Luis and Roberto Hernandez shed hundreds of pounds together as contestants on “The Biggest Loser.” Today, they still are working to keep one another on track.
They’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders and they also hold each other accountable if they don’t eat right or skip their workouts.
“We know what we’ve gone through,” said Luis. “We’ve struggled with our weight since we were little kids.”
They’ve come a long way in the last couple of years.
Two years ago, the 38-year-old brothers from Cicero, Illinois, each weighed more than 300 pounds. They knew their weight was taking a toll on their health, but losing the pounds was a losing struggle. They tried many diets, but they never really worked.
As physical education teachers, they said they felt like frauds telling their students to eat healthy and exercise. They used themselves as cautionary tales, warning the kids that if they didn’t take care of their health, they’d end up like them — obese and with serious medical problems.
Then, they reached their moment. They decided they were going to talk the talk and walk the walk. Knowing they needed a challenge, Luis suggested they try their luck with NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”
“It was not about the money,” said Luis, who with his brother also teaches health at a high school in their hometown. “It was more about our health and getting our health back to where we felt we needed to be for our kids and family.”
Roberto lost 160 pounds to win the grand prize of $250,000. Luis lost 139 pounds and won a $100,000 at-home prize.
