During her freshman year at West Virginia University, Jenn Widder and her peers worried about gaining the "freshman 15."
Widder gained five times that much.
"It’s okay to gasp," she said. "I’m over it, it’s okay."
Widder, now an alumni of WVU, returned to the University Monday to share her experiences as a contestant on NBC reality TV show "The Biggest Loser."
She was a contestant during season five and was eliminated during the fifth week. She lost 31 pounds during roughly two and a half months of filming.
Widder struggled with her weight from childhood. She was bullied for being the "fat kid" and was driven to take diet pills as a 13-year-old.
She recalled trying the "Monday Diet," saying it gave her an excuse to eat all she wanted all weekend and start fresh at the start of the week.
"I always wanted to start (dieting)," she said. "But Monday came and nothing ever happened."
After she graduated from WVU with a degree in communication studies, she decided to audition for "The Biggest Loser." She and her best friend partnered for the audition process. She said it was an emotional rollercoaster ride. The pair almost quit at one point but eventually made the cut.
On the journey to Los Angeles she and her friend could not fit in the airplane seats. It was then Widder said she realized she was glad she was participating in "The Biggest Loser."
The reality TV experience was a grueling process, she said. The contestants were basically locked in their hotel rooms during the final stages of auditions.
During the filming, contestants weren’t allowed cell phones, laptops, cameras, magazines or anything from the outside world to distract them.
Widder said the show was not scripted, noting cameras and microphones were hidden throughout the house.
"I was shocked to hear that the show wasn’t scripted at all," said Gregory Miller, sophomore landscape architecture major.
She had no reason to believe she was going home the week Widder was eliminated from the show. She lost seven pounds in one week and another contestant had actually gained weight that week. She was shocked when she was sent home and at the time didn’t know why.
"I later found out there was a setup, and they had an alliance and voted me off," she said.
After she was sent home she immediately set to work, keeping up with workouts and dieting. Altogether Widder has lost 65 pounds since beginning the show. She says she would like to lose another 40 pounds.
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