Ali Vincent Says Believe It, Be It

Ali Vincent, the first female winner of "The Biggest Loser" has been baring her sleek arms everywhere since sweeping Season 5. Now she's baring her soul in a new book, Believe It, Be It, which hits bookshelves tomorrow. This is not a step-by-step diet book. Rather, it's a revealing memoir of her life leading up to that 234-pound initial weigh-in, followed by intimate insights on how she lost 112 pounds during her on-off-back-on-again time at the ranch. Whether you're a fan of the show, looking to lose major weight or a combination of both, Vincent's warm heart and smarts will motivate you.

That's Fit recently had a chance to speak with Ali about weight loss maintenance, Biggest Loser profanity and her future plans.

That's Fit: Some Biggest Loser contestants gain significant weight back, others don't. Does Biggest Loser provide any post-show support or are you primarily on your own?

Ali Vincent: Honestly, your season is over and they have to go onto the next season. I had to figure it out on my own. I got a counselor, I had to wean myself out of working out all the time. I didn't want to trade one addiction for another. I communicated that I would have appreciated [more support at home], so they've listened and now they definitely do have more support. Yes, people do gain weight after the show, but if you look at the statistics and compare it to the numbers of any other program out there, our numbers are significantly lower for the people that relapse.

AV: I think the hardest part ... is really communication with your friends and family. Every Friday I might go to my mom's house and have a big 'ole dinner. Anytime I was sad we went and ate Mexican food. It wasn't conscious, it was a habit. So really just being clear with your relationships, people at work, communicating to everyone you interact with that "Hey, this is what I'm going for and I would really appreciate it if you could support me in this way." If they can't, then you need to change your circumstance, change your environment.

AV: It is TV, so obviously you're not supposed to cuss. You have to be conscious of the audience. I think Bob and Jillian are pushed to that point where contestants aren't listening. It is what it is, but I don't think you necessarily need to put it on TV.

Bob hardly ever [curses]. Jillian, she's got a little potty mouth. That's not their only way, they go wherever they need to go with each type of contestant. They're genius at what they do, and they're willing to go anywhere it takes to get that contestant past that line, past that moment, through that experience.

AV: Well I can honestly say that I don't admire one contestant over another, mostly because I feel like the mom of Biggest Loser, since I was the first female to win. I can't choose someone more inspiring than another, because everybody has their story, everybody has their battles. Like Dina hopping on that block, she can do it. People are anti-Tracey, but you can't judge unless you're there. Sure, she made some choices that maybe you wouldn't have made, but at the same time, think of her. Here she is on the Biggest Loser campus, then she was in the hospital, then she wasn't able to workout. She's scared. And Abby. I look at her and am inspired that she wakes up every day. Period. I'm inspired by everybody's stories, because you know what? They're changing their story.

AV: I've got it on my arm right now. Yeah I do, I love it, love it, love it. People are like, "Do you still have to wear that?" I don't have to wear the bodybugg, but for me, it's the best tool I've found to track the calories I've burned every day. For me it's liberating. As long as I burned it, I can eat it. Now I'll stay on about 2,000 calories and I'll just make sure I burn 2,000 calories. It was hard for me to do before, but now I have an active lifestyle. I never go more than three days. On that third day, if I haven't done a workout, then I go.

When we first went to the ranch, my calories [in] were 1,200, but they didn't use the bodybugg [for the burn] like they do it now. On Biggest Loser we had one day of rest with higher calories, so I added 800 calories on my rest day for a 2,000 calorie day. [After being voted off the show] I stayed on a 1,200 calorie budget and I had to burn 3,750 a day to get me in a 50 percent [weight] loss range at the finale. When I returned to the ranch, Jillian asks me, "What in the hell are you doing?" I told her, "I go to bed when my bodybugg tells me to go." I relied on a mathematical equation. When you win the Biggest Loser, you live and die by the bodybugg. There's other tools out there, the bodybugg was the tool that I was given and that I use.

AV: Right now, the foundation is something that I'm going to start. I have goals and have a game plan. When I'm long and gone I want my Believe It, Be It foundation [to continue on] for generations to come. I have to figure out how to actually get it going. Right now, people want to continue to hear my story and I had the opportunity to write the book, but right now I'm doing the leg work to get enough name recognition and face recognition. With the foundation I really want to teach kids, go into schools, change curriculum.

For my work, I travel around and I speak, I'm a spokesperson for Designer Whey, and I do fitness modeling for some of our books, I've done DVDs, and I'm working on creating an athletic clothing line. A percentage of every garment sold will go to the foundation.

AV: Right now I'm doing triathlons and half marathons. I just joined a masters swim team, too.

AV: A, you gotta tell the truth of what you are. I didn't even know I weighed 234 lbs. You have to know where point A is before you can get to point B. Then think about what point B looks like. How much weight do you want to lose? Get clear on what your goal is going to be, then break it down in between. Start journaling everything that you do throughout the day. Go online, get support groups, get a trainer or a friend. If you want to be healthy, find the healthiest person you know and start hanging around them. Start watching them. You have to take action.

Considering a bodybugg for your holiday wish list? Here's the science behind the device.