!["I would just complain about my weight and then go and eat a pint of ice cream."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/7f/ff/1360331510_1587_Untitled.jpg?itok=sLBnhFY3 ""I would just complain about my weight and then go and eat a pint of ice cream."")
"The Biggest Loser" host Alison Sweeney has maintained her 30-pound weight loss for almost 15 years, thanks to healthy eating and exercise. Sweeney slimmed down from a size 12 to a two/four by doing something about her poor eating habits instead of just talking about it.
"I would just complain about my weight and then go and eat a pint of ice cream," Alison, 36, told Good Housekeeping. "And I had tried everything — the shakes, the cabbage-soup diet. I did a cleanse one time, too. I had this realization that I complained and felt bad, and then ate something to cover those feelings."
After Sweeney overhauled her diet and began working out, she was soon able to slip into a size-eight pair of jeans. The 5-foot-4 Alison has since slimmed down and toned up even more, and now fits a size four or even a two after reducing her carb intake and eating healthy, fresh foods.
"I was definitely one of those people who fell for the fat-free cookies and chips that are loaded with sugar and calories," she says. "I didn't understand portions."
Sweeney now does one-hour cardio sessions four days a week, alternating between running, hiking, biking and spinning, and lifts weights at least one day a week. Now happy with her slim bikini body, Alison says maintaining her weight loss is easier because she embraced a lifestyle and not a quick fix.
"What's wrong with extreme dieting and hard-core fitness plans is that they don't take into account the rest of your life," says the mother of two. "What are you going to do next? I realized I had found a lifestyle change that really worked for me. I was way beyond some fad diet."
