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Sacrifices and Stress with Mandi Kramer of The Biggest Loser Couples
by Troy Rogers
 We all know the number 7 can be lucky for some people and this week's episode of The Biggest Loser Couples was filled with both unexpected fortune and surprise as the weigh-in came down to Mike and the 77 pounds the entire group had to make in order not to be sent home. Mike made the average of 7 pounds per person weight but The Biggest Loser had another twist in store for the teams. This week's twist saw the teams square off in individual percentage based weight challenges in which team members would earn points with the option to leave someone on the sidelines to eventually send someone packing. When cosmetologist Mandi Kramer squared off against Tara, the final result went to Tara who then chose the challenges and decided to sit herself out of the competition.
But coming out the victor comes with a price to pay, as the black team dominated again and were sent to a spa for a celebration where everyone lost their minds and forgot all about the game - beef, booze, fries, you name it - even Helen was smoking. So when Jillian ripped into them the next day, an angry Filipe and Sione stormed out to get in shape with the blue team.
Mandi, however, spent the week working her butt off to lose weight while the others broke all the Biggest Loser rules. In the end, the votes were split and Mandi sacrificed herself to keep her Biggest Loser Couples sister, Aubrey, in the game. The next morning, we hopped on the phone to chat with Mandi to find out why she chose to throw herself on The Biggest Loser sword and why all her efforts in the gym didn't pay off.
THE DEADBOLT: Why did you sacrifice yourself when it seemed you really didn’t have to? If the tie break went to the black team you probably could’ve stayed, right?
 MANDI KRAMER: Yeah, I could’ve. It was a huge decision in my head going back and forth over what I was going to do, and ultimately it just came down to I really have the exercise mode. Like, I knew I could go home and work my butt off even though I knew I wasn’t 100% sure about my food and if I was going to be able to do it or not. I knew I had the will power inside to go home and do it and I didn’t see that from Aubrey, yet I was still getting her up out of bed in the mornings and bringing her to the gym with me and really trying to motivate her. And she didn’t have that on her own yet.
I just thought the longer she could stay there the more it would develop in her brain that she needs to work out every day and push herself and that’s what I was hoping for. So by the time she did come home, because her home with her five kids and her husband, it’s not going to be easy. So I was really just hoping that she would get that ingrained in her before she left.
THE DEADBOLT: Actually, I was looking at the money side of it with her and five kids. I just thought that with both of you there, your chances were greater at taking home the money. Were you looking at that?
 MANDI: I knew it was either going to be me or her that went home. So it was like, hopefully she stays and wins the $250,000 and then I can win the $100,000. That would be awesome.
THE DEADBOLT: How did you manage to gain 2 pounds even though you were working out every day?
MANDI: I really think it was stress.
THE DEADBOLT: Yeah, Bob mentioned that. But I don’t understand how that works.
MANDI: Well, it’s like when your body has stress Cortisol levels go up, which holds, actually, fat in your body. So I was talking to Bob about it because I didn’t understand either. So when you’re stressed out, it’s like you kind of bloat up a little bit and you don’t let your body relax and lose everything that it needs to to lose weight.
THE DEADBOLT: What did you think when Mike gave Aubrey his free groceries?
MANDI: It was amazing. It was awesome. I would never in a million years expect it or ever would want anyone to do that, and it just shows what kind of a person he is. He’s a really great kid and it made me very proud. It was good because I worked really hard at that challenge, and so did Aubrey, and it was just a bummer that my team isn’t quite as strong as the black team.
THE DEADBOLT: The last couple of weeks it seems looked very emotional on the ranch. How much of that is a factor in successful training? Is it more mental than physical?
 MANDI: I think so. At first it’s definitely more physical because we’re so out of shape. But after we all start getting in better shape and being able to tolerate the work-outs, it’s more a mental factor of, "Am I going home this week? Am I pushing myself enough? Am I losing enough weight? Am I doing this? Am I doing that? Then you’re starting to miss your family and, you know, "Can I trust this person or that person?" So you just have to think of it as a tunnel and just go straight through your goal and try not to let any of the outside influences bother you.
THE DEADBOLT: Did you think the blue team had an advantage when Filipe and Sione started training with you guys?
MANDI: No. I actually thought it gave the black team more of an advantage because I knew they would get a better workout and they would relieve some stress working out with a trainer they love and they could push themselves a little bit harder. So it kind of scared me a little bit more, thinking, "Geez, now they’re going to lose tons of weight and they’re still on the opposite team."
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