It’s been 15 years since Jared Fogle was first featured as Subway’s official “mascot,” and the relationship between the formerly obese Fogle and the sandwich chain has truly been symbiotic. Now with a net worth of about $15 million, Fogle was a 425-pound college student who chose classes based on whether he could fit in the seats when he quit eating meals of greasy burgers and fries, instead opting for six-inch turkey subs with no cheese and foot-long veggie sandwiches, reports the New York Daily News.

“My whole life was about planning ahead to avoid embarrassing situations,” Fogle, told USA Today on the 15th anniversary of his famous Subway diet.

According to the Daily News, the business major from central Indiana avoided social situations for fear of harassment and bullying.

“I knew you were supposed to go on dates and go to parties, but because I was so big, I just took myself out of the equation,” the 6-foot-2 Fogle told the Daily News. “I didn’t want to allow myself to be made fun of.”

Instead, Fogle stayed in his dorm room, scarfing down junk food. He’d eat snacks of two candy bars and meals consisting of McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder cheeseburgers and super-sized fries or four heaping plates of noodles and fried foods at local Chinese buffets. Fogle consistently drank 15 to 20 cans of soda each day.

“The way I approached every meal was that I wanted to be completely full at the end.”

The now-famous Subway diet was Fogle’s own creation. When his sleep apnea worsened to the point he once fell asleep at the wheel, he knew he had to change.

“I didn’t hit anything, but it finally scared me enough,” he told the Daily News.

When Fogle moved off-campus his junior year, he began frequenting the Subway attached to his apartment building. The Subway diet was his own creation.

“The big thing was no mayo, no oil, no cheese,” he said.

After three months, Fogle dropped almost 100 pounds. A year later he was 245 pounds lighter and less than half his original size.

Soon Fogle was featured in a weight-loss article in his college newspaper. Local media caught wind of a photo depicting Fogle and a pair of 60-inch-waist jeans he used to wear.

Then came the life-changing call from Subway. The chain flew Fogle to California to film a commercial and before long he was featured on programs such as Oprah.

The former business major, who at one time thought he might work in advertising or public relations, has never held another job since that first Subway commercial—he’s now been featured in more than 300—and the benefits have been mutual. Subway’s sales increased 20 percent after Fogle’s first commercial. By 2011 sales reached $11.5 billion, compared to just $3 billion in 1998.

Now Fogle splits his time between interviews and speeches, Subway shop appearances and working with his charity, The Jared Foundation, to fight childhood obesity. And he still eats his signature turkey sub two or three times a week. But now he flashes his Subway Black Card, created just for him, and eats for free.

“This brand saved my life,” Fogle told USA Today. “If I hadn’t found Subway, I don’t think I’d be alive.“