By Julia Gall
The final part in a series
tracking the progress of one contestant in the “NU’s Biggest Loser” weight loss competition.
After 11 weeks of maintaining a regular workout regimen, strict diet and an overall healthy lifestyle, the contestants of “NU’s Biggest Loser” competition were anxious to discover who was the ultimate loser, and winner, of the contest.
Jose De La Rosa, who lost a total of 25 pounds, was announced as the series winner. The judges of the competition, sponsored by the Resident Student Association (RSA), saw his improvement and selected him after a final meeting and evaluation of the 10 participants.
De La Rosa, whose progress has been tracked by The News, said he experienced many changes.
“I definitely saw a positive improvement in everything, weight loss, the ability to run and just to have more energy,” he said.
While he was the winner of the competition, De La Rosa, who graduated from Northeastern in May, said every contestant got something out of the experience.
“I was very happy and excited that I won, but at the same time I thought everyone really won,” he said. “I may have had more points [from the evaluations] than everyone in the end, but we all gained a lot from these past weeks.”
Smith Anderson, former vice president of programming for RSA who also graduated in May, said he was not surprised De La Rosa won the competition.
“I knew he was really working hard at it because he wasn’t looking just to win but to actually make a difference in his life,” he said.
Among the contestants, more than 150 pounds were shed during the first year of this competition and hopefully next year there will be more weight loss, Anderson said
“It’s definitely something that I’m hoping RSA will do again,” he said.
Along with the title of “NU’s Biggest Loser,” De La Rosa received a set of free weights courtesy of the Marino Center and a suit from Men’s Warehouse.
But De La Rosa said he is more thankful for what he’s accomplished from the competition and for the support of his family and friends than for his prizes.
“[My parents] were ecstatic, my mom cried, and they were very proud of the fact I was able to accomplish [completing the competition],” he said. “It was a good gift for my parents. I also got my mom a membership for a gym nearby for her birthday so we’re going to go together now.”
De La Rosa will start work at Price Waterhouse Coopers in January and is now concentrating on preparing for his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. He said he is excited about adapting his new healthy lifestyle with the working world.
“This is exactly what I wanted and the competition helped me get to that point,” he said. “On the application I wrote that I wanted to get fit for corporate America and I did that and I’m very glad that I’ve been able to accomplish that goal.”
De La Rosa said the most important thing he learned during the competition was how effective working out and eating right are in weight loss. He also offered advice to students based on what he has learned.
“Don’t let people or anyone stop you,” he said. “If you set your mind to it just do it. It’s OK to talk the talk, but you need to walk the walk, not just in weight loss but in everything in life.”
