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'Biggest Loser' winner John Rhode Q&A: 'I want to help everyone I can'

John Rhode was crowned the winner of The Biggest Loser's 12th season on Tuesday night, earning him the $250,000 prize over fellow finalists Antone Davis and Ramon Medeiros. The 41-year-old special education teacher and football coach from Mesa, AZ had lost a total of 220lbs since beginning his journey on the ranch.

John spoke to reporters today about his time at the ranch, what he plans to do with the money, and how he will remain healthy at home:

The Biggest Loser

© NBC Universal

How does it feel to carry the title of Biggest Loser and pay it forward?

"I'm definitely going to pay it forward. I will pay it forward, back, sideways, up, down and around. I want to help everyone within the sound of my voice if they want the help. I feel obligated just from being on the show and given this blessed opportunity that I have been given a brand new life and I want to make the most of it. Whether or not I won I'd feel obligated to share. That's what this show and brand is about - sharing. I've been vulnerable and exposed my issues on TV. I want to tell people it's okay to talk about things, even if it's uncomfortable. It's better to talk about it than suppress those feelings and use food for anything other than it is - food is fuel."

What will you do with the prize money?

"I am going to try and be responsible with the prize money. My wife would like a car - we're not going to get a new car, but we'll get a new to her car - and we'll pay some debt and put some money away for a rainy day. I'm definitely ready to spoil my wife, but responsible spoiling!"

How have you changed on the inside throughout this experience?

"Before I was someone who had just given up and lost hope, I'd completely turned to food instead of dealing with my emotions and my problems. I became someone who was just existing... Now I'm empowered and I can do anything if I really want to do it and I'm willing to sacrifice - I can do anything."

How did Dolvett get through to you on your trust issues and how much of a difference did that make?

"He was willing to share very private and personal things with me about his upbringing, and him being adopted and me being an adoptive father. For me, that was the absolute key moment I had with him, when he was willing to absolutely put it all out there. Until that point I was the one taking all the risks. He showed me in that moment he was willing to take a massive risk and I knew right there that man cared about me and he wanted the best for me. It made it so I could trust him. I tried to explain to him that trust for me isn't something I can turn on and off, when it comes it comes. He was patient and eventually it came and it was there and what's funny is ultimately I found out the person I trusted least was myself, so my trust issues weren't with others, they were with me."

Can you elaborate on what you mean by not trusting yourself?

"It's funny because I never thought of myself as someone with trust issues before I got on the show. I've always trusted my wife and friends and family, but when you get in that pressure cooker situation of being on the ranch and all those endless work outs and all the different things going on, you really get stripped down to your core. If you want to take the opportunity to look within, the opportunity is definitely there. I looked within and I figured out I didn't trust myself and possibly that was because of my food addiction, so many different failures and different aspects and avenues of my life, but I'm learning to trust myself, Yes, I'm going to make mistakes, I'm not perfect, I'll slip up, but I need to be willing to forgive myself, pick myself up, dust myself off, tell myself that today is a brand new day and go get it and go after it all over again."

Bob and Dolvett suggested you were at risk for gaining the weight back. How did you feel about that?

"Here's the thing, first off, yes I am at risk and I'm very frightened about it. I take it very serious, I'm not insulted by them saying that. They need to be honest with me, I need to be honest with myself. Oh my gosh I'm frightened about that but I think my fear and worrying about it… It's not going to ruin me but I need to be aware that's a possibility and it could happen.

"What can I do to prevent it? That's where I'm at right now. Part of my solution is running the LA marathon and after that I will re-evaluate and see what I need to do. I want to take this day by day. I don't think I have the answers to everything. I know I have a lot of answers but I'll never be done learning, especially learning about myself as I grow and mature and become a little more wise about who I am, then my issues might change a little bit and new things might pop up, but if I'm open and honest with myself and realize I have a food addiction and I might put the weight back on, I think that's a more realistic approach than saying, 'I'm at no risk of that, that's nonsense'. I think it's time to be open and honest and I appreciate them with their honesty and speaking from their hearts. That's the emotional component I think will help me keep the weight off, and I love both those gentleman."

Will you take what you learned on the ranch to your students and players?

"Oh absolutely. I've already been working with the head varsity coach and as we speak we're working on putting together an off-season program. I want to talk to the kids at the school and address the whole school, have an open and honest conversation and I'll get those kids where they feel like they have some power. I want to empower them to take control of their destiny. We need to nip this in the bud. It has to start somewhere and it might as well start at the high school."

How will you take what you learned on the ranch and use it moving forward?

"The next part of my plan is preparation. If I'm prepared to have [healthy] foods in my house then I'm prepared. If I find myself ill-prepared I think that's where we fall into the traps of hitting the drive through. Also if I bring junk into the house there's a likelihood I'll eat it. If I don't bring it into the house the likelihood I'll eat it drops dramatically, so preparation is the next part of the plan. You can't run marathons for the rest of your life!"

The Biggest Loser returns for its new season on Tuesday, January 3 at 8/7c on NBC

> Biggest Loser season 12 finale recap: A winner is crowned
> Biggest Loser: No Excuses (and Santa?) - video preview of new season

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