“The Biggest Loser” Star Abby Rike Shares the Inside Story of Her Personal Grief and the Secret to Weight Loss Victory in Working It Out

Rike Reveals How She Found Herself Again After Losing
Her Family in a Tragic Accident

“I still have to choose every day to continue on, and I still have bad days. My family is still gone, and it is still a struggle. The Biggest Loser did not wave a magic fairy wand and declare that I live happily ever after. This is a battle I’ll fight forever, but it’s a battle I know how to win.”
 –Abby Rike, from Working It Out

Nashville, TN (February 2011) — In 2006, Abby Rike’ world crashed down around her when her husband and two children, one of whom was a newborn, were killed in a car accident.  In her new book Working It Out: A Journey of Love, Loss and Hope (FaithWords, 9780446575034, $24.99, May 2011) Rike reveals how she gained the will to live again and claimed victory over her weight problem as chronicled on the 2009 season of NBC’s hit TV show “The Biggest Loser.” Rike writes in her book, “I avowed that I was not mad at God. In fact, I felt God’s presence at that time more than I ever had. I was never angry, and that didn’t make sense to many people. But I knew that God didn’t do this.”

Despite her determination to not become bitter after the accident that claimed her husband Rick, her 5-year-old daughter Macy, and  her two-week-old son Caleb, Rike took on everything she could to numb the overwhelming grief—moving, getting her Master’s degree, changing jobs—but nothing worked. Weighing 247 pounds, Rike was alone, mired in heartache, and just merely existing when the idea mentioned by a former “The Biggest Loser” contestant prompted her to audition for the show.  “My name is Abby. I am thirty-four years old. I normally don’t introduce myself this way, but my husband and two children were killed in a car accident two-and-a-half years ago,” began Rike in her “Biggest Loser” interview. “I decided very early on that I was going to live. And now I want to live better.”

Making it to the cast of season 8, Rike made life-changing progress both physically and emotionally during the seven weeks before her eventual elimination.  After losing 47 pounds during the show, Rike went on to lose another 53 for a grand total of 100 pounds by the tearful reunion show.

“The beauty of my Biggest Loser journey is not that I’ve gone from a size 20 to a size 6. The beauty of my journey is the healing I have had from the inside out,” writes Rike. “The outside is really just a reflection of that healing. Living life to the fullest was my heart’s desire, and I can honestly say that’s what I’m doing: living.” Reflecting on where she is on her journey, Rike shares, “As I was driving down the road the other day with the top down on my car, maybe dancing a little, I thought, ‘I’m happy today.’ Though I will never be the same person I was October 12, 2006, I am so much better than I ever thought possible on October 13, 2006. You, too, can be better than you ever thought possible!

“People ask me, ‘How did you survive? How did you get up again?’ writes Rike. “The truth is that it is only through God’s grace that I press forward. I choose to accept His love and strength and hope that He is able to use this terrible tragedy for good. After the crash, I could have wallowed in self-pity. I could have been mad at God, mad at the man who did this, or just mad at the world in general. Many people have even told me they wouldn’t blame me if I did. But hatred, anger, and bitterness are not going to bring my family back. Feeling sorry for myself is not going to make my life count. If I had chosen to go down that path, I may as well have been in the van.”

About the Author:
Abby Rike’s tragic story and inspiring perseverance made her a fan favorite on NBC’s The Biggest Loser in 2009. Rike currently speaks full-time across the country. After “The Biggest Loser” Abby appeared in media outlets including: the TODAY show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Access Hollywood, People Magazine, Woman’s World, and Life & Style. Rike lives in Houma, Louisiana. Visit Abby online at www.abbyrike.com or on her Facebook page which has more than 7,000 fans.