At a svelte 188 pounds, Koli Palu is poised to tackle his next challenge: bringing the message of health to young people.
The 29-year-old Rohnert Park man took on his 403 pounds, and the spotlight, on NBC's hit reality show "The Biggest Loser." He shed 215 pounds — a whopping 53 percent weight loss — and although he was not named The Biggest Loser, he walked away with the "At Home" prize of $100,000 and a new outlook on life.
Palu now plans to take his new confidence and throw his weight toward a degree in nutrition science and pursuing his dream of becoming a college football coach, he said.
"My passion about health will benefit the kids on the field but also off the field," said the former Windsor High School line coach, reached Wednesday on his cell phone from the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park outside of Los Angeles a day after his final appearance on the TV show.
"I want to help keep kids healthy," Palu said.
Palu will begin his crusade to share what he's learned about health at Windsor High School's Saturday graduation ceremony with a speech titled, "How to Play the Game," said Assistant Principal Chris Vetrano.
"He was always restless about his future. He knew he wanted to do something but didn't know what it was," Vetrano said. "This pushed him to the point where he now has the confidence to push for his dreams."
Palu was in his fourth season as an offensive and defensive line coach for the varsity football team when he and his cousin, 24-year-old Sam Poueu, joined the show as the gray team.
They had auditioned on a whim after seeing an advertisement on television late one night, Palu said. He didn't expect to be chosen.
"It was actually harder to leave my football team than my family," Palu said. "I knew my family would be there, but I could never get my season back."
Friends and strangers around Sonoma County gathered to watch Palu and Poueu compete against 10 other teams of two people each.
Family members drove in from Sacramento to watch the show Tuesday at the Doubletree hotel, Sally Tomatoes and other spots around Rohnert Park, said his sister, To?Palu, 28, an English teacher in S? Paulo, Brazil who came home to celebrate Palu's success with family.
People from school followed Palu's progress, spurred on by show fans like Lorraine Souza, an administrative assistant at Windsor High School, who said she's watched every season since it debuted nine seasons ago.
"It makes it more exciting when it's somebody you know," Souza said. "I saw him before he went on the show and I gave him a hug and said, &‘Do us proud.'"
The endurance and leadership skills Palu developed as a coach carried over to the way he rallied people on the show, said Jason Fayter, former football coach.
"He was able to rally the troops," said Fayter, who teaches physical education classes at the school. "Having a football background, you know how to suck it up, work and get something done."
For Palu, the biggest challenge wasn't endurance or diet, but overcoming low confidence that allowed him to gain that much weight in the first place, he said.
"You don't get to 400 pounds because you love food," Palu said. "There are a lot of things that go with it, emotionally and mentally. Once those things were being repaired, the weight melted off."
Though the show was a life-changing experience, Palu said he was relieved to return to normal life and reunite with his family.
Palu spent Wednesday celebrating with a hoard of aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings at their annual trip to the Southern California roller coaster park.
The experience changed their entire family, said his sister, To?Palu.
"I think all together my mom, sister, cousins, aunts, we collectively lost about 300 pounds," To?Palu said.
They discussed Tuesday's show over whole wheat pasta and vegetables. Palu is now, "the skinny one in the family," she said.
"It was awesome to put my arms around him and give him a hug," To?Palu said. "He just looks amazing."
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