It's easy to see how Matt Hoover got fat: This is a guy who once ate 89 Buffalo wings at a sitting. But how—and how fast—he slimmed down almost defies belief. In just eight months, Hoover shed 157 lbs. (and countless on-camera tears) to become the second $250,000 winner of NBC's reality weight-loss competition, The Biggest Loser. "I won't be at a bar celebrating or at the buffet," says Hoover, who lost 109 lbs. during the show's 12-week camp, then the last 48 on his own. Though he once lost a whopping 26 lbs. in a week, Hoover suffered an inauspicious beginning on the show: After the first calisthenics session with trainer Jillian Michaels, he was the one hurling in the bushes. Later, the 5'10" big man wept as he told how he regretted letting his once-athletic body get so fat. A varsity wrestler at the University of Iowa, Hoover, 29, once hoped to go to the Olympics, but knee injuries killed his dream—and contributed to his obesity. Now a college wrestling coach, this slimmer Hoover has earned the respect of his charges. "When I was up around 350, how could I tell somebody, 'Hey, you're 10 lbs. over. Get this off!'" With his winnings, Hoover, who lives near Des Moines, says he'll pay off his student loans and buy a waterskiing boat. He might also think about investing in some new clothes, as his old size-46-waist pants are hanging in his garage like yards of khaki wallpaper. "Every night I look up at those pants," says Hoover. "I won't ever get that big again."

More From This Article

HOW HE LOST IT "I have to focus, believe me. I do an hour of exercise—I run, jump rope or bike—every morning, then an hour at noon, then a two-hour wrestling session with the kids I coach. I eat when I'm hungry, that's my diet. For breakfast, I'll have cereal; for lunch, a lean piece of chicken and spaghetti squash—I love that stuff! At night I'll eat a 6-oz. portion of meat, vegetables and salad. And I drink a lot of water. On Sundays I have a Reese's peanut butter cup. Diet Cherry Coke is my other indulgence. When I first got home [in June] I went into shock, because we were so regimented and I had all the temptations facing me again. The hard part will be keeping the weight off now that this is over. Before Loser I had a drinking problem—I got hammered the day before I left for L.A. Now, I haven't had a drink in nine months. Luckily, I have not only my friends but millions of people who watched the show to keep me on track."