After an Olympic-themed challenge and an intense sixth weigh-in, Melissa Morgan, the 39-year-old attorney from Aspermont, Texas, was automatically sent home after gaining a pound on Tuesday's The Biggest Loser. Melissa spoke to reporters about being accused of game play, her current weight and continuing to support her husband while they are apart.
Many thought you gained weight in the early weeks to play the game. Is that true?Week two and week three were absolutely not game play. It was as real as real can be. I'm just praying that the plus one from Tuesday's episode validates what I've said through the entire season, which was "I'm not playing the game. I'm really struggling with my weight."
You and Jillian had some tension, did you make up or did you just stick with Bob?I really worked out primarily with Bob the rest of the weeks. If Jillian was there to work us out and I was told to work out with Jillian, I absolutely worked out with Jillian. We certainly didn't see eye-to-eye on things. I didn't have the opportunity to speak with Jillian after the weigh-in that resulted in my elimination, so I really don't know what her position is at this point. I would hope that gaining a pound when I didn't have immunity validates for her that I wasn't playing the game.
Was it difficult to transition back home from the Ranch?I struggled a lot when I came home and I think there were a number of factors. For me, I felt like there was a cold bucket of water just thrown over my head. There was no option, there was no deliberation, there was no pleading my case. It was ‘goodbye.' When it was time for me to go and find a gym and find a trainer and start working out, I didn't find anything that was remotely close to being on the Biggest Loser campus. I struggled quite a bit. Fortunately for me, a few weeks out a found a great trainer at a great gym. My trainer Chris has really been my lifesaver since I left campus.
How much do you weigh now?I weigh 175. I'm really focusing on me and getting healthy. The number that I like to qualify more so than the weight itself is my percentage of body fat because I'm gaining muscle, so if I weigh 160 pounds at the finale but my percentage of body fat is at 18 or 20 percent, I'm a winner. The last time I had it checked it was at about 28.
What was the most important lesson you learned from the Olympians?Don't ever give up on what you dream. Whatever your dream may be, don't think that you can't do it because you can. I think that's the one thing I pulled away from them. While I'm never going to be an Olympic athlete, I lived there, I slept there, I ate there, I worked out there. Don't give up on your dreams ever.
How do you continue to support your husband since he is still at the Ranch?I literally write him a letter everyday, and it's nothing more than to say, "Yay, keep going!" or to give him a breakdown of what's going on at home, how I'm doing with workouts ... I'm just trying to keep him motivated and keep his head in the game.
Tell us: Do you believe Melissa when she says she wasn't playing the game? Was Jillian too harsh with her?NBC
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