Rachael Ray: Rachael's Daytime Talkshow

Alison Sweeney

Alison Sweeney
Alison Sweeney

Soap opera fans have watched her for years as Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives, and now Alison Sweeney is taking on a new challenge -- hosting The Biggest Loser. She tells Rachael that she can empathize with the show's contestants. "I struggled with my weight when I was a teenager and a young adult," Alison admits. "But when you're on TV, it's a little different -- you're working with very slim actresses who are all around you and it's uncomfortable. And you get the criticism from casting directors -- you know it's a problem in this industry -- but I finally dealt with it. I realized, this is what I want to do for a living -- I want to be an actress, I want to eat right and be healthy, and I want to live a long life, so I found a way to make that work."

Alison tells Rachael that she used to incorporate her baby son into her workouts. "I started when he was an infant and I used to do arm curls with him. You can also do triceps. I had a whole routine down with him." Her son is a toddler now, but Alison continues to exercise with him, taking him on walks and hikes with her husband. She has also become a spokesperson for Gerber's Graduates for Toddlers, a program that aims to educate parents about nutrition for their little ones. "You'd be shocked at how many kids' first vegetable was a French fry," Alison says.

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