After struggling to make alliances and dealing with her own team this week, South Carolina real estate agent Amy Parham became the latest individual to leave NBC's The Biggest Loser Families. Although Amy had to part ways with her team mates and the show, her experience on The Biggest Loser has been a life changing experience. Not only did Amy learn the essentials to maintaining a healthy weight away from the show, she also went through a process of self re-discovery to start a new chapter in her life with her former team mate and husband Phil.

The next morning after her elimination, we had the chance to talk to Amy about her time on the show, what made her apply in the first place, how Japanese food became her cheat, and what it would have been like had she gone into The Biggest Loser alone.

THE DEADBOLT: Do you think it would’ve played out differently if Phil didn’t ask Brady to vote Heba out?

AMY PARHAM: Well, see, he didn’t ask him to vote Heba out. That was mostly made up by Brady. He had a conversation with Brady on the basketball court and he just said to him, "There are other options in this game. Amy’s a strong player and you might want to consider aligning with her because she’s lost a lot of weight every week and she’d be great for the team." And he just said that in a way like he was assuming that he did have an alliance, because they never admitted to having an alliance. So a lot of that stuff that was said last night was not even close to the conversation.

THE DEADBOLT: In addition to losing the weight, what’s the best thing about this experience for you?

AMY: Oh, gosh. You know, really, I’ve learned that I’m a lot stronger. I guess getting the strong me back is probably the best thing, because it’s not just about weight loss, it’s about realizing the strength inside of yourself and relying on the strong person that you are. I think that that probably - Since I realized that I am a strong person, it’s translated into the weight loss area and in many other areas of my life. I can be stronger in business. I can be stronger in the way I deal with my children. I can be stronger in any circumstance that comes across my path. So it’s also in the weight loss area, but really just realizing that I’m strong.

THE DEADBOLT: You must’ve had the feeling that you wanted to lose weight for the last couple of years, but what made you at least want to apply for the show?

AMY: Well, I used to sit and watch the show and eat ice cream and cry, because I wanted to be one of those people [laughs]. And see, life had... I felt like a hamster on a wheel. You know, life had kind of taken over me. I wasn’t taking over my life. So I didn’t know how to get off of that wheel and I felt like I needed something drastic to happen. And then I reached out to whatever I could find and the show seemed like great opportunity, but a really long shot. But I just decided to go for it, and thank God that I was chosen.

THE DEADBOLT: You listed Japanese food as your "cheat food" and I was always under the impression that Japanese food was healthy. What is it about it that makes it a cheat food?

AMY: Well, Japanese food, a lot of times if you go to like the Hibachi Steak House or whatever, they use a lot of sauces that have a lot of sodium in them. And one thing I learned on the ranch was sodium is one of the worst things for you...

THE DEADBOLT: We’re talking about salt, right?

AMY: Yeah, salt. And so a lot of the sauces in Japanese food that they cook it in - and they cook the chicken in butter and, you know, there’s all of that and the extra fat that you don’t even think about in that type of food. So that’s one of the reasons it’s really not that good for you. I mean, you could make your own version of it and it’d be healthy without the butter and extra sauces and stuff.

THE DEADBOLT: Okay, that makes more sense, because I thought you were talking about chucks of raw fish.

AMY: Oh, no, not sushi. I can still eat sushi.

THE DEADBOLT: What did you think of that silk scarf work out?

AMY: Oh, lord of mercy! [laughs] That was so funny because all week Bob’s like, "We’re going to do something this week; I can’t wait." And you saw last night on the show, our idea of fun is like shopping and going out to lunch and that kind of thing. So we got there and we’re like, "Oh, more exercise, come on!" But it was neat. I mean, it was an experience that you just never in your normal everyday life would have. So who could say they hung from fabric like Cirque de Sole type people? So it was neat, it was an interesting experience. Then the self defense part? Oh, my lord, that was even funnier. [laughs]

THE DEADBOLT: You’ve mentioned how close you are with Phil. So can you describe how different it would’ve been to go into this alone?

AMY: Yeah. I hate to think about that because other people in the past have gone on the show and have not gone with their spouses and then they come home and have to try and tell them what the experience was like. And it’s just impossible in words to describe the experience and the transformation that you go through, mentally and emotionally. So I would hate to think of us having to go through it - either me go through it or him go through it without the other one. I mean, it really changes everything about you. So it would be a really difficult thing not to have experienced it together.