Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010

Local Biggest Losers shed it forward

Heba Salama is triumphant.

After all, she completed the Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans in three hours and three minutes.

Although that's not a world record, or even a winning time, 13.1 miles was the longest distance Salama had ever run, and it was wonderful.

"It definitely exceeded my expectations," she said. "I can't wait for my next one."

People might think that running a three-hour half marathon would pale in comparison to the adventure Salama and her husband, Ed Brantley, experienced in 2008: They competed for money and glory during season six of television's "The Biggest Loser."

Salama won $100,000 for losing the highest percentage of body weight among all of the contestants, even though viewers didn't vote her through to the final rounds. Brantley was the runner-up. Both are 32 years old.

Today, the couple is hoping to inspire others to get fit - and in doing so are inspiring themselves to stay fit after spending six months of their lives shrinking to half their original sizes.

Salama and Brantley, who live in North Raleigh, were at the Raleigh Running Outfitters store on Six Forks Road one day last month to kick off "10 in 2010," a yearlong effort that will combine five road races and five triathlons to show people that running, biking and swimming are inexpensive and effective ways to lose weight and stay in shape.

Two days before the Mardi Gras Half Marathon, Salama had a bad case of the jitters. That's saying a lot for someone who went on national television, and lost 47 percent of her body weight in front of millions of viewers, going from 295 pounds to 156.

She admits that even after grueling workouts in front of cameras at the Biggest Loser Ranch in Los Angeles, she was afraid of running.

"Running is hard," Salama said. "I ran nine miles on Valentine's Day to train for the half marathon, and that was huge for me."

Salama and Brantley started their journey as two of nearly 200,000 out-of-shape people who showed up across the country to audition for 16 available spots on The Biggest Loser. Brantley finished in second place after losing 139 pounds, weighing in at 201 at the show's finale.

A chef who teaches culinary arts at the Arts Institute of Raleigh-Durham, Brantley grew up on biscuits and sausage in Eastern North Carolina and to this day fights cravings for country cooking.

"It's all about self-control," Brantley said. "I would always wait until I was starving before I would eat; then I'd hit the Chinese buffet and consume 10,000 calories. I was a binge eater, and was addicted to the euphoric feeling that comes from eating."

The couple decided that going on The Biggest Loser would give them the motivation and discipline they needed to get healthy.

The show is in the "reality TV" genre but is not like real life. The couple were isolated from friends, family and unhealthy temptations, with nothing to eat but the healthy foods stocked in their refrigerator. Their program called for exercising all day, every day.

"We exercised 10 to 12 hours a day," Salama said.

"We took ourselves away from everything we were used to," Brantley said. "We tore away the old versions of ourselves and rebuilt ourselves in a new way."

Back in Raleigh, they are faced with the old temptations.

"I have to motivate myself on a daily basis," Brantley said.

Their dedication to motivate others is part of their ongoing journey to maintain their own fitness.

Holly D'Addurno, 53, came to the running store with her husband and son to meet Salama and Brantley. She wants to start training for a half-marathon.

"I used to run marathons, but I hurt my ankle and put on weight," she said. "I came out because I wanted to hear their story and start training."

This is music to Salama's ears. After all, she's all about taking the opportunity to pay it forward.

"If even a little 5K race can help somebody," she said, "then we want to encourage others to try."