Allen Smith was addicted to food.

At 325 pounds, the Columbus firefighter feared he couldn’t do his job well and would put his fellow firefighters in jeopardy. He couldn’t play with his 11-year-old daughter for more than 15 minutes before tiring. He and his wife also weren’t able to have more children because of his weight.

Smith was borderline diabetic, hypertensive and had high cholesterol, but he couldn’t stick to diets or exercise.

All of that led him to apply in May to be a contestant on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” The 44-year-old was accepted as one of 16 people who started on the show when it began its eighth season Sept. 15.

The taped shows, which air at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on WTHR , lead to the live Dec. 8 finale. One person gets a $250,000 grand prize.

NBC doesn’t allow Smith to say how long he remains a contestant or how much weight he loses while the shows are airing.

“I can definitely say this experience has changed my life in the most positive way,” he said. “I feel I am the firefighter I was 12 years ago. I know I can do my task the way it needs to be done.”

Smith said the workouts the trainers put them through are very hard, but the experience focuses on making lifestyle changes and improving nutrition and exercise habits — not just losing a lot of weight quickly.

“The workouts are no joke,” said Smith, who is also the Bartholomew County coroner. “The thing that was the hardest was to keep going — not walking out of that gym. At no time did I say I had to quit, but there were times when I thought about it.”

When that happened, he said he concentrated on why he was there: To become a better person, husband, father and public servant.

“When you think about those things, it’s like getting a second wind.”