A little about me

I’ve always been drawn to comeback stories, maybe because my own life has been a series of them. At 68, each one has shaped who I’ve become. But one of them didn’t just change my life—it gave me my life’s work.

When my daughter and I were chosen from over 250,000 applicants for Season 11 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, it wasn’t my first comeback—but it became the one that gave every comeback before it a reason. I made it to the Final 4, earning the nickname Alison Sweeney gave me at the finale: The Comeback Kid.

But what happened next mattered even more.
Those eight months didn’t just change my body—they changed my purpose. I discovered that true transformation isn’t about the number on the scale. It’s about what that number can give back to your life when you finally learn what it means.

Since then, I’ve devoted myself to helping others do the same—to lose the weight and gain their world.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve:

  • Delivered a TEDx Talk and written Smartphone Fit about the power of visual journaling

  • Led more than 10,000 one-on-one body composition consultations with people aged 18–96

  • Served for six years as VaynerMedia’s Well-Being Ambassador, where monthly check-ins became a ritual of curiosity and excitement across NYC, LA, and internationally

  • Launched podcasts and YouTube channels reaching tens of thousands with one message: progress, not perfection

For me, health is a boarding pass.
It’s what lets me fit in a plane seat, climb a hill, hike a trail, taste new foods, and explore the world with energy and freedom.

That’s why I write every week—to help you do the same.
To lose the weight.
To gain your world.
And to stay the course.

You can count on me to show up with 110% in everything I share—always guided by a single tenet… “What you’re for strengthens you.”

 

Me, July 1962 — smiling into life, already carrying the spark of a comeback spirit. Decades later, I’d discover the real win wasn’t just losing the weight… it was gaining the world.

OFFICIAL BIO

Jay Jacobs is a sought-after keynote speaker, thought leader, author, and guide helping people and organizations unlock their personal potential, well-being, and purpose.

A lifelong strategist and storyteller, Jay spent decades succeeding in business while struggling with weight — until a life-changing opportunity transformed everything. Selected with his daughter Jennifer from more than 250,000 applicants for NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Jay made it to the Final 4 and earned the nickname “The Comeback Kid.”

That experience became the turning point that redefined his life’s mission. Jay realized the real win wasn’t just losing the weight — it was gaining the world.

Since then, Jay has led more than 10,000 one-on-one body composition consultations, delivered a TEDx talk and authored Smartphone Fit, and become a trusted Well-Being Ambassador for VaynerMedia, where his ongoing work inspires curiosity and transformation from New York to Los Angeles and beyond.

As a member of Faith Popcorn’s Brain Reserve and Managing Partner at Forrest Media, Jay continues to bridge the worlds of human potential and strategic storytelling, guiding brands and individuals toward alignment, authenticity, and sustainable success.

His thought leadership has appeared in TIME Magazine, The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Today, Good Morning America, and Fox & Friends. He has collaborated with leading brands including Cigna, Cargill, Kraft, Starbucks, Chobani, NBC, Asics, InBody, and Biggest Loser Resorts.

When he’s not writing or hosting his Lose the Weight… Gain the World podcast, Jay can be found motivating clients through one-on-one navigations or enjoying the California coast with his wife, Kim.

Jay and his family reside in Southern California.