The Biggest Loser winner Rachel Frederickson, 24, visited Today this morning, and if she was looking to quell criticism of her appearance, she succeeded.
She certainly appeared much healthier than earlier this month, when she won The Biggest Loser and shocked the world with her astonishing weight loss.
The former swimmer dropped 155 pounds (starting from 260 when the show began) in just a seven-month span, and stunned viewers with her big reveal.
Even trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper were stunned.
Rachel Frederickson came under fire for being too skinny and the show itself was criticized for what some believe is a lack of ethics and oversight.
But since then, the former swimming standout seems to have slightly filled out, with much less severe facial features in what she calls her “maintenance mode.”
Speaking to Savannah Guthrie about her dramatic, buzzed-about slim down, she revealed that The Biggest Loser finale fallout surprised her at the time.
“I felt amazing on the stage,” she recalled. “I felt like I shined in my dress, and I got off the stage and Twitter was all abuzz. There was just so much chatter.”
The new size 0/2 continues to express that her process of dropping 60 percent of her body weight going in was “absolutely healthy weight loss.”
“My journey was my own, and I love it, I lived it,” she said, acknowledging that it was drastic. “I appreciate all the concern, and I can see where it comes from.”
“But post-finale, I’m now at the healthiest, most alive I’ve ever felt.”
The competitor also revealed that she’s reached her goal weight.
“I’m in the maintenance mode, which is just as hard as losing the weight,” she admitted, but says it’s also a task she’s up to going forward with life.
We wish her, and continue to hope for, the best.