“Biggest Loser” Fan Drops 418 Pounds Without Trainer, Gym

Wayne Vandenlangenberg was never a contestant on "The Biggest Loser" — but that didn't stop the fan of the NBC weight loss show from dropping more pounds than any contestant in history.

Even more impressive, through a strict diet and intense exercise regimen — Wayne did it all on his own.

After a starting weight of 674, Wayne recently made a special trip to the "Biggest Loser" ranch, where he weighed in at 256 pounds.

"I don't think I have ever remembered being 256," Wayne told Access Hollywood during his "Biggest Loser" set visit.

Despite the 418 pound weight loss, which shed almost a quarter ton of fat from his six-foot-tall frame, Wayne did it all with no trainer and no gym.

"You don't always need a gym to workout," the 49-year-old told Access. "Walking is free."

Wayne's journey began in 2007, when at 674 pounds and wheelchair-bound, he was rushed to the hospital as a Code Blue suffering from pneumonia.

"They told my wife I wasn't going to make it through the night," he revealed.

However, it was a vision of another family member that sparked Wayne's weight loss initiative.

While in a coma in the hospital, Wayne believes his late grandmother came to him with a message that it wasn't his time.

"She said I had to go back because she said I had bigger and better things to do," he added. "I guess this is what she meant."

It was during his recovery that Wayne began watching "The Biggest Loser" and vowed to make a complete overhaul of his diet.

"I stopped eating red meat and pork. I stopped eating sugars and white flour products. I was a 12-pack-of-soda-a-day person, down to maybe one diet soda here and there," he admitted.

Now, Wayne is hoping his story inspires others at home who are stuck in the same deadly lifestyle he once was.

Among those he hopes hear his message is 600-pound reality star wannabe Donna Simpson, who, as previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, is publicly touting her ultimate goal of weighing 1,000 pounds.

"I would really like to go talk to her and say, 'Man, it's just not worth it,'" Wayne said. "She would be 300 more pounds than I was and I couldn't even move – what would 1,000 pounds be like?"


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