By Willo Keays

Our "Where Are They Now" Summer Series continues with our favorite past contestants from NBC's hit reality show "The Biggest Loser". The premise of this series is simple ... asking the same set of questions to all participants ... getting honest answers in return.

Eliminated in Week 5 of Season three, Amy Hildreth was the last woman standing on the Blue Team. Her departure was a complete surprise to Amy. BUT � Amy went home, worked out and continued to lose weight, shocking everyone at the finale! From her Biggest Loser Bio: "Beautiful, blonde, successful, single, and smart, Amy is on a path to conquer it all!" And she has � finding a happy balance that enables her to live life to the fullest.


Amy Hildreth

Since leaving the show have you gained weight?

Have you found it relatively difficult to maintain?
Wow � the first question is really going for the jugular, isn't it? J YES, I have gained weight since the finale. Today my weight is 180 pounds, which is about 5-10 pounds above my liveable goal weight of 170-175 pounds on my 5'10" frame. This weight gain happened almost immediately after the finale, once I indulged a little during the holidays and returned to my fully hydrated self. For me, it has honestly been harder than I thought it would be to keep the weight off. I thought that if I worked out every day and still counted my calories most days, that weekend indulgences would not affect me that much. Boy was I wrong! The truth is that in order to maintain my weight where I want it to be, I have to do just what I did to LOSE the weight in the first place. This means strict on the calories, and an intense 1-2 hours a day of cardio plus weight training 3x a week, and a mentality of discipline at all times. Cheat meals are exactly that�just one meal and then back on the wagon. What got me into trouble before was that I would turn one cheat meal into a cheat 3-4 days.

What sort of training plan are you following now?

Have you seen results?
I do 1-2 hours of intense cardio (running, spin class, kickboxing class, swimming) everyday with a floating day off a week to give my body a rest. I use my heart rate monitor to determine what is "intense." If my heart rate is in the 160-180 range, than I know I am working hard.

One area that I want to focus more on is weight training. In preparation for the finale, I lifted 3x a week until the last 6 weeks were I upped it to 5x a week. Since the finale, I get my lifting in where I can but it hasn't been as much of a focus�and I can definitely tell!

What target/goals have you set for yourself?

Right now, I am focused on losing 10 pounds and getting more toned to prepare myself for an upcoming vacation to the beach in mid June. This is the first time I'll be on a beach since losing my weight, and I want to be 100% comfortable!

Can you tell me a little about your experiences on the ranch?

Best times?
Worst times?
What's the ONE moment you'll never forget?
best times- My best memories involve all the long hikes we would take in the hills surrounding the ranch and the meaningful conversations we would get into. It was probably the most introspective time of my life where I had a chance to stop and think about the person I was and more importantly, the person I wanted to be. My weight loss journey was not just physical, but emotional and spiritual as well.

worst times- Day One was brutal. Bob intentionally took us through hell and back that day to prove how absolutely out of shape we were. It was a day I will never ever forget! Also, getting voted off the ranch was heartbreaking. I wanted to be there SO badly, and saw myself as a strong competitor who deserved to be there longer. I got caught by surprise that the guys decided to change their vote from Marty to me right before the elimination. Now in retrospect, I know it doesn't really matter when I left the ranch�the experience taught me so much and I met my goals in the end!

Never forget- One funny memory I will always think about with a smile is the first week we were there, all 14 of us piled into the ranch's hot tub together one night (remember: this is week ONE and we were in our FULL glory of chunkiness) and we talked about what our typical order was at McDonald's. Totally hilarious.

What type of support have you had in regards to dealing with the mental obstacles that come with obesity?

Do you feel overcoming these mental blocks have helped in maintaining your current health?
I do think it is important to face the reasons why one lets themselves get so far away from the person they want to be, which is exactly what I did when I got to 260 pounds. I had to claim responsibility for myself and face all the self doubt and fear that comes with making a life change before I could move forward. I encourage people that I work with now to write themselves a letter getting in touch with their motivations for losing weight. Taking that letter out often and staying focused on the ways their life will improve once they lose the weight helps with overcoming the inevitable mental blocks along the way.

Do you feel better equipped to handle weight loss and maintenance after being on the show .. or do you feel the same?

I definitely feel better equipped now! There are so many different opinions out there about weight loss that I found myself pretty confused on the whole subject before the show. I have learned to separate truths from myths now and I know from experience the simplicity of what works: moving more and eating less.

How was the transition from "Reality TV Star" to "Real Life"

This question is an interesting one because I for one never felt like a "Reality TV Star." That is one thing I don't think people understand unless you have been through it but life goes on just like it did before the show. I only occasionally got recognized during or after the show. The true takeaway from my experience wasn't the fame or the attention, but simply the weight loss and life change.

Were you able to incorporate what you learned at the ranch into your everyday routine?

100%!

What's the BIG lesson you learned from your experience with The Biggest Loser?

Two things: 1. My body is capable of so much more than I ever thought it was. 2. You have to eat to lose weight. Hunger is bad, think "Food is Fuel!"

What are you doing now? Work? Home? Life in General?

Well, to confirm all those internet rumors (ahem...Willo) YES Marty and I have found love and are now together. We live in Omaha, Nebraska now (where we are both from) and have our own personal training and motivational speaking company, The Loser Lifestyle. We provide support and direction to specifically overweight clients that are ready to make a change in their lives. If you do not live in the Omaha area but would still like to work with us, we are going to have an online personal training club coming soon to our website.

What's your routine like now?

Exercise
Healthy Eating - do you eat out or cook at home?
Marty is an excellent cook and we have fun figuring out new ways to eat healthy at home. It is so much easier to count the calories in a meal when you know what goes into making it. We go out to eat though on special days of indulgence. We are big sushi fans!

Have you found a healthy - happy balance between maintaining a healthy lifestyle with your family life and maintaining your careers?

In many ways I have built my life around that healthy and happy balance. Marty and I work out together and support each other fully when it comes to our new healthy life. It helps that we met at rock bottom, and have seen each other through all the ups and downs along the way. I also need to stay fit in order to set a good example for my clients. I have simply made being healthy a priority in my life.

I am very grateful for the experience I have had to get my life in order and learn what it means to live a healthy lifestyle.The past year has been humbling in many respects and I just want to thank those people that have helped me along the way.

Marty and Amy are currently working on a redesign of their web site - theloserlifestyle.com - which will have details on their new Personal Training program and details on how they are each doing.

Find more Biggest Loser and Fat March news at Willo's Web!

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