Is he ‘Biggest Loser?’
has been coaching local sports teams since he was 18 years old. He coached CYO teams at St. Laurence and St. Madeline Parishes and is a CYO football coach and the current director of CYO sports programs at St. Gabriel Parish in Norwood. Married to wife, Deb, for 20 years, the couple has three sons, ages 20, 18 and 15.
“I have always coached youth athletics,” DiBattista explained, “and that left little time for taking care of myself. I love coaching and helping kids so much, that I always put that above myself.”
Because some of his best memories of growing up were his experiences playing on CYO teams at St. Eugene’s Parish, he was thrilled being able to offer that same positive experience to his sons and other local youth. In throwing himself wholeheartedly into coaching and neglecting his own fitness, the active CYO director’s weight crept upward on the scale. The producers of “The Biggest Loser” liked his story of needing to create a goal of taking time to take care of himself.
A press release about the contestant says, “having lost both of his parents much too soon, Jim knows he needs to urgently lose weight and lead a healthier life in order to continue inspiring his family and his team for years to come. Jim decided to go on “The Biggest Loser” in order to prove to himself, his family, and his team that he’s willing and able to tackle his weight and fight for a healthier future.”
The 2020 season of “The Biggest Loser” is a reboot of the show that first ran on NBC from 20042016. When the reboot moved to USA Network for its premiere this year, the show’s format was overhauled for today’s audiences by taking a more holistic look at the total wellness and lifestyle changes for contestants.
According to DiBattista, his journey began last July, when his wife sent him the link about the reboot show looking for contestants. The couple had been fans of the original show, which they had watched on and off, for about five or more years.
“My wife Deb is a rock star in my book,” DiBattista said with sincerity. “She has been with me through every step of this weightloss journey. There is no ‘I’ in team – none of this would have been possible without my wife.”
DiBattista filled out the application with the help of his wife, took a few photos, and explained his story about never taking time to take care of himself.
The West Coast casting producers of the show liked what they heard and contacted him to meet at a hotel in Philadelphia for a preliminary audition for the show.
After several more video auditions, DiBattista was accepted as a contestant.
“I checked with my wife and kids to be doubly sure that they wouldn’t care if I went on the show, because I didn’t want any of them to feel weird when I had to take my shirt off on national TV,” DiBattista said, chuckling.
In the inaugural episode, DiBattista officially weighed in at 385 pounds. At the time, he was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure and Sleep Apnea. By the time he was named one of the elite final three losers on the show, the Delaware County resident had shed 105 pounds and no longer had any of the medical
conditions that plagued him last summer, when he began his wellness journey.
“During my months on the show, I changed my entire lifestyle,” DiBattista shared. “I had to change my old relationship with food. I also surrendered to the idea that I will likely always need support from others, from time to time, and exercise must be a part of my life.”
DiBattista praised Erica Lugo, the trainer who encouraged and helped him in his weight-loss journey on the show, teaching him how to navigate the show’s fitness challenges. Lugo runs EricaFitLove,
an online personaltraining business.
“Personally, I think she’s the greatest weight loss trainer in the world,” DiBattista remarked. “She was just perfect for what I needed.”
DiBattista, who said he “tried every diet, but failed,” before going on the show, stated that he took advantage of every opportunity the show offered. He was guided by the trainer, joined the support group, and ate recommended healthy food.
The local resident left his job and family on Aug. 13 to film the show for nine weeks, or 10 if the audition is counted. The show was filmed in the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He returned to his family in Delco on Nov. 4.
To film the final episode, he went back to “The Biggest Loser” campus in Santa Fe on Dec. 13. The show paid expenses for the final three contestants’ families to join them on this final leg of the filming.
When the show airs on Tuesday, the top winner, the one out of the three that lost the most weight during the show’s season, will not only receive the $100,000 cash prize, but they will also receive a trip to Universal Studios in Florida and a home gym. All 12 of the show contestants will receive a oneyear membership at Planet Fitness, the national gym partner of this season of “The Biggest Loser,” access to a nutritionist and support groups in the community and on the show.
“I have taken advantage of every one of these opportunities,” the now-fit DiBattista said.
“I am praying that there will be a Season Two of The Biggest Loser,” the contestant remarked. “I would 100% recommend this show to everyone. I am their biggest cheerleader and I wholeheartedly believe in what they do. They get people healthier. My whole family is healthier because of them.”
DiBattista said he made “lifelong friends” with the other 11 contestants from across the country, because they were all in the journey together.
“When you go through something like this together, it’s emotional,” he said. “It bonds you.”
Because of the current COVID-19 quarantining situation, the DiBattista family will not be holding a large viewing party to watch the final episode.
“Our watch party will likely have about five people, sitting six feet apart, of course,” DiBattista shared.
“Whether I won the money or not, I already won, getting rid of my health issues,” the upbeat contestant said, with excitement in his voice. “I finally learned that I need to take time for myself in order to be a better, healthier person for myself and for everyone else.”