Feb. 03--Cicero physical education teacher Luis Hernandez lost a quarter of his body weight over nine weeks on "The Biggest Loser" and he gained insight into how to exercise and eat well.
"Now I'm a big-time salad guy," Hernandez said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters.
Hernandez, 36, was eliminated from the weight-loss competition in Monday's episode after losing only one pound in one week. He started the competition at 308 pounds and weighed 232 pounds at the nine-week mark in Monday's episode.
He taped a segment for the show in mid-January at the Shedd Aquarium, where he showed off a 203-pound frame. He can still win $100,000 for posting the highest percentage of weight loss among eliminated contestants.
Hernandez, who lives in the Garfield Ridge community on the Southwest Side, ended the show on a bit of a sour note. He was almost safe from elimination in Monday's episode but narrowly lost a fitness challenge that awarded immunity to the winner.
His twin brother Roberto, also a contestant on the show, complained that a "weak" player, North Carolina nanny Felicia Buffkin, won the challenge. The remark sparked a tense back-and-forth between the brothers and the female contestants.
In a blog post Tuesday, trainer Dolvett Quince said the exchange stemmed from "a moment of poor sportsmanship."
Hernandez said Tuesday that his frustrations got the best of him and he and Roberto made amends with the women afterward.
Hernandez said since his elimination, he has been CrossFit training in La Grange and working out on the South Side. He's also made peace with his P.E. teacher role to motivate students to exercise.
He said he holds "up my chin a little higher" when he tells the children to run a mile and "I don't feel that sarcasm from the kids coming back at me."
"The Biggest Loser" airs 8 p.m. Mondays on NBC. Roberto, also a Cicero teacher, and six other contestants are still in the running for the $250,000 prize.
