The Insider.com

They say you can't trust a skinny cook, and while chef Michael Mignano wholeheartedly agrees with the statement, he's on a mission to lose at least 25 percent of his nearly 500-lb frame.

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Although The Biggest Loser has been a pioneer for extreme weight loss on television, Michael and twelve other culinary professionals will participate in the Food Network's Fat Chef, a show which hopes to pioneer a more realistic journey towards shedding the pounds for those who live and breathe their deadly temptation: food.

"I want to be half the size but double the chef," says participant Mignano. "I love to have that mindset. That I can be half the person I was, but just be double the chef and just be creative."

You may recognize Mignano from his stint on the reality competition Sweet Genius, an experience for which he credits his decision to lose the weight.

"All the chefs [were] worried about competing and whether or not they [were[ going to win or not and that wasn't my problem," he reflects. "My problem was, 'Is the uniform going to fit me?' It's funny because everyone has different worries and mine was just ridiculous…I was the fat guy in the room and it really bothered me. After that day I said to myself I have to change. Something has to change."

You can catch Fat Chef when it premieres Thursday, January 26 on Food Network.