Biggest Loser winner Ali wins us over (got that?)

First things first: Due to increasingly high reader demand, I will attempt to secure a phone of the Swiffer Mop Boa over the weekend. Do not, however, expect to see the contents of my whore-y bag o' clothes. Some things are meant to be kept private. And by "private" I mean "I wore them while dancing on a six-foot-tall block in front of 1000 strangers, but that's it."

Next...remember back in April when I got to interview Ali Vincent, the first woman to demolish the male competition win Biggest Loser? Well, I know at least 72 of you remember, because y'all left comments. Quickie reminder: Ali is 32 and started the show at 234 pounds. By the end, she was clocking in at 122 pounds (shedding 48% of her body weight). So she lost a Nicole Richie, basically.

Today, she's the spokeswoman for 24 Hour Fitness (surely you've seen the commercials?!) and talking with her is still like sharing Sugar Babies with a fuzzy pink unicorn while lying on a cloud. IE Fun. Her energy is infectious, she drinks milk, she giggles (just like Jillian! Which makes sense since she was her trainer) and she wants you to know, "It's OK to accept your greatness." Go girl!

What are some of your biggest takeaway lessons from Biggest Loser?

"I learned from Jillian that we make a choice every day. What she brought to my life is taking responsibility and owning my greatness. Like, why not me? I remember a few of us sitting on the gym floor and Jillian was asking us, 'Why don't you deserve to lose weight? Why don't you deserve to have better relationships?' It was an eye-opener. I felt like (before), if I voiced what I wanted, it was selfish. It's not. It's OK to accept your greatness. If you're gonna dream, dream big. You don't want a relationship that's OK - you want one that's loving and amazing. Jill put everything into us. 100%. She is a great example of fulfilling your destiny. Also, she'll order dessert and take one bite and then pour the salt shaker over it. She's about living consciously. If you make one choice that's not the best, you'll have another moment to make a better choice. Quit beating yourself up over it."

Besides the Body Bugg (which she loves - Jillian was just eh about it), what other changes have you kept up from the show?

"Everything! I eat within a half-hour of waking up and eat every three to four hours throughout the day. I track my calories - I keep a notebook in my purse and write things down. I have a Calorie King in my purse. I always have snacks so if my day gets away from me and I'm hungry, I'm prepared. I don't NOT eat anything - there are no 'cheat' foods. I just budget it. I found if I tried to cut out anything, it became bigger than it was. My motto is: 'If I can't taste it, I don't waste it.' Like, if I can't taste the cheese in a sandwich, I don't need it. And I load load load up on veggies. I love to eat - I love to bite into a sandwich I can barely get my mouth around. So I load up with sprouts and cucumbers or bell peppers. Really, I live consciously."

About that whole national spokeswoman thingamajig...

"Are you kidding me? I went from Biggest Loser to being a spokesperson for a gym! I love it! It's such an honor. I've always worked out there, but I would have one hour with a trainer and if I was in a fourth rep of something and didn't wanna do it, I'd breathe harder so she'd think I was working hard. But that would be it - no additional cardio - and then I'd go to the spa downstairs for a facial or massage. Now, they came to me and asked if I'd like to do this. I got to do a commercial! I walk into the club and I'm all over the place - it's so funny. It's all about encouraging health and wellness. I go the gym so I can do these 5Ks and I'm doing a triathlon and I love to ride my bike all the time. I think we should be doing more stuff outside. I'm an everyday athlete and just a normal person - the first time I ran a mile, I thought I was going to die. But now, it's so good to be outside, so good to breathe in and go for a run. It's so precious to be able to get up and go. That's something I want to be a part of. 24 Hour Fitness gave me an opportunity to touch more people."

Anything special to say to Weighting Game readers?"It IS possible - whether it's a weight loss goal or a relationship goal or a career goal. Do something different to move you towards that goal. I could never have done what I did if I thought about losing 100 pounds. I started out doing one minute on a treadmill. Be willing to do something different. Why not? Why don't you deserve to have everything you want? Don't settle. we all deserve it.

I'm alive. I feel like I wasted 10 years of my life hiding. I can't help myself now, and I don't even want to. It feels so good to be running outside and listening to the wind blow. it even feels good to be sore because I can FEEL my body. It feels good to honor myself again. Never again will I put myself last."

Catch Ali at her Biggest Loser blog, or her home page.

And have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Comments

I'm a little late on this, but your last post was amazing. I read it twice...it was that good. I don't get the channel biggest loser is on, le sigh. Stupid dish network.

What an inspiring interview!

And I loved the idea that to lose a 100 pounds, you're better off focusing on that first minute on the treadmill than your ultimate goal. Small steps add up!

THIS is what the Biggest Loser is supposed to be about. People making changes that help them to find themselves, or the part of themselves they've lost, hidden, or denied for so long. People finding lives again and learning to love themselves. And I love that she feels this way not because she is smaller, but because she is ABLE TO DO MORE. That's what it's been about for me, and I (perhaps very egotistically) think that's a much healthier way to look at it than "Oh, now I'm thin, I'm worth more." This acknowledges that she was worth it all along, she just didn't realize it. Learning what she's capable of has made her see it.

Love it. Just love it.

V.

Wow . . . I would love to just hang out with Ali for a day and experience a "day in the life"! She has such a motivating voice!

Great interview!

I LOVE Ali! She totally rocks.

Aw, she's so inspiring! Seems like such a nice person. And that's such a cute photo.

I love the "can't taste it, don't waste it"!

She's great! I love that she records everything she eats and she doesn't deprive herself of her favorite foods. Way to go!!

http://www.nutricise4u.blogspot.com/

Lately I've been feeling like "Yes, that can be me!" in all sorts of areas of my life, not limited only to fitness and weight loss, and reading stories like this just further inspires me. Thank you to Ali for saying it and Leslie for writing about it!

So, fulfilling your destiny means pouring salt over your dessert? I think that's just crazy.

Very cool interview, Leslie. Ali is an inspiration.

"Also, she'll order dessert and take one bite and then pour the salt shaker over it. She's about living consciously."

That's not living consciously. That's being self-centered and wasteful. You'd be more of a pig if you did that than if you actually ate it the thing.

In spite of all the hoopla about OMGobesity, there are people in this world (that includes the United States) that are still starving, you know? To me, that's just disgusting.

to panda-- Yes people are starving, but how would Jillian be helping them if she ate the whole piece of cake?

shes so adorable. i just want to put her in my pocket. i wouldnt have to shrink her, shes such a little pixie.

Kelly Turner
www.groundedfitness.com

I love Ali's interview. She sounds so happy and lively!

But I have to chime in on the "pouring salt" comment. Like sara pointed out, Jillian's extra cake wouldn't go to feed the hungry. But I agree with Panda that it is wasteful. The biggest problem I have with "food destroying" (a very common anorexic tactic) is that it displays inherent distrust of your body. It makes it so that you treat your body as if it were something to be conquered, subdued, or shamed rather than what it is - your ultimate partner in your health and well-being. If all Jillian really wants is one bite of cake, then why not instruct her server to only bring her one bite of cake? (Oh, they'll do it! Esp. if she's still paying full price for it.) Or why doesn't she split the piece with the whole table? Everyone gets a bite. Instead she perpetuates a method of disordered eating. What's next - eating food out of the garbage? Spraying food with cleaners? Punching yourself in the stomach to quell hunger pangs?

*end rant*

Order desert and take one bite? Whats the point? If you want it, order it, eat it then get your hiney on the treadmill and pay the piper. That's why I love Weight Watchers, I can still eat my desert and loose weight without pouring salt all over my food. Ali is super cute though! :0)

hooray for Ali! I love her enthusiasm!

I don't like the "diet" mentality that the salt-on-the-cake-method promotes. If you truly want a treat, eat your cake. If you feel you really don't need it, just don't order it. I used to do Weight Watchers online and I read on the message boards there that people would do very similar things... ruin the food so as not to be tempted. I still have weight to lose but I have stopped doing Weight Watchers because although it is supposed to be a "lifestyle change," the diet mentality remains--and I don't want my lifestyle to include counting points for everything I put in my mouth ever again. I am now trying the everything in moderation approach, in combination with actually moving my lazy ass and going to the gym. It seems to be working so far. :)

Alli is my favourite Biggest Loser. Not just because she was the first woman biggest loser too, but because she just seemed awesome, fit and strong. I think she did amazing on the show, and I love that she had a goal and even with some obstacles (like getting booted off) she still acheived exactly what she said she was going to do.

yay for alli!

Love Alli's attitude - in order to take what you want you first have to acknowledge that you deserve it.

Not going to bang on about the salt issue having read all the old comments, but been there, done that, got the therapy bills to prove it. I'm sure Jillian can do what she likes on her own time, but she's a respected public figure and should think twice about endorsing what is arguably disorderded behaviour (I certainly believe it to be).

TA x

I'm glad she's keeping up her weight loss with hard work and a good attitude.

I can't stand you; youre still a fat person in a skinny persons skin.

What an awesome interview! Thank you so much for posting, and thank you to Ali for being such an inspiration.

I find this interview with no explication of the content offensive. I began reading your blog because it was linked from the-f-word.org, a fantastic fat acceptance site that claimed it was linking eating disorder-positive blogs. I understand the "point" behind The Biggest Loser, but where is your commentary on the realities for many of the winners behind that show? Pissing blood and not eating for weeks before the finale? Gaining 40 pounds back after the show in water weight? I think there are important testimonials excluded from the bigger picture that might help clue your readers into how full of shit that show is.

In addition to that, this interview perpetuates the notion that losing weight (or "allowing" yourself to lose weight) is a gift to your body. That's not even true, even for "fat" people who by conventional standards need to "lose weight." You/TBL think people "keep themselves fat" because they're punishing themselves? Why don't you consider fat people who celebrate who (and what) they are?

I really don't understand why everyone is getting so incredibly upset about pouring salt over the dessert. I'm sure Jillian doesn't do that every time; just to make a point, a symbol of the determination it takes to stay healthy and to eat food as fuel and as nothing else. Ali is such an inspiration for anyone loosing weight, she became a true athlete, worked unimaginably hard, and received results; that's what I'm talking about :)! Yo-yo dieting, starvation, vomiting food, all are very pointless and destructive; it brings people depression, unhealthy eating habits, and zero results for weightloss, what's then point in that. Anyway, I really do appreciate Alli for her constant hardwork, she never whined on the show, and beat all the male contestants :)! She's a true spokesperson for, if you put your mind, body, and soul to something, you can achieve your goals. If it were so easy to lose weight, than everyone would be thin. Oh, and by the way, GIRL POWER!

Ali,You are our hero. Once I saw that you got back on the show,I cheered. Ypu should be very proud,you look great. I'm not even your mom and I am proud of you.You will inspire overweight young girls everywhere. Luv Ya....