The biggest loser winner Bill Germanakos, Bill Germanakos was one of 18 contestants and fourth season winner of the NBC hit reality weight loss show "The Biggest Loser", which through a process of re-educating its' contestants about diet and exercise, offers severely overweight participants the opportunity to undergo radical physical makeovers and change their lives. Bill's mantra on the show was "To become half the man, so that he could be twice the man", and standing a 5'8", Bill went from weighing in at 334 lbs to 170 lbs, losing a total of 164 lbs or 49.1% of his starting body weight. The twin brother of Jim, who was also cast on the show, Bill is 45 years old, from Lynbrook, New York.
At the age of 40 during a consultation with his physician, Bill, who has been married to wife Stephanie for 19 years and has three children, ages 17, 14 and 11, was informed that he was not only classified as morbidly obese, but had seriously high blood pressure and several health factors including high cholesterol, which put him at risk for heart disease, diabetes, liver disease and a myriad of other diseases and conditions. These diagnoses, along with several other compelling factors such as the recent death of a close family friend and the fact that his father had died young, was motivation enough for Bill to decide to make important and necessary changes in his life, as it pertained to his diet and exercise habits.
At the live finale of the 4th season of show, Bill was declared the winner, and was awarded the first prize of $ 250,000. His brother Jim, who had been eliminated early in the competition, ended up competing as an "at-home" or "eliminated" contestant, and after losing 186 lbs, won first prize for the eliminated contestants, for which he was awarded $100,000.
Now that he has become "Half the Man", Bill strives every day to be "Twice the Man", for himself, in his career and especially for his family, and after having been re-educated about diet and exercise, his goal is to "pay it forward".
Today Bill is a full-time Motivational Speaker and Wellness Ambassador. He performs key note speeches throughout the country and also works promoting products and services in the health and wellness / fitness field. Bill's presentations inspire and motivate others as he delivers his message of how an intense regimen of diet and exercise helped him vastly improve his overall health, extend his life expectancy and ultimately reward him with a second chance at living an active lifestyle.
Bill has been seen by more than a hundred million viewers on such television shows as, Larry King Live; The Joy Behar Show; Dr Oz; Ellen Degeneres; The Today Show; Fox Morning Show; Weekend Today; Fox Business - Neil Cavuto; CNN; Extra TV among others. He is also The National Spokesman and Wellness Ambassador for Quest Diagnostics, American Liver Foundation and Sensible Portions Foods.
He touches upon such factors as motivation, inspiration, dedication, education and perspiration as those which are pertinent in the battle against obesity. Goal-setting, creating a plan and perseverance were all paramount in his endeavor for which he was awarded the first prize and the title "The Biggest Loser". Bill not only won the title and the prizes on the show, he also gained a new insight into better health.
