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Reality TV Interview

Marci Crozier ('The Biggest Loser: Couples')

Biggest Loser contestant Marci Crozier

© NBC Universal

Marci Crozier entered the ranch with daughter Courtney and quickly became a mother-figure and leader to the Black Team. The 49-year-old, who reached her goal weight this week, made it clear that her interests lay in protecting the younger members of her team, and she'd rather see herself go home than one of them. This week's episode saw her falling below the yellow line alongside Kaylee, after the newly-joined Black and Blue Teams failed to achieve an immunity target set by Alison. Marci told her fellow players that she was ready to leave, and the majority respected her wishes and sent her home. Here's what she told reporters about the experience...

What has been the biggest challenge of maintaining your weight at home?
"My biggest challenge is time management. Being on the show, people are pulling us in every direction, although it's our honor to have that and it's our obligation to remember what a blessing it is and to pay it forward. It was tough for me before I left and it's even more tough now. I have a strategic plan for myself every day. I have to be careful not to feel guilty or that I am being rude, but at some point I have to stop the madness and say, 'This hour and a half is for me'. I work out and don't let people get in my way. It's helpful to have trainers because they don't let people bother me when I work out. I appreciate that because it's focus time for me and makes me more productive through the rest of the day."

What is your new fitness goal now you have reached your goal weight?
"To continue to tone my body. I've been doing a lot of core work. I'm 49 years old so I've had to work on tightening my skin. I want to be fit and healthy. I'm not looking to lose more weight but I definitely want to be fit and strong and healthy when I get to that finale."

What is your daily workout regime like now?
"My goal is to work 30 minutes on endurance training, and then I like to do interval training for 30 minutes where I'm really pushing myself hard and getting my heart rate up there. I also do strength training for 30 minutes."

How has your relationship with Courtney changed from the show?
"We've always had a great relationship; I love her unconditionally, there is no question about that, but I'd be lying if I didn't say there has been a strain which probably made her feel bad at times because of how tough I was on her about the weight. It was never about vanity or popularity or anything like that - she always had lots of friends around her and has always been a pretty girl - but being in the industry I'm in, and constantly getting beat up by things like childhood obesity emails, I felt like such a hypocrite. I would go home and get on her about trying to do the right thing. I've always been proud of her, she's a good kid... The day she said that she was ready and would get [fit], I knew she would. She wants to take care of her health and watching her do that, I just have so much respect for her. She came from a darker hole than people realized, or even I realized. She finally admitted to me, 'I thought I was happy; I always felt like I was happy but I never knew how happy I could be'."

Was there a specific moment when you noticed a change in Courtney at the ranch?
"It was the physical transformation in her eyes. The heavier she was, the more squinty her eyes were, and I couldn't really see all the way inside of them. One day she came up to me and she was just so bright-eyed and her eyes were just wide open. I could just see right through her whole being; I could see the beauty on the inside more than ever. It was truly that clarity and brightness in her eyes."

What have you learned from the experience that you can pass on to other mothers?
"As you are raising your kids, you can get off base if you always want to please them and be their friends. One of [the] things my husband and I have always done is say, 'We are the disciplinarians, we are the parents, we are not the friends, and sometimes they won't like us for things we have to say and do'. Now I realize that when you're not their friend in their childhood, you can be their best friend when they become adults… Parenting is tough love and it's about holding your kids accountable and making sure they respect authority… So many parents are over protective of their children, and if they want them to be independent, they need to fight their own fight. Even though people think I coddled people [at the ranch], I didn't. I gave them advice to empower their own decisions."

What advice would you give parents who notice their child is gaining weight?
"Set the foundation for them and let them know you are there and love them no matter what. Parents should keep it in perspective that it's about their child's health. Give them the resources and step back; give them the confidence they need… If Courtney came to me and said, 'Somebody called me fat', I would say, 'You tell them you might be fat but they are ugly inside and you can lose weight'. I would tell her to fight for herself. I wasn't going to step up and fight for her, she had to stand up for herself, and she did. When you give your kids confidence, that's all they need - give them the foundation and resources and eventually they will get it. I can't promise when or where, but I realized at one point her weight was more of my problem than hers. When I realized that, I stepped back."

What did you learn at the ranch that you didn't already know through working in the fitness industry?
"I already knew that food and exercise were a part of the equation, but what I learned is that the motivation factor is the biggest part of the equation. You can have all the knowledge in the world but if you don't apply that knowledge it really doesn't mean anything. It's about motivation and getting the job done."

How did the experience change the way you do your job?
"It's changed how I do my job at the health club tremendously. I am much more conscientious of prioritizing and time management, and taking care of myself so that I'm not a workaholic. To be able to pay it forward because of this experience, I've learned that the best thing I can do is train my people… For example, if somebody who is diabetic walks in, we don't look at them as a person with diabetes. We look at them as the person and take care of the person, not the disease; find out what it is that makes this person tick so we can help them. The diabetes is a symptom of something else so let's look at the whole person and get the right exercise plan and nutrition plan for them and find out what motivates them."

How did it feel to see everybody's tears when you left and knowing you had such an impact on the ranch?
"It felt great. I was able to leave feeling good about knowing that they were ready… I really did believe there were some people there that needed me kind of as a crutch, but my leadership style is usually from behind and I wanted them to be empowered to grow themselves. I feel like I was able to instill that in some of those kids and they got it. I felt great leaving. When I called my husband afterwards I said, 'Honey, I don't want to make you feel bad [over] our wedding day or the birth of our children, but that was the best day of my life. It's the beginning of the second part of my life'. I know I made a difference there and I impacted those kids. People have told me I kind of set the tone in the house. We didn't need the drama, we had a job to do. I hope they kept that perspective when I was gone. I just wanted them to get the job done."

The Biggest Loser airs Tuesdays on NBC

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