Last night, Helen Philips defied expectations and became the oldest winner The Biggest Loser has ever had. In the span of only 18 weeks, the 48-year-old went from 257 to 117 lbs., losing more than half of her body weight and beating out odds-on favourites Tara, 23, and Mike, 18. Now that she's $250,000 U.S. richer, Helen took some time to talk about her unexpected win, her weight-loss regime and her other experiences on The Biggest Loser.

How do you feel?
I feel wonderful. I feel like a winner.

How much weight did you lose between the time when you left the Biggest Loser ranch and the finale?
Oh, it was 32 lbs.

What was your workout schedule at home?
I really stayed focus when I got home. I found three trainers from my son's school and I went back to the old-school type of training. I was doing crazy things – running up and down bleacher stairs. I would get up at 4:30 every morning, hit the gym for two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening. In between, plenty of good food and rest, and it paid off.

Do you plan to maintain your current weight?
What I would like to do with myself is that, because of my age, I have some loose skin because I've dropped 140 lbs. I knew that was going to happen. However, I haven't really been toning my muscles. What I plan on doing now is working on toning and developing muscle strength. Just with that alone, that will put on a few pounds here and there, which is fine.

Were you worried going into the finale?
Honestly, the way I that I was working out and the dedication that I had at home, I knew that I was going to do my best. I was going to try to get to my goal weight, which was 120 – and I went below that, and I couldn't be happier. I was never really afraid; I was never nervous. I knew that whatever happened, I could look back with no regrets; that I did everything in my power to get to the lowest weight that I wanted to be at.

When Tara kept winning all the challenges during the season, did you think that anyone could beat her at the end?
Tara was a hard worker. She deserved everything that she won because she really worked hard for it. We all did, she was just a little faster and quicker than some of us. I knew when I got home that I was so driven that something inside of me clicked and I knew that I was going to win at the end. I knew there was a reason I didn’t win any of the other challenges: because I was meant to win the big one.

At what point did you think you could win the whole thing?
When I was at home and I knew that I was working so hard. I was dedicating six hours a day to my workout and I wasn't getting tired anymore. I was so focused and dedicated to this that my trainers said, "You are remarkable." I was actually working them out at the end! My trainers couldn't keep up with me – these are big football coaches. It was hilarious! I look at them as we're working out together and I say, "I'm going to win this thing!" They would just look at me and say, "We know!" And we'd just laugh. I just knew it was going to happen for me because I didn't think anyone was working as hard.

How much of an ego boost was it to take the title away from two kids who were half your age?
I know! Being 48 and going through everything that I went through just makes me a stronger person. I have a second chance at life right now and it feels good to be able to say that. Mike and Tara certainly worked hard. I know they did nd they look fantastic; I couldn’t 'be happier for their weight loss. But it does feel good, let me tell you!

How is your daughter Shanon doing with her weight loss?
Shanon is doing remarkably well. She is a rock star. She looks beautiful, she has the right mindset. I think the best moment with Shanon was when she looked at me and she says, "Mom, I'm doing so well. It may be coming off a little bit slower, but you know what? I'll never be what I was before. I'll always incorporate exercise and a good nutritional diet plan in my life from now on." As her mother, hearing her telling me that, I couldn't have been happier because this is a lifestyle change. It's not about "how low can you go?" It's about being a healthy, normal weight and that's what I want to see my daughter at.

What tips would you give people who want to lose weight?
The very first thing is be prepared – pack your foods and be prepared so you don't fall into the bad routine of going to drive-thrus or ruining your diet because you're unprepared. No. 2 is never make excuses; throw the excuses right out the window. It's a priority now to go to the gym every day or somehow do some kind of physical activity.

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