Ali Vincent, the winner of The Biggest Loser's fifth season, has confessed to gaining 70 pounds in the last year -- taking her past her original weight when she began her journey on the NBC reality weight-loss competition.

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Vincent, 41, was the first woman to ever win The Biggest Loser when she lost 112 pounds while competing on the show in 2008. At the time of her finale weigh-in, she only weighed 122 pounds.

"When I first went on the show I weighed 234.7, and now I'm, like, 234.8 [pounds]," the 5-foot-5 hair stylist told Us Weekly.

"People recognize me but... they never even put it together that I was the girl that won The Biggest Loser. When I tell them how they know me, they look me up and down with this confused look on their face. It makes me not want to leave the house."

April 15 marked Vincent's eight-year anniversary of her The Biggest Loser victory. Throughout that long period of time, she experienced major "ups and downs," as well as "successes and losses."

"I have experienced ultimate highs that I could have never dreamed of as well as nightmares I wouldn't wish on an enemy. Quite frankly some of them have gotten the better of me and I have struggled. When I struggle I shut down, I feel alone, I push people away, I hide, I sleep all day, I eat, I try to feel satisfied and comforted but do nothing to allow true satisfaction or comfort," Vincent wrote in a Facebook post.

Vincent told Us she "openly struggled with depression," and the trouble began when she relocated to California's Bay Area in 2015 with her firefighter wife Jennifer Krusing. When Krusing was away for work up to three days at a time, Vincent felt she had no one to "check in with," so she'd stay in bed and only get up to eat food -- which she'd order online and get delivered -- or go to the bathroom. 

"On April 16th I did one of the hardest things in my life I joined Weight Watchers and weighed in close to the weight I started at on The Biggest Loser. 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 failure," she wrote on Facebook.

"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. When I realized this something just clicked and I did do something about it."

Vincent still has trouble understanding why she fell apart, but all that matters is that she's willing to do something about it.

"It's different now though. I'm not unhappy with my life, there are ALOT of GREAT things in my life. I FINALLY have a loving relationship that I trust in wholeheartedly. I have friends throughout the country. I have work that inspires me. I'm hopefully finally going to be pregnant. So I've been struggling with why I can't or haven't rather pulled it together and I know it's shame," she said.

"I've decided to feel proud of myself again! To hell with shame! I've been so afraid and worried of public shame and ridicule that I've created more pain for myself than anyone else can but not anymore."

Vincent told Us that she needs the accountability of having weekly weigh-ins again, and her first meeting with Weight Watchers was apparently cathartic because she "started bawling" when they asked her to open up about her life.

"I know there is going to be a lot of faking it until I make it on the proud front, but I'm starting with taking action!" Vincent wrote on social media, asking fans to join herself and her wife on this new weight-loss journey.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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