Ali Vincent began her weight loss journey on the popular reality TV show, The Biggest Loser, at 234 pounds. By the time she finished as its winner, she was down to 122 pounds – a dramatic loss of nearly 48 per cent of her body weight.
That was eight years ago. In a candid Facebook post, the 41-year-old admitted she’s regained most of the weight she lost.
“I swore I would never be there again, be here again. I couldn’t imagine a day again that I would weigh over 200 pounds. I feel ashamed. I feel embarrassed. I feel overwhelmed. I feel like a failure,” Vincent wrote in a post that’s now making the rounds on the Internet.
“I remember wondering before if I was unhappy because I was heavy or heavy because I was unhappy. I realized it didn’t matter because both were true and I needed to do something about it,” she said.
Dramatic weight loss in this setting isn’t easy to maintain, according to experts.
Nutritionist Leslie Bonci told Today that rapid weight loss during a months-long span can be “pretty shocking to the body.”
Contestants have personal trainers who help them with working out, eating well and mental health support. Once the show wraps up, they’re left to their own devices.
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“You are released out into the world. It is really difficult to make a transition,” Bonci said.
A new study released on Monday documents the slippery slope “Biggest Loser” contestants face to fight regaining the weight. The researchers suggest that it’s their metabolisms – slowed down to a halt – that could be the culprit.
In another example, Season 8 winner, Danny Cahill, lost 239 pounds in only seven months. He slimmed down more than anyone else on the program from 430 pounds to 191.
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But in the following years, he regained more than 100 pounds.
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
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