Unlike other contestant based reality competitions, The Biggest Loser is a life changing experience on a completely different level. To be excessively overweight at 31, The Biggest Loser Families competitor Ed Brantley walked away from the show after becoming the latest to not make his weight realizing he has his whole life ahead of him to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Being a chef, Ed now realizes the importance of balancing food and calorie intake with regular activity is the secret to success. Despite facing tough odds with his health, Ed also walked away the winner of a brand new R.V.

The day after Ed Brantley became the latest contestant to leave The Biggest Loser Families, we caught up the North Carolina chef to find out how he'll be approaching life after The Biggest Loser and what he's going to do with his new R.V. now that the price of gas has gone through the roof.

THE DEADBOLT: What are you going to do with the R.V.?

ED BRANTLEY: I don’t know. A lot of people are talking about it already. I think we got a lot of trips booked on it and I’m going to have to somehow procure myself some kind of gas carrying vehicle to buy a bunch of gas and keep it somewhere. So we’ll see what happens with the RV. Why, did you want to buy it?

THE DEADBOLT: I was thinking you could sell it and take that money and build a really nice gym.

ED: Yeah, that sounds like a - I could have an RV gym. It’s going to be an RV gym. That’s what it is now. Good idea, man. Thanks for that.

THE DEADBOLT: When Heba lost the weight, why didn’t you lose the weight?

ED: It was just a basic situation of nature, you know. I worked really hard that week and I probably gained a lot of muscle weight. Muscle weighs a lot of weight. It weighs a lot more than fat and I just felt like my fat loss and muscle gain just kind of cancelled each other out.

THE DEADBOLT: Your goal is to get to a 32 inch waist. How close are you to that?

ED: I’m really close. I’m wearing a size 34 short right now.

THE DEADBOLT: What was the toughest part of the whole experience?

ED: That toughest part is really just the shock to the system. I mean, it really is just a blow to the body and it really wipes you out and, you know, it rebuilds everything. You get rebuilt and stronger mentally, physically, emotionally - you’re just able to handle a lot more stressful things now. It’s just great.

THE DEADBOLT: Were you surprised at how Jillian freaked out at her team?

ED: No, I wasn’t surprised. That’s just her way, kind of. And if it works for her, more power to her.

THE DEADBOLT: What’s the biggest change you’re incorporated into you’re your life since going home?

ED: The biggest thing is just eating very healthy foods and a lot of exercise. I spend a lot of time outdoors now, just very active. I do a lot of physically active things now and I think that’s been part of the success and just the eating properly and the proper diet has really worked out well. You know, a little two-part action there.

THE DEADBOLT: What about at work? Are you relaying information that you’ve learned to your co-workers or are you just keeping quiet? You’re not becoming preachy to people are you?

ED: No, I’m really not preaching to people. I think my actions kind of speak for themselves. They see what it’s done for me and, you know, my arms are always open to anybody who wants to be inspired or wants some help. You know, ‘How do I do this? How do you run?’ Like those kinds of things, I’m willing to help anybody that needs it.

THE DEADBOLT: Was there anything that Dr, Huizenga said that surprised you?

ED: I was just really shocked that it was that bad. I mean, I’m 31-years-old and I was basically diabetic, metabolic disease, high blood pressure - I’m thinking like these are kind of like old men diseases. These are like old men problems and I was shocked. I was mortified. And I think poor Heba, she’s been trying to tell me and I just kind of ignored it for so long. But it really just brought to fruition that I had been ignoring a really big problem for a really long time. And I just was thankful that now I have the chance to do something about it.

THE DEADBOLT: So you probably knew you were out of shape, but we’re you ignoring it just because of your age?

ED: Yes, I was. I thought at 30-years-old I’ll deal with it next year or something will come up and I’ll be able to deal with it some other time.