hard to lose the 245 pounds to ever put it back on. But I’m also realistic to know that there will be times that I put a few pounds back on. It can be very easy to fall back into old habits, especially during the holidays, etc. and a few pounds can lead to a few more. It’s a slippery slope where you can easily go down the wrong path.

My biggest thing is to realize that I’m now 32 and it takes a lot more work for me these days to lose the weight than it did 10 years ago. It’s a fact of nature that we have to come to grips with and it’s a critical part of weight loss to realize it will be a little more challenging every year that goes by because of metabolism, life circumstances – such as being married, having kids, etc. There are always new challenges being thrown at you that can forge healthy eating if you’re not careful. That’s something people really need to keep in mind. Do a self-reevaluation after each year.

Best tips and advice for my readers?

One of my big things to work on this year besides the running effort is really trying to spread my calories out more throughout the day. For example, increasing my food intake at breakfast where I used to not even eat breakfast. I’ve learned now that me spreading out calories throughout the day so that I’m not so famished when I get to the next meal is better for my body. It’s better to take my intake and spread it out rather than in big lumps, and it has helped me avoid overeating during meals.

***

Big thanks to Jared and the SUBWAY crew for this opportunity. I had a great time chatting!

EAT FRESH GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the launch of SUBWAY’s new breakfast menu, the team would like to give THREE lucky Eating Bender readers a $10 gift card! That’s two $5 foot longs, my friends (and change for tax) 🙂

To enter, you can choose one (or all) of the following:

  • Leave a comment telling me which breakfast item you would most like to order
  • Tweet the following message and leave a comment to let me know you did: Check out the @subwayfreshbuzz giveaway on @EatingBender! http://bit.ly/9eQwwx
  • “Like” SUBWAY on Facebook and leave a comment to let me know you did
  • Not on Twitter or Facebook? Earn an extra entry by leaving a comment with the major city where Jared Fogle lost all of his weight. Hint.

The giveaway will run through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 2. Winner will be announced Monday!

Hope you enjoyed this Friday morning interview and treat 🙂

What are your plans for this weekend?

I’ve got a great friend – and former bloggie – coming into town. I will be sure to share our adventures with you, as well as some of the Guest Benders that I still need to post {I didn’t forget, I promise}!

Abrazos,

124 Comments

  1. I’ve seen some of the breakfast items around, and I really want to try them! English muffin with egg white and cheddar sounds great…. perhaps with some spinach added in for a nutritious punch!

  2. What a great interview! 245 lbs…good lord! That is amazing- such an inspiration. Love that hes into running now too. And couldn’t agree more with the tip about spreading calories across the day. We love subway (Josh and I). I would most want to try egg white omelet with the light wheat english muffin…and jalapenos and cheese- yum!

  6. i’ve been curious to try the new egg white sandwich on an english muffin…sans cheese please! 🙂

  7. Loved the interview with Jared. He was actually very close to me this morning…if you consider 20 minutes away (He was in Burnsville, MN). He was promoting the new breakfast line at a local Subway. He seemed really friendly during the interview the local news did as well. I would love to try the Western sandwich…the nutrition facts for 4 of the breakfast sandwiches are sooooo good. Look forward to trying one!

  12. That is so cool you got to interview THE Jared. I would like to try the egg white omelet with american cheese on an english muffin 🙂

  15. I think the egg and cheese muffin looks good! I also like the idea of adding jalapenos for a kick!

  20. Oh, I love me some Subway. They are always the best option on long road trips! I want to try the western egg and cheese on english muffin. What a fun interview!

  22. i LOVE SUBWAY..the veggie delight with sweet onion sauce is the bomb baby!!!
    Go you for scoring an interview…so jelaous.
    I just started a blog and you have inspired me so much…TY and keep up the good work!!!!

    I would love to try the western breakfast sandwich from SUBWAY next. I hear they are delic!!!!

  27. What a fun interview!!

    I’m not a huge fan of egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, but I would love to have a gift card for some subs. The veggies ones are my fav!

  28. I’d love to try the egg/cheese english muffin. I’ve never had Subway’s but I bet it’s delicious.

    Thanks!

  29. What an awesome interview! I’ve seen their breakfast items and would love to try the western egg and cheese without the meat 🙂

  30. Thanks Jen, this was a fun interview to read! Jared was in STL last year for something or another and my hubby and I were running in Forest Park and heard him talking on the microphone 🙂

    I’d love to try the egg white sandwich…

  31. Thanks for doing this fun interview. I’m not a breakfast sandwich person (don’t like eggs or cheese, and am vegetarian!), but I love their veggie delight (minus the cheese). Mmm…

  33. I have tried the egg white, cheese and ham, but I think I want to try to Western version with peppers and onion.

  43. I would love to try an egg and bacon melt on a light english muffin. That was an awesome interview, but the way. It is so true that it is easier to be losing weight. But how to you go back to aneutral lifestyle that supports your current weight without gaining or losing more? Tricky!

  45. Haha what a cool interview! That’s awesome. I’m a huge Subway fan too. Love how they pile on the veggies at no extra cost!
    I’d probably go with the eggwhite and cheese. So cool they’re doing breakfast now too.

  46. Subway is the best place to grab a fast healthy meal. I’d probably go for an egg white muffin melt with peppers and sliced jalapenos! I tweeted about your giveaway!

  55. I have to admit, I’m snooty with breakfast sandwiches (as in, I usually just want to make my own) but I do love snagging a veggie delite when I’m eating on the road :).

    I was going to go out with some friends this weekend but I came down with a bad cold last night now so now my plans are REST REST REST!!! May is a busy month for me and if I’m sick… well, I just don’t want to think about that ;).

  56. Sweet! I have been wanting to try the breakfast, actually. I would get the egg and cheese english muffin- classic 🙂

  62. Agh! This is SO cool that you got to interview Jared! Ever since I began dating Seth, I’ve developed a new appreciation for everything Subway-related. If I still ate eggs, I would totally order an egg white sandwich with every veggie possible:)

  64. Totally just tweeted about your giveaway! I’d LOVE to try one of their new breakfast items. I’ve been wanting to, and this is the perfect opportunity to do it!

  65. How awesome you got to interview Jared! I love Subway and am eager to try the Western Egg and Cheese, hold the ham and cheese (I don’t eat ham and I’m lactose intolerant…). I pretty much operate under the assumption that if it’s a Subway sandwich, it’ll be good…

  71. I love reading your interviews cuz you ask the best questions! 🙂 I would go for the black forest ham and egg sandwich but without the cheese. hehe

  78. Nice interview! I love Subway for lunch, but have never tried the breakfast sandwiches. The egg on english muffin sounds perfect for breakfast on the go.

  80. Great interview, but — and I hate to be that girl, but I think it needs to be said — many of Subway’s offerings, including their wheat bread, contain high fructose corn syrup. Sometimes what is billed as ‘healthy’ is actually… not. (I guess this doesn’t matter to someone trying to lose weight on the ‘Subway diet’ because they are still very low-calorie, but just an fyi!)

    • Not at all, girly – in fact, I appreciate you shedding some light! You’re awesome for sharing this because I had no idea. Thank you!

  83. Loved reading the interview!!! I would like to try their egg white and cheese sandwich on the wheat eglish muffin. I’d add spinach, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and banana peppers to it too!

  96. i would love to try the egg white flatbread, loaded with veggies of course 🙂

  97. Fantastic interview. I love Jared’s story and I think Subway is a good, healthy option!

  98. wow, he’s so down to earth. cool interview 🙂

    p.s. the egg white on english muffin sandwich.

  101. I’d order the black forest hsm, cheese, and egg on an English muffin. Tasty!

  105. This was a fun interview to read! He sounds like a nice guy and his story is really inspirational.
    I would totally get an egg white cheese english muffin sandwich. Mmmm now I want to go grab a veggie delight for myself 🙂

  107. I love Subway! It is my main go-to restaurant for quick meals. I haven’t tried the breakfast yet, but would like to try the blackforest ham, egg and cheese sandwich. Thanks for the giveaway!

  113. The Turkey veggie one sounds like a great breakfast – sans the cheese cause I’m just not a fan. Great interview!

  115. Wow that was a cool interview I’d want to try anything with the english muffin

  116. I tried out their Western Egg White sandwich last week, and it’s on my go-to menu now. I’d love to try the ham, egg & cheese Egg White sammy soon!

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