Inquisitr: In an minor upset, mom Helen Phillips beat out favorite Tara Costa to be crowned the winner of Biggest Loser for 2009.

Phillips lost 54.47% of her initial 257 pounds to weigh in at 117 pounds. (She originally appeared on the show with daughter Shanon Thomas.) Costa lost more weight, going from 294 pounds to weigh in at 139 pounds, a bigger raw drop, but only at 52.72% of her starting weight. Second placed Mike Morelli managed to drop 53.35%, going from a staggering 388 pounds to a far more respectable 181 pounds.

"When I started, learning how to exercise and work out, and incorporate good nutrition into my diet was hard," Phillips said in an interview. "Once I learned and got on-board, and realized how important it was, the easier it became."

The $250,000 first prize check will help Phillips at a time of need, with her husband's job at Chrysler currently on the line following Chrysler entering bankruptcy.

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