Bloomingdale man wins 'Biggest Loser'
Nine years after the death of his father, Toma Dobrosavljevic said he finally felt he kept a promise to his dad by losing weight and winning the title of “The Biggest Loser” on the NBC weight loss competition show on Thursday.
Dobrosavljevic lost 171 pounds from his starting weight of 336 pounds for a final scale reading of 165 pounds as the confetti fell during the live finale in Los Angeles on Thursday. Dobrosavljevic will also take home a $250,000 prize.
“I feel like I've let a lot of people down. More importantly, I feel like I've let my dad down,” Dobrosavljevic said during the show. “But now, I've kept my promise to my dad. It's been nine years since he passed, and I can finally say 'Mission Accomplished.'”
Dobrosavljevic's new look was kept under wraps until the very end of the show, but when he did come out on stage he was greeted by the crowd chanting his name and several people holding signs that read “Chicago loves Toma” and wearing #TeamToma shirts.
Host Alison Sweeney said he looked more like Andy Garcia than his starting picture from the beginning of the show.
Dobrosavljevic, 33, grew up in Addison, the son of Serbian immigrant parents, and was an athlete at Addison Trail High School. He's now a senior project manager for a technology company.
Friends describe Dobrosavljevic as “the nicest guy,” saying he's the first person to help out and always supportive of others. He started packing on pounds after the death of his father, who he said was his best friend. He didn't show his grief around his friends, but a lot of it came out during the taping of the show. He revealed his motivation to go on “The Biggest Loser” was to keep a promise he made to his dad to lose weight.
Before coming on the show, Dobrosavljevic said he had given up on himself.
“I didn't dream anymore. I didn't believe in myself. I had a really hard time seeing my future,” he said. “Now I can dream. The world is mine. There isn't anything I can't do.”
Before the finale aired, Dobrosavljevic posted on Facebook: “So overwhelmed with emotion right now, but the one that stands out the most is thankful. I am so thankful to have the people in my life that I do. I have the best girlfriend, family, friends, and fans anyone can ask for. I am truly blessed to have all of you in my life and thank you for continuing to motivate me to be my best.”
Dobrosavljevic is now the fourth suburban contestant to win “The Biggest Loser” in the show's 16 seasons.
Past local winners of “The Biggest Loser” were Bartlett's Michael Ventrella, Wheeling's Danni Allen, and Wheaton's Jerry and Estella Hayes, who won the at-home prize. Over the years, nearly a dozen more suburban residents have been contestants, and this season, one of the trainers was Lisle native Jen Widerstrom.