Vicki Gunvalson, 57, has been waiting a long time to see her daughter Briana Culberson, 32, finally reach a weight she’s happy with. “I am so proud of Briana as she is back to the weight she was prior to having two babies [sons Troy, 7, and Owen, 5] and being so sick for many years,” the happy mother EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife on Nov. 22, four days ahead of her newest episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County. After fighting lupus, it was a big milestone for Briana to knock off a combined total of 130 pounds with her husband, Ryan. Yes, that’s two more pounds after Ryan originally announced they lost 128 pounds together on Nov. 19!
For Vicki, her daughter’s weight loss translates to something much more important than a number on the scale. “The best thing a mother could ask for is to have her children happy, healthy and successful in their life. This is Briana living her best life,” Vicki explained. Briana, who works as a nurse, gave her eating habits a complete makeover and has joined the likes of Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, LeBron James, Megan Fox and more stars who can’t stop raving over the results of the ketogenic (keto) diet. Briana and Ryan now eat foods like zucchini lasagna roll, cauliflower rice and proteins like salmon and steak on this high-fat, low-carb diet.
It took serious discipline for Briana to shift her lifestyle, and Vicki is giving her daughter all the credit. “I had nothing to do with Briana’s weight loss. She did this 100 percent on her own at the time in her life when she was ready to do it,” Vicki revealed to HollywoodLife. Vicki has, however, been a source of motivation for her daughter. “I have always encouraged Briana to be the best she can be in all areas of her life, and she is,” the Bravo star said.
Photo taken by Edward Atwell
Weight is not the only change Vicki has noticed in Briana and her son-in-law. “[They are] more easy going, less stressed and happy,” Vicki admitted. And will we get to see these differences on the small screen — hopefully, with more cameos on RHOC? “I sure hope so,” Vicki teased, although the couple did end up appearing on the Nov. 26 episode of RHOC! It was their first time making a cameo on the Bravo show since Season 12, and Briana said she had the best year of her life after shedding 60 pounds (keep in mind, the episodes were filmed earlier in 2019, and Briana only continues to make more progress).
In an Instagram post shared in January, Ryan revealed that his wife once “never felt good,” had “constant lupus flares,” and was “on and off steroids for almost a year” — problems that she no longer deals with on the keto diet that Ryan follows as well! Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes symptoms like rashes, joint pain, fever, fatigue and more, so Vicki is happy to see Briana at her healthiest now.
Keep up with more of your favorite Bravo stars by tuning into The Real Housewives of Orange County on Tuesdays at 9pm on Bravo.