The Biggest Loser Winner Rachel Defends Weight Loss: I Did Everything Naturally

The Biggest Loser winner Rachel Fredrickson is defending her shocking 155-pound weight loss and shooting down any rumors of an eating disorder.

On Tuesday's Season 15 finale, viewers — and even the show's trainers — seemed stunned when the 24-year-old former swimmer stepped on the scale at 105 pounds. At 5-foot-5, this BMI puts Rachel in the underweight category, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Biggest Loser winner's massive weight loss sparks health concerns

Almost immediately, viewers and even former contestants took to social media expressing concern over her health. While Fredrickson told Today on Wednesday morning that she's now maintaining that weight, she continually avoided the direct question of whether or not she's too thin on a call with reporters later in the afternoon.

"I eat five times a day [and] I eat 1600 calories," Fredrickson said. "We are given a calorie budget and I stuck to that. I followed the advice and support of the medical team at The Biggest Loser the entire journey and I'm going to continue on the path and maintain the healthy lifestyle."

Check out Biggest Loser finalist David Brown's blog

When pressed on the topic, Fredrickson said: "I have been on this seven-and-a-half month journey and I went to The Biggest Loser to find confident girl again. I was a national level athlete and I lost her and I missed her.... First and foremost my goals are to be healthy and strong. I'm extremely proud of the way I lost the weight on the show, I did everything so naturally. ... My body is going to balance and find its rhythm with maintenance and it'll be perfect."

In a message posted on Twitter late Wednesday, trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper posted a joint statement regarding the controversy. "Bob and I want to take a moment to congratulate all of the BL contestants on their hard work. We're not comfortable commenting on Rachel's journey because [we] weren't her trainers and weren't given any opportunity to work with her at any point," Michaels wrote. "Any questions about the contestants on the Biggest Loser should be directed to the show's producers."