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Jan 29

Alabama native aims to drop more than 100 pounds on The Biggest Loser – AL.com

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At his absolute heaviest, Micah Collum weighed 355 pounds. And he was miserable.

The Alabama native, 24, says he stuffed himself with food to counter feelings of depression, worthlessness and despair.

I just wanted to eat myself numb, Collum says. With so many things, I just stopped caring.

When cravings hit, Collum would head to Chinese buffet restaurants, typically once or twice per day. He would wake up in the middle of the night and scarf down milk and cookies. (Oreos were his cookie of choice, Collum says, and it was easy for him to demolish two sleeves in the package.)

Fast food? It almost became an obsession.

Taco Bell was one of my favorites, Collum says. When I would go out, I would spend probably $50 on fast food.

But as his body grew larger, Collums self-esteem began to shrink to tiny proportions.

I felt like a complete failure, he says. I got hooked on bad habits. I felt like, Why even try? I probably said the word failure about 10,000 times in the past year.

Collum, a former athlete at Cleveland High School in Blount County, knew what it felt like to be healthy. He played center and nose guard on the football team, and was a power forward on the basketball team.

Collum, who stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall, describes his teenage self as big and thick and super strong. Where had that person gone? Collum wasnt sure. He desperately wanted to change to shape up and trim down but says his efforts were invariably torpedoed by self-doubt.

There were times when I dropped down 40 pounds, Collum says, but I gained it back. Fifteen pounds, gained it back. Thirty pounds, gained it back. I tried the keto diet. I tried juicing. I tried eating nothing but apples. I tried so many things to lose weight, but never could keep it off.

Collum says his family background was a factor; his parents divorced while he was growing up in Oneonta and his mother became addicted to drugs. He and his siblings often had to fend for themselves, and it was difficult for Collum to be a big brother and do the right thing.

He didnt go to college. He struggled to find a decent job. A breakup with his high school girlfriend still stung.

I was trying to find my place in this world, Collum says. Nothing was working. Maybe I thought I deserved that misery."

No longer.

Collum is taking steps to reach his dream weight -- he says his goal is 215-220 pounds -- with some help from The Biggest Loser. Hes one of 12 contestants on the USA Networks reboot of the reality series, which previously ran for 17 seasons on NBC.

The new incarnation of The Biggest Loser makes its debut tonight at 8 p.m. CT, and will air at the same time on Tuesdays in the weeks to come. Aside from a dozen weight-loss hopefuls, the show features a host (Bob Harper, who served as a trainer on the NBC version for 16 seasons) and two new trainers: Steve Cook and Erica Lugo.

The format of the reality series remains much the same -- contestants divide into teams and compete in exercise challenges, revamp their eating habits and participate in weigh-ins -- but USA says the show will dig deeper into the reasons for each contestants food issues and give them tools to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

We were very big on this really being about self-love, Cook told reporters during a panel discussion at this years Television Critics Association press tour. If you dont have that, you might lose weight on the show, but whats going to happen when you go home and you havent dealt with those issues? They knew its a marathon. Its not a sprint."

Several Alabama people have been featured on The Biggest Loser in the past, such as former American Idol Ruben Studdard (2013), lawyer Gina McDonald (2013), sisters Hannah Curlee and Olivia Ward (2011), and former University of Alabama football players Roger Shultz and Trent Patterson (2008). All of them lost significant amounts of weight on the series, and Ward won the grand prize of $250,000.

When I got selected for the show, I cried, Collum says during a phone interview with AL.com. How does a guy from Alabama -- from the town Im from, where nothing goes on -- get to be on this show on TV?

Collum actually has some experience in the entertainment world, appearing as a background actor or extra in several movies that have filmed in Alabama. (Two fairly recent examples: Woodlawn and Run the Race.)

One of my acting friends knew I was trying to lose weight, Collum says. He sent me a link to a casting agency, but it took me a month to look at it. Finally I did, and I got an application for The Biggest Loser. I did a Skype interview and went through the process.

Other contestants on the show include a youth coach, two nurses, a lawyer, a school counselor, a former chef and a tour guide at a whiskey distillery. Their starting weights range from 242 pounds to 409 pounds. Collums initial weight is listed at 326 pounds, down from his peak of 355.

I was already trying to lose weight before I knew I was going to get on the show, Collum says, so I still had some fight left in me. ... The hardest thing for me to do was choose me. I thought: I can love everybody else, and take care of everybody else, but Ive never done anything for myself. I just finally said, Ive got to pick me this time.

Episodes of The Biggest Loser are filmed in advance, which means Collums already been through the shows boot camp and food regimen. He cant reveal his current weight -- no spoilers allowed! -- and while he can talk about the series in general terms, he cant offer specifics.

Promotional materials for the show reveal that Collum ends up on the Blue Team, which is led by trainer Cook. In video clips and social media posts, Collum can be seen lifting weights, running on an outdoor trail and helping his teammates pilot an inflatable raft.

Collum says he didnt fret about being filmed in action; his time on movie sets has given him an ease around cameras, microphones and crew members. Also, the discipline of his previous athletic training came in handy.

I knew that when it came to the workouts, Id be all right, Collum says. I was ready for that mental and physical pain. My football coach was an ex-Navy SEAL, and he made us go through a hell week at school where we stayed for seven days. We carried logs for miles. As a basketball player, I was used to running suicides on top of suicides. Going into the gym, I knew Id be ready for whatever."

His greatest fear, however, was likely to be tested by the series. What if The Biggest Loser asked him to appear without a shirt?

Ive never had abs, Collum says. Ive never had a chance to take my shirt off in public without insecurity. I used to tell people, I dont want sunburn. That was my excuse.

Viewers will have to follow the show to see if Collum transforms his life -- and dares to sheds his shirt -- on national television. He sounds confident and happy during this phone conversation, however, and says he hopes to inspire others to start their own weight-loss journeys.

I would love to share my story, Collum says. I want to help people with depression. I want to make people feel that you are worth it. You are good enough. ... One thing that sticks out for me: You feel like youre at the bottom of the mountain. I just want people to take that first step. If I can do it, they can do it. And if my story changes just one persons life, it will be worth it."

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Alabama native aims to drop more than 100 pounds on The Biggest Loser - AL.com

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