An interview with Renee:
Wishing wasn’t going to get me anywhereYou said you were hoping that Vicky would try to get rid of Ed because he’s a bigger threat — did you think it could happen?
Renee: Well, with Vicky you could never tell what she was thinking or doing. So I was holding out hope. Obviously, the odds were stacked against me, but I thought maybe for a moment she would think it should be an all-girl finale.
Was Vicky really so conniving, or was it edited to look that way?
Renee: When you’re on the ranch, you just never know what’s going to be on TV. She is just hard core and I don’t think anybody twisted her to say the things that she’s actually said about people. Actually, I was shocked by some of the things she said because we don’t see the interviews until we see the show ourselves, so I don’t know what to say about her.
How did your relationship with your daughter, Michelle, change while you were at the ranch?
Renee: I think most everybody there came with their enabler with them, and Michelle and I might’ve had an advantage in the fact that we hadn’t been together for like five-and-a-half years. So we were more like strangers. So we weren’t there to enable each other, but we were there to kind of help each other and learn. And I believe along the way we learned to trust one another again. I remember the first few nights she hardly would talk. I would say something and she would just answer "yes" or "no." And then as time went on, she realized that I’m her mom and she started opening up. And just dealing with those emotions and seeing the person that I was and that I wasn’t going to tell her what to do but I was going to support her no matter what meant a lot to her. You go through that much time with somebody, you know how they really are. I learned so much about Michelle and she learned so much about me. We both embraced it, and we’re better people because of each other.
What’s your relationship with her like now?
Renee: It is amazing. I look back at a year ago, you know, we had just begun speaking about a year ago. And I remember I was so excited just to be able to talk to her every now and then. And now, we call each other everyday. We text each other every day. Our lives are just so much richer for having each other in it.
You seemed pretty confident even when you first got to the ranch, so why do you think you were so heavy?
Renee: I think what happened was I just kind of gave up. I started gaining weight little by little, probably after my divorce and I started getting older. And I started making excuses and saying, “I guess it’s just because I’m older.” And then I’d turn around and had gained 50 pounds and I’m thinking, “How did I get here?” I would wish that I could drop 20 pounds, but wishing wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I had to put actions to those words. I needed help. I needed somebody to push me to the next level and working with Jillian definitely did that. Your possibilities are endless once you just apply yourself.
What was it like getting a makeover from Tyra Banks?
Renee: I think that was my happiest week at the ranch. I had been waiting 47 years for a makeover and, praise God, I finally made it! And the fact that we were going to be on TV and with Tyra Banks, it was just amazing. I felt like a princess for a day. I liked wearing cute clothes and dressing up, and looking good. My love has been fashion forever and when you’re bigger, it’s hard to get fashionable, cute clothes. I would go to the store and I had to settle for things — I couldn’t be myself. Now it’s so exciting to go to the store and things fit you. This whole world of fashion is back in my life and I love that.
How have you kept fit since you left?
Renee: Cardio, cardio, cardio. Just to keep on moving, and it is a challenge coming home. I work an eight- to 10-hour day at a job and then I still have to work out. I try to do as much as I can — two to four hours a day. So that’s a long day! I’ve definitely changed my whole eating regimen since before I came to the ranch. I don’t eat any white bread and I’ve eaten a lot of organic whole natural foods. I don’t eat anything processed. I’m just eating fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken — all these great foods that we ate at the ranch and I just incorporated it into my life at home.
You’re 47 — what impact has your weight loss had on your health?
Renee: Well, I’m too old to keep doing the losing weight/gaining weight story in my life anymore. Changing my lifestyle habits and working out has given me my life back. And my husband is very fit. He works out a lot, so now it’s just been an added part of our lives. It’s taken our marriage to another whole level.
You said that you were no longer the same Renee. What, besides your weight, is different?
Renee: With losing as much weight as we did comes a sense of self-confidence and pride. I used to always think sometimes that pride was a bad thing, but now I think I look at it a different way and I’m proud of the accomplishments I’ve made. I feel energized. I feel like I have something to share with you. I can help you, you know: “I did it. You can do it, too.” I want to pay it forward. My co-workers, they’ve been inspired. They’ve lost like 30 pounds since I’ve come home. So it’s been an awesome feeling for me.
And now you’re thinking of getting into motivational speaking?
Renee: I feel like I just have a lot to share and I feel like there’s a lot of women that maybe have a broken relationship with their children. And my other thought is that for women over 40, just because you’re over 40 doesn’t mean your life is over and you’re never going to get thin and you’re never going to be the person you wanted to be. You can change your life today.
And you don’t have to do it through surgery.
Renee: Exactly. Well right before the show, I was planning to do that, because I just didn’t know what to do anymore. And that same night, Michelle called me and asked me if I would like to try out with her to be on the show. And so I was like “Wow — God, is that you?”
Who should win?
Renee: I think Michelle is going to win. There’s no doubt in my mind. I think she’s just got it. I think that she’s just proved herself. She’s shown that she’s not only just worked hard to be where she’s at, but she’s a great person, period. And she deserves to win. I’m just so excited for her. She’s just strong and confident right now. And she’s going to be on top of the world at 27. How fabulous is that?
Link: http://www.intouchweekly.com/2008/12/biggest_loser_familieswishing.php
