In 2008, Ali Vincent became the first woman to win "The Biggest Loser." It took a lot of sweat, hard work and tears, but the end result paid off: Ali went from 234 pounds down to 122 pounds.
Smiling and svelte, Ali appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" six months after winning "The Biggest Loser" that year. She was 125 pounds at the time -- just three pounds over her finale weight -- but admitted that she struggled keeping the weight off after the show.
"The truth is, I kind of spiraled," Ali said back then. "I got home and I was like, 'What do I do? What do I do without the ranch?' I went out, I partied with my friends... I woke up and I was just like, 'This isn't me. I don't want this life anymore.'"
So, Ali got back on track. Now, however, things have changed once again.
Around the eight-year anniversary of winning "The Biggest Loser," Ali revealed in a Facebook post that she has since gained back much of the weight she lost.
Being so honest and vulnerable was terrifying, Ali tells "Oprah: Where Are They Now -- Extra" in the above clip. She debated for hours whether or not she should open up publicly like that.
"All day, I just thought about it and I didn't post. I was depressed and I was embarrassed and I was sad," Ali says. "I was hiding."
“If I keep going in the direction I'm going, I don't know if I'll ever come back.”
The day of her anniversary for winning "The Biggest Loser," therefore, wasn't a day of celebration for Ali.
"I just didn't get out of bed all day," she says. "I was just ashamed. I was embarrassed... It was a low point. It was probably my lowest point."
Ali knew she was in a precarious situation with her health and weight. "If I keep going in the direction I'm going, I don't know if I'll ever come back," she says. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to have this strength to do something different."
It was especially difficult to acknowledge, as Ali felt that her strength was something she had become known for.
"I was the first female to win 'The Biggest Loser.' I'm Ali Vincent. I'm supposed to be strong. I'm supposed to know how to do this," she says. "I do know how to do it. I do know what I need to do... So, I was just beating myself up."
While revealing her truth in that Facebook post was emotionally taxing and terrifying, it also ended up being quite powerful for Ali.
"It was liberating," she says.
Since posting, Ali says she has only received positive feedback, despite bracing herself for a barrage of negativity. "I read every single comment," she says. "There wasn't one [mean comment]. There wasn't one single one. Not one person!"
Ali was bowled over by the support.
"It's pretty incredible," she says, welling up. "I'm very humbled by it."
Ali says she is still focused on getting healthier and has joined Weight Watchers to help in her weight loss journey, but this time, she has a different perspective.
"It's not about a number this time," Ali says. "It is about feeling my best self. I want to be my best self. I want to feel good about myself, I want to have the energy, I want to have the endurance, I want to have the confidence, I want to feel beautiful. I want to love myself at any size."
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