By Gemma Greene, BDO Staff Writer
Known for her inspiring journey on season 4 of the hit TV show ‘Extreme Weight Loss’, Brandi Mallory, has passed away at the age of 40. She was a makeup artist, dancer, motivational speaker and so much more. Her story of determination inspired many people across the globe.
If you don’t recall who she was, you may remember her from a video that went viral a couple of years back. It was an instant sensation when people saw her not only keeping up with, but dancing her butt off! After posting a video of her confidently dancing, proudly allowing her loose skin to hang out while wearing just a sports bra and leggings, Brandi’s following skyrocketed from 1,000 to over 40,000 people in just 24 hours!
After receiving all the love and support from the video, Brandi commented on her social media, “When you appreciate it all…even the jiggle, bc that once was solid FAT…as in DIDN’T MOVE WHEN I DID…lol! I was, “Heavy…real Heavy”! “Light on my toes,” has always been my descriptive…oh but now! Now…Proud of Myself is an understatement! I can’t think of any other word in the English dictionary to describe how I feel abut my life or God’s amazing grace and favor over it! #MadebyBeasts #TrainedbyBeasts #TheonlychoiceistoEAT #Beastmodedaily”
Hailing from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Mallory competed in many beauty competitions when she was younger, but was eventually told she was “too big” to compete. Eventually, she pursued another passion of hers, which was to become a make-up artist, where she did well. She lent her talents to many celebrities in television, film and music.
She was given the opportunity to change her life for the better when she was chosen to take part in the fourth season of the hit TV show, “Extreme Weight Loss.”
Growing up in Georgia, participating in beauty pageants, Brandi was her parents’ pride and joy. They shared a love for each other and many times, that love was shown through food.
“My mom taught me, even when cooking, cook with love,” Brandi said. “That’s how she showed love to her husband and kids.”
Slowly but surely, Brandi began to gain weight. She said there was no specific event that triggered the weight gain. She just liked to eat.
“I just was just sneak eating. I just wanted more. It was good,” she said.
Pageant judges eventually noticed the weight gain and didn’t hold back in letting her know it. Brandi went from winning pageants to receiving participatory trophies.
She said her beauty pageants were an investment to her parents and said her mother would spend thousands of dollars trying to figure out what was causing her to gain weight. But it all became too much for Brandi. She told her mother she couldn’t take it anymore and the pageants stopped.
As the years went by, her weight grew. Brandi said she realized she was
her worst enemy and decided she had had enough.
During one of her “Extreme Weight Loss” episodes, Brandi quickly showed that she was in it to win it. She even competed in and completed a Half Ironman Triathlon. Brandi said it was her Sunday fun-day’s, where she was allowed to eat whatever she wanted, that helped her get through all those years of unhealthy living.
“I mentally told myself, ‘If I can get through the week eating this bland food, I have my Sundays to look forward to. If I can go extra hard in the workouts, I have my day of rest to look forward to. That’s what held my integrity out the week, to not sneak,’” Brandi said.
During her ups and downs of the show, Brandi finished strong and successfully lost 151 pounds.
“At the end of the day, I want to live a long, full and healthy life. So I said, ‘Let me just try,’” Brandi said.
Rest in peace, Brandy. We’ll miss you.
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