Fiona Falkiner: "Being a size 12 just wasn’t maintainable for me."

She’s given many warnings to current contestants about the challenges they face after the competition ends and now TBL: Families host and former The Biggest Loser contestant Fiona Falkiner has spoken of her own struggles.

“When I left the show, there was a lot of pressure to maintain that size and it was slowly driving me into a terrible state of anxiety and depression. It got to the point where I stopped going out in public except to go to work and back home,” she told Body And Soul.

She ended up seeking professional help in dealing with the huge life changes the encountered after the show.

“The problem was that I thought that if I lost weight my life would be perfect. It was on the outside but on the inside I still had the same old insecurities. My body had changed but my mind hadn’t. I actually had some counselling to deal with it,” she told The Daily Telegraph last month. 

Watch: Fiona Falkiner reveals her biggest regret. (Post continues after video.)

Losing almost 30 kilograms on the 2006 season to go from a size 20 to a size 12, Falkiner found that wearing a smaller size tag didn’t equate to happiness.

“I realised that being a size 12 just wasn’t maintainable for me and I think it’s important for people to understand that everyone is different and unique. I don’t look at people with rippling abs and think that’s what I want, because I know that’s not achievable for me or achieving that is going to be unhealthy and push me beyond my limits,” she told body and soul. (Post continues after gallery.)

A passionate advocate for viewing healthy as a state of mind rather than just a number on the scale, after years of hating the reflection in the mirror, Falkiner says she now feels comfortable and confident in her body.

“I see someone who’s happy and healthy. I’m not perfect, I’ve got wobbly bits, but this is the body that’s gone on the journey with me and it’s got a lot longer to go so I treat it kindly and I think nice things about it,” she said.

Now the model and television presenter weighs herself once a month and takes exercise seriously, working out around five times a week, which she regularly shares on her social media accounts.

But while she's conscious about staying in shape, she doesn't deprive herself - especially when it comes to Christmas.

"Eating, drinking and socialising at this time of year are things that I really enjoy and I’m not willing to give up. Leading up to it, I amp up my training and eat really clean," she said.

How do you stay fit during the festive season?