‘225’: Louisiana’s big loser

It’s hard to imagine a less auspicious time and place to implement a new diet and fitness plan than south Louisiana during the holidays. But starting with the first turducken and running just past the last slice of king cake, popular food blogger and occasional 225 contributor Jay Ducote did just that. And he documented every step of his culinary and physical journey with friend and filmmaker Tommy Talley. Ducote, already known for his Bite and Booze website, will share his quest to slim down and shape up without drastic changes to the Louisiana lifestyle he loves through a series of web-based video episodes called I’m Not Trying to Be an Underwear Model. The series is set to launch this month with 15 four- to five-minute segments, available on YouTube and easily shareable through social media. “We’re not trying to recreate The Biggest Loser,” says Ducote, even though Talley actually worked behind the camera on seasons one and two of the top-rated reality show. The as-yet-untitled web series is the first time to direct for Talley, who recently returned to Baton Rouge after six years spent working in Los Angeles. The two men started kicking their quest idea around last summer, and the project began in earnest in early December. The pair racked up some 500 hours of footage. “It’s so much easier shooting him than shooting other people,” says Talley. “Jay is so energetic in front of the camera.” Read the full feature by Maury Hawking in this month’s issue of 225 here.