Allison Sweeney on her weight, the Biggest Loser & motherhood

The Biggest Loser host, longtime star of Days of Our Lives, author of an upcoming book, and mom to Ben, 4, and Megan, 1—Alison Sweeney has a breathtaking array of accomplishments. Sweeney sits down with Working Mother magazine this May for a heart-to-heart on balancing home and demanding career; her sunny outlook on life; how she met her husband, California Highway Patrol investigator Dave Sanov; the best surprise on becoming a mom and lessons she’s learned along the way.

On going from struggling with her weight to getting fit and healthy:
“From the time I was 12 I was overweight, and as a teen I definitely struggled with my weight. I tried very extreme diets, like the papaya diet. It was about me feeling insecure and lacking confidence. Overcoming that was a long process. It involved changing my mindset from wanting to be skinny to wanting to be healthy – and that allowed me to reach my goal.”

On The Biggest Loser’s popularity:
“It strikes a chord with people in the country dealing with similar issues. [. . .] The stakes are high. They’re dealing with a health crisis. The journey is emotional. And we’re part of the solution. I enjoy helping them along the way with their trainers and America cheering them on as they open up about themselves. It’s very real.”

On The Biggest Loser’s upcoming season finale:

“Our season finale is amazing. You’ll see some spectacular emotional and physical transformations.”

On concerns that The Biggest Loser’s contestants lose weight too fast:

“I can see where that concern comes from. But the contestants are endangering their own lives at home. We’re providing them with tools to get healthy, with better choices. We’re aware that it’s a slow process. Our trainers are experts. They’re very careful. We do see contestants getting larger, and they’re handling that. We treat the contestants like athletes in terms of wrapping them, making sure they get physical therapy before and after workouts. And they do become athletes.”

On balancing home and career:
“It’s hard to strike that 50-50 mark each day, but if I look at a whole week or month, I feel that overall I get to spend a lot of time with my children. And when I’m with them, I give them my full attention. When I go to work, I give work my full attention and commitment. Everyone has doubts occasionally, but it’s important to know you’re doing the best you can. And if you regret a decision, make a different choice next time.”

On motherhood’s best surprise:
“You can’t comprehend until you’re a mom how much your kids take over your whole world. Every decision I make, I’m always thinking how it will affect my children.”

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