Biggest Loser Castoff Mandi Talks Stress, Sports Bras and Spandex

When Mandi Kramer gained two pounds in Week 10 of The Biggest Loser: Couples, she knew that either she or her sister Aubrey would be sent packing. Unable to convince the rest of her Blue team to send home Ron, a weak player but also a member of a strong alliance, she made the decision to leave the ranch and let her sister continue to compete for the $250,000 grand prize. TVGuide.com caught up with the 30-year-old mother of two about her time on campus, what she learned from her trainers and why she gained weight in a week that she appeared to work extra hard.

TVGuide.com: What made you decide to be sent home?
Mandi Kramer: I realized that Aubrey needed to stay more than I did. I like to work out and exercise and she doesn't so much. I was hoping the more she stayed, the longer she stayed, it would get more ingrained in her head.

TVGuide.com: Was there any team discussion about voting off Ron?
Kramer: We had talked about it during the week with Kristin and Cathy, that it might be a possibility. So it was kind of a shocker to me when all of them decided it was going to be me that went home, and there really was no discussion in the actual deliberation of the whole thing. 

TVGuide.com: How did you feel going one-on-one against Sione for this week?
Kramer: I was scared, really scared. I think he only lost three pounds the week before, and so I knew he was going to have a huge number.

TVGuide.com: Why do you think you gained weight this week?
Kramer: I really, honestly think I was stressed out. I have been wracking my brain over that forever and I don't know. I worked out just as hard, if not harder, and I think mentally, in the back of my head, I thought I was never going to be able to beat [Sione], and that could've just held my body back a little bit.

TVGuide.com: What's the biggest lesson you learned through this process?
Kramer: I learned so many things! The biggest lesson is to realize you have everything you need inside of you and [whether] you believe it or not, it's there; you just need to dig deep and know you can do it. I think that's the thing I had all along that I wasn't really ever sure of. You don't need a trainer, you don't need a gym, you don't need anything. You just need to know that in yourself you're strong enough to do it, and just get out there and do it.

TVGuide.com: What's your go-to healthy snack?
Kramer: Air-popped popcorn.

TVGuide.com: So was it your idea or your sister Aubrey's to go on the show?
Kramer: It was Aubrey's idea. It kind of took a lot of convincing. I'm not one to stand up in front of everyone in a sports bra and spandex.