More than two in three adults in the United States are considered to be overweight or obese, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. It’s no surprise, then, that extreme weight loss shows are so popular. Millions of people feel a personal connection to the brave souls who show up for casting calls or write in to producers vying for a coveted spot on such shows as The Biggest Loser and Extreme Weight Loss. Whether you’re a fitness nut yourself or you’re looking for some inspiration to shed your own pounds, you find yourself invested in the contestants. Unfortunately, many of them struggle to keep the weight off. Where are The Biggest Loser winners and contestants now? Have they managed to maintain a healthy, fit lifestyle? For those Biggest Loser participants who weren’t able to maintain their newly slim physiques, have they gained the weight back due to bad habits or forces out of their control? They certainly aren’t alone. According to researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine, only about one in six obese or overweight Americans who lose weight manage to keep it off. We searched the depths of the internet and the good news is that some contestants have managed to stay fit! Click through for a recap of these Biggest Loser winners’ weight loss journeys on the show, and find out how they’re doing now. Don’t forget to SHARE this with other BL fans who are dying for an update!

Chicago physical education teacher Roberto Hernandez joined The Biggest Loser in season 17 after watching his son play alone and realizing he had no energy or strength to get up and join him, no matter how much he may have wanted, according to his website. (His twin brother, Luis, also was cast that season.) Hernandez was able to lose 32 pounds on his own before heading to The Biggest Loser ranch for a few months. By the end of the season, Hernandez had lost a whopping 160 pounds! That’s roughly 46 percent of his total pre-BL weight.  

Like many of the other contestants, Hernandez struggled to maintain his significant weight loss once he was off camera and back home in Illinois. According to his website, he still works out six days a week, but he finds it harder to keep the weight off than it was to drop it initially. The photo above is from March 2018.

Danni Allen was chosen for The Biggest Loser’s 14th season. The Mundelein, Chicago native, who worked as an advertising coordinator at the time, joined the show at 258 pounds. By the season finale in March 2013, Allen had shed 121 pounds, landing at 137 and winning the Biggest Loser title. The loss represented a 46.9 percent decrease from her total starting weight. Immediately following her win, Allen ran in the Chicago Marathon, embarked on a quasi speaking tour around the country, and even opened a yoga studio.

In early 2018, Allen admitted to The Chicago Tribune that she had regained some of the lost weight, getting back up to between 175 and 180 pounds. Nonetheless, she said that she feels she’s at a happy, healthy weight:

When we were on the show, we worked out anywhere between eight and 10 hours a day. So it was great while I was on the show. It definitely gave me that jump-start into losing weight. It’s not something I would say is realistic or long-term for anybody to maintain, especially myself. I kept into health and fitness. I still work out about four days a week, and I watch what I eat as best as possible.

What father doesn’t want to be admired by his kids? It’s something every parent wants, but you want to be revered for a good reason. In Danny Cahill’s case, although his young daughter looked up to him, her declaration that she wanted to have a belly just like his — a belly that, at that point, was more than 69 inches around — gave him pause. After ballooning to more than 450 pounds, he turned to The Biggest Loser to save him from himself, according to his website. During season eight of The Biggest Loser, Cahill broke records and lost 239 pounds, a more than 50 percent difference.

By 2016, Cahill had gained back 100 of the 239 pounds he previously shed, according to Business Insider. While some people may be quick to blame a lack of willpower, that wasn’t the case for Cahill, and for many other former BL contestants. According to The New York Times, a study shows that Cahill and other contestants have significantly slower metabolisms after the show than would be expected for other men and women with similar body types and weights. He reportedly now eats 800 fewer calories than other men his size, just to maintain a weight of about 295 pounds. The photo above was posted in November 2017.

Opera singer Olivia Ward competed in The Biggest Loser’s 11th season with her younger sister, Hannah Curlee. After being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, Curlee realized she had to do something to bring down her weight, which was more than 261 pounds when she joined BL. By the end of the season, Ward had shed 49.4 percent of her total body weight. At the final weigh-in, she was just 132 pounds. She won the grand prize, and her sister came in second.

In 2014, Ward wrote a guest blog for Fitness Magazine in which she admitted that, considering her 5'6" height, her final weight of 132 was a bit too slim. Since her win in 2011, Ward has kept up an active lifestyle. She’s an instructor at SoulCycle, a mom, and the co-founder of myFitspiration.com. Her current weight is unknown, but it looks like those spin classes definitely are keeping her on track. The photo above was posted in May 2018.

Erik Chopin, a business owner from Long Island, New York, joined The Biggest Loser for season three. Starting at 407 pounds, Chopin lost a then-record 214 pounds, more than 52 percent of his body weight. The loss meant he got to take home the grand prize and a renewed outlook on life. Unfortunately, Chopin wasn’t able to keep the weight off.

Within a few years of his staggering weight loss, Chopin had put back on most of the weight. Appearing on Oprah in 2009, Chopin admitted that he was back up to 315 pounds. Not only was he regaining the weight, but he was actively deceiving the public, his family, and his friends, posting older photos to social media. By 2010, according to Us Weekly, he was up to 368 pounds. Thanks to a bit of a shove from BL trainer Bob Harper, Chopin got back on the fitness wagon, filming a one-hour Discovery Channel special, Confessions of a Reality Show Loser, showcasing his ongoing journey to lose weight — and keep it off. The photo above was posted in July 2011.

Chicago native Toma Dobrosavljevic had an active childhood, playing soccer, football, baseball, basketball, tennis, and even volleyball as he was growing up. Despite the activity, he struggled with his weight throughout his life. When Dobrosavljevic made the decision to appear on season 16 of The Biggest Loser, he weighed 336 pounds. In just under seven months, Dobrosavljevic shed 171 pounds, beating out two NFL players and two Olympic gold medalists for the BL title and grand prize.

It’s been three years since Dobrosavljevic won season 16 of The Biggest Loser by just one pound. While his current weight is unknown, it looks like he’s regained some of the weight. The photo above was posted in March 2018.

Rachel Frederickson, a voice actress from Minnesota, joined The Biggest Loser for season 15 in 2013. She grew up swimming competitively, eventually winning three high school state championships and earning scholarships to multiple colleges throughout the country. Ready for an adventure, Frederickson made the decision to forego those opportunities and travel to Germany, where she’d study business at the Cologne Business School with her boyfriend. While in Germany, she discovered a love for bread and pastries, and by the time she decided to go on The Biggest Loser, she weighed 260 pounds. By the final weigh-in, Frederickson had shed 155 pounds, an astronomical 59.6 percent of her body weight, a figure that alarmed many viewers and trainers.

Leaving the show at just 105 pounds, Frederickson soon put on 20 pounds, landing her at what she felt was a more healthy, happy weight for her. While her current weight isn’t known, her social media photos suggest she’s regained some more of the weight. Though she hasn’t uploaded a picture in a couple of years, the one’s she’s shared depict a happy, active lifestyle filled with pets. The photo above was posted in May 2016.

Ruben Studdard is no stranger to reality TV. Studdard became a household name way back in 2003 thanks to his soulful voice winning over American Idol viewers. Studdard won the reality competition and the singer managed to land a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. A decade later, Studdard once again joined the cast of a reality TV show as a contestant on The Biggest Loser. Studdard was one of the biggest successes of the season, dropping 119 pounds, or 25.76 percent of his body weight.

This picture of Studdard taken in June 2018 shows the soul man still looking fit and trim since his Biggest Loser days. After his appearance on the show, Studdard told Today, "I've been working out every day and have really made a positive change in my life. I got some shocking news [that] season [of Biggest Loser] when I found out I was Type-2 diabetic, so I've been working hard every day to change that."

Long Island, New York sales representative Bill Germanakos participated in The Biggest Loser’s fourth season. He went on the show with his twin brother, Jim. Originally  334 pounds, Bill dropped 164 pounds during the course of the show. His final weight of 170 was enough to garner him the quarter-million-dollar grand prize. (Plus, his brother, Jim, won $100,000 for being the top non-final-four finisher!)

Despite his dedication during the show to shedding his “body built by baklava,” Germanakos had trouble keeping it off. He told the Today show:

I’m a morbidly obese person in a fit body. I’m hungry all the time … Every day is a struggle … And at every single turn you need to make a good decision. A lot of people lose a lot of weight, and then forget what made them successful and can’t maintain the weight loss ... You have to figure out what made you successful and continue to do it.

Unlike the Biggest Losers mentioned before, season 12’s Jennifer Rumple was actually eliminated after just six weeks. With a starting weight of 330 pounds, Rumple was still determined to shed some pounds, BL ranch or no ranch. According to the former contestant’s Facebook fan page, her weight-loss struggle began when she was 8 years old growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana. In the end, she lost 43.9 percent of her body weight, dropping to 185 pounds and winning the show’s at-home prize.

As of 2014, Rumple had regained about 12 pounds, due in part to an ankle injury. She told Today:

I am healthy. I am fit. I crave activity, exercise, and sweat ... for the first time in my life. ... I have to keep moving forward, not use it as an excuse, and figure out what works to keep up this lifestyle — injury or no injury … I know I can accomplish anything I set my mind to doing.

Before joining The Biggest Loser in 2010, Vicksburg, Mississippi native Patrick House’s weight had risen to 400 pounds. His self-esteem was damaged and he felt too overwhelmed to drop the pounds on his own, according to NOLA.com. With the help of the trainers, nutritionists, and a medical team, House lost 45.3 percent of his body weight, weighing in at 219 pounds at the final weigh-in. That’s 181 pounds lighter than when his season started!

In 2016, House’s weight had risen some, back up to 265, according to People. He told the magazine:

The weight I have gained back is directly proportional to my time focused on diet and gym time … The only place to point the finger is at the man in the mirror. Maintenance is tough, but it’s not impossible.

People during a race will quickly come up to me and tell me their story of how they lost 50 pounds or 30 pounds, or they're in the middle of their weight-loss transformation … At the end of the day I know I'm never going to get up and challenge to win a half marathon, but at the same time, it's a win for me to motivate and inspire people to join me in living a healthier lifestyle.