Day 7 and 8: "a new drive"

Well I survived running stadiums and woke up on Tuesday morning feeling great. I think Jenny might have been right when she told me that one day I would crave working out. It's slowly but surely starting to happen. I just feel good...I am wearing a shirt today that didn't fit two weeks ago. Not only does it fit but I have room to breath in it and when I sit the buttons don't buldge. LOVING LIFE!

So what has this week held so far. On Tuesday night I was on my own to workout because Sara and Angie went to Baton Rouge for the Hillsong United concert. This is when I knew I had to want this for me because no one was there to push me or make sure I went to workout. I went to the pool with a new determination...if I am going to lose 50lbs before going to Uganda on June 29th it's not going to come easy. I got in the pool determined to swim with a passion I have never had before. In less than an hour I had swam 50 single laps. Technically swimming down and back is a lap so I did 25 full laps...or 50 single laps. I would swim 10 and walk the pool, then swim 10 and walk the pool...over and over until I had finished all 50 to swim a mile total. The last 10 laps I swam I did with purpose and was determined to leave every ounce of myself in that pool. When I came up after the last lap I thought I was going to throw up...but I didn't.

Just for record...swimming hard like that the day after running stadiums is killer on the calves! My legs have a new hurt.

On Wednesday it was field workouts again with Hayden, only it's finals week and he had a test so once again it came down to my own drive to do this. Hayden told me to just stretch and do abs but I knew taking a day off was not going to help me get to 50lbs. When Sara got back from church we hit the field at 9:00pm and did a full Hayden workout on our own. In fact, we made ourselves do at least one or two more of each exercise than he would normally make us do. Are you ready for this? We willing ran stadiums (even hopped some) on our own. I'm so proud of us and today putting on my pink button up shirt felt good!

Losing 50lbs by June 29th is going to be a beast of a challenge but I am going to do my best. I have been trying to get to Africa for 10 years now and the door has finally opened wide...I want my discipline to match my passion and my gratitude for the Lord opening this door. If you've been following my blog and want to be part of my Uganda support group feel free to send me your email and address in my comments section or email me at kbthomas@lacollege.edu because I will be sending out support letters soon. I can't do the weightloss or the Uganda trip without your continued support. Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement!

my heart is beating out of my chest

So today my heart has been beating out of my chest....and believe it or not it's not because I have been running up stadiums or doing 110 yard sprints. Last night after working out I was talking to Angie just about random things and one of the subjects we covered was about her wanting me to go back to Turkey with the BCM the next time they went. Angie lived in Turkey for a while and there are lots of our students who have just fallen in love with Turkey, but honestly it wasn't the place for me. It wasn't the greatest trip of my life for several reasons and I am so thankful that Angie wants me to redeem that experience but it lead us into a conversation about where my heart lies in terms of people groups and places. My heart is in Africa and South America. I will let everyone have Europe and Asia...but if the Lord told me today to sell my belongings and move to Africa I would leap with joy.

So as the conversation continued I told Angie that my next overseas trip would be to Africa. I went on to play out in my mind that maybe my reward to myself for hitting the 50-100lb weight loss mark would be joining a team that is going. What an incentive to work hard, huh? Oh the Lord is so good and knows the desires of our hearts. I was chatting with a friend this morning who works with International Sports Federation and within five minutes of the conversation she asked me if I wanted to lead a team to Uganda this summer to work in orphanages. And....now my heart has been beating out of my chest all day! I have been trying to figure out how to get to Africa for years and wanting to work with orphans and the door opened wide this morning. There is not a single reservation about the trip....I'm ready to pack my bags and go tomorrow. I have 40lbs to lose by then (or maybe shortly after returning) but all signs are pointing to yes!

For all my prayer warriors out there please be praying about this opportunity and that everything would fall into place just as God would allow. That I would have no problem being gone those two weeks of the summer from work, that I would be able to raise the support, that I would be prepared to lead this team effectively and for the glory of God alone. I'll keep you posted on details later.

Day 6: "step by every cursed step"

So today was the day I have been dreading for a week and a half. I knew it was coming at some point and unfortunately I ran into Hayden on Saturday and he told me that today was the day...we were running STADIUMS! There is a reason only athletes run those wretched things. I mean seriously, I sit on the first few rows at games for a reason and it's not just because I like being close to the field. Those steps are evil. See for yourself...

We went for our usual warm up run and I am getting further around the field without having to stop and walk. Before you know it I will be able to run that whole lap...praise the Lord! Then it was on to our other warm ups...lunges, high steps, etc...and then it was time to hit the stadium. I have had the poops all afternoon because I have been nervous about running stadiums. I started with gusto and that fire was put out real quick about half way up the first set of stairs. Up one set...down the next...up the next...down the next. And my legs are officially like jello. If it's not bad enough "running...aka panting as you hobble up" them, Hayden decided we needed to side step up the next set. I am quickly realizing just how uncoordinated I am. But side, cross, side, cross here we go up the next set and back down. And about the time I thought I had nothing left the little jerk pulls out the impossible. "Now I want you to hop up the next set." Seriously? both feet coming up at the same time means that I have to pull 280lbs into the air and up a step and then do it again 40 more times. KILL ME...but I did it..and then the rest of the workout my legs were shaking like leaves.

After stadiums it was on to general strength training...squats, squat jumps, high bar and low bars and oh the dreaded push ups. Now I really feel like moosh. But...I did it. Then it was on to running 110 yard sprints...the little evil troll. I honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to do them today but I did and I was determined not to stop running until my feet were in the end zone. BAM! I did it. I think Hayden is even figuring out how to push my buttons so that he can push me further than I think I can go. After we ran the first 110 yards he told me "good job" and then said I honestly expected you to walk it. And so what did I do...I ran 110 yards back. The little butthead is trying to beat me at my own game. Last thing for the day was abs and stretches and we were done.

It's just hours after my workout and I am feeling good. I can feel a difference already and though the pounds are only dropping 2 per week I can tell I am getting stronger. In the words of "Remember the Titans"...we want some mo...we want some mo!

I'll close out this post with introducing you to the dear soul who has been taking a lot of heat from three beat down chics. Hayden has been so gracious with us and pushes us without making us feel hated or abused. He knows when to give encouragement...he's golden and he has taken us on and is training us for free. I owe him big time and will be figuring out ways all summer to show my appreciation. Everyone meet Hayden and keep him in your prayers because I am sure us whiney weak (but getting stronger every day) women may be the death of him.

A Glorious WORKOUT FREE Day of Rest

It's been a great week and I am feeling good but I am so thankful to have two days off to heal from all the exercising that has thrown this chunky monkey into shock this week! Instead of working out my body today...I gave my heart a run for it's money. I attended a Beth Moore simulcast at my church on her new book "So Long Insecurities" and it was soooo good! I've never really been a fan of her Bible studies because they are so long and take so much time every day but to hear her speak and on this subject in particular was very timely. If there is one thing the enemy does well is keeps women defeated by self-doubt and insecurity. It was just a great day of worship with the 600 women that were at our location and the 300,000 that were tuned in all over the continental US.

I did get to climb stairs quite a few times today so it wasn't totally workout free. I even managed to vacuum the stairs in my apartment without dying. I finished the afternoon by taking Matti for a walk around campus and now she is sacked out on the couch. Maybe she needs to be in Hayden boot camp if that walk wore her out.

I'm looking forward to worship tomorrow and then a crawfish boil to celebrate Parker's 1st birthday. Hard to believe the little guy is already a year old! Happy Birthday P-RO!

DAY 4 and 5: losing track of time apparently

For those of you who have been following faithfully, worry not..I didn't die after day three. Day 4 I woke up feeling good, moving swiftly and ready for another beat down only for another schedule conflict. Day 4 turned into another swim day but it was a good work out. I finally got back to swimming a mile along with doing sets of leg exercises.

Day 5 and we're back on the field...IN THE RAIN! How hardcore are we? Angie had to leave town today but we got a new workout partner. One of my head advisors, Sara, has now joined our crew. Today was Sara and I running and being put through the ringer together. We did a lot of the same drills we did on Monday and added a few extra. Are you ready for it? I didn't THROW UP TODAY! When we got to the jump squats and low bars that pushed me over the edge Monday, I took a deep breathe and pushed through. Today was not without it's challenges. I wasn't gasping for air like I was on Monday but I was having leg cramps like nobodies business. We had to walk up an incline to get to the field today and as I walked up my hamstrings tightened up and made every sprint harder than it already had to be. GLORY.

The new addition to today's workout was throwing this tire as far as we could and then running to it and throwing it again and doing that over and over for 30 seconds. I don't have quite the arm I had as a softball player but I am still quite the slugger. I was averaging about 10 yards a throw with that tire. When I thought I was done with the tire...there was more. We would have to squat down, pick it up and throw it over our heads, oh my word. Again doing this over and over for 30 seconds. We finished the day with yo yos and 110 yard sprints. I might as well call what I did a 110 yard jog...I was moving slow as molasses but I was proud of myself that I never stopped running.

It's now almost 10pm and I can't get off the couch but I survived week one and will find it in myself to be ready for another beat down on Monday. I owe a big thanks to Hayden for his patience in training me...he has been so gracious and had a great sense of humor.

I almost forgot to mention that on Thursday night we had an RA event called Battle of the Sexes. One of the challenges was a match up between a guy and a girl doing push ups. I was vocal about making fun of the guy for getting beat by the girl. I realized that Hayden gave me a funny look because he knew that I couldn't do a single push up and yet I was making fun of this kid. So with that I knew that today there would be push ups. I still can't do them correctly but I did them on a bench which makes them a little easier. All I know is that for the first time I did a push up and one day I will be doing them the regular way.

Day 3: "inner strength"

So today was the day that I decided it was time to dig deep, push through and find that stronger woman I know is in there. Now don't get me wrong...I've always been driven and strong willed but it's time to dig even deeper to find a strenth I didn't even know I had. A strength that makes me take the stairs at work instead of the elevator even though it kills me. The strenth to take Matti for a walk after work when I know I still have a "for real" workout coming later. The strength to drink 128oz of water when I really wanted to stop at 32oz.

I've taken the things I have learned about myself from the Biggest Loser application process and let it fuel my desire to finally do this and I think that is what is going to make the difference. I've found mental toughness and determination. Granted...it's just day 3...but I'm feeling good and today when I woke up I can honestly say I'm at a 6 and ready for another brutal workout tonight with Hayden.

Funny story. Because of schedule conflicts we postponed field workouts last night so I went swimming again. One of my RAs Raven went with me and we had a blast. She taught me lots of new exercises in the water that were quite a kick in the butt. The best was the 100+ unintentional jump squats I did because there is this rope of flags hanging above the pool about five feet over the water in the shallow end and Raven decided she wanted to try to jump up and touch a flag. Well of course after she touched the flag...short squatty Kabes wanted to touch a flag. My first jump was about 2 feet short. So...I would squat, squat, squat and JUMP...and come up short. I did this for about 30 minutes but I finally touched the flag. I realized that jump squats aren't near as bad in the water, especially when you dont realize you're doing them. Yay for a fun workout and waking up less sore the next morning.

Thanks so much for all your encouragement thus far and for believing in me that I can see this journey through...it means the world to me to have your support!

Day 2: "a beached whale doing dolphin tricks"

It's good to know in the midst of this new journey and the unbelievable pain that I haven't lost my sense of humor. Laughing at myself through all of this may be the only thing that keeps me going some days. On day one we did this exercise called a dolphin (I think) where you lay on your stomach and lift your head back and lift your legs up and back. It's almost as if you're doing a reverse crunch...to strenthen your lower back. While laying in the middle of the football field doing this "dolphin" all I kept thinking is that I must look like a beached whale trying to do dolphin tricks. One day this whale will be a lean mean dolphin machine. Today is not that day.

For day 2 of workouts we went to the pool. This workout consisted of swimming laps, stretches, running in the water, crunches...which are so much easier on the back when you're in the water. It was a great workout and felt great on my pour aching muscles...until it was time to get out of the pool and then as I slowly climbed out of the water I magically felt like I weighed 800lbs. How does that happen?

I look forward to the day that everyone has told me is coming when I don't hurt like this. One friend even commented on my facebook that I would even crave working out. Time will tell and I hope she is right.

Here is my funny but necessary antic for the day. Hayden text messaged me yesterday and asked me how sore I was on a scale from 1-10. I wasn't really sure how to answer that knowing that day 2 is always worse than day 1...but I was certain I had to be at a 10 anyway. So out of necessity I have come up with a soreness scale to be able to answer his question more accurately. So here goes....

1-4 are all managable numbers....even numbers that I have felt without working out!
5 "ooh I am feeling muscles I didn't know I had"
6 when walking past my treadmill I long for the "good ole days"
7 I dropped something on the floor and say "screw it" and leave it there. If it was food the dog will eat it...if it was a piece of clothing I will wear something else!
8 I have had repeated thoughts throughout the day that "the human body was not made to do this!"
9 I strongly considered sleeping on the couch to avoid walking up the stairs or even worse...considered letting Matti use the bathroom in the house and clean it up later to avoid walking back down the stair (but then again see #7..bad idea)
10 Not being able to perform basic necessities of life without major pain or shedding tears. For example sitting down or getting up from the toilet. Moving your head instead of your arm when brushing your teeth. Or literally rolling out of the bed because you physically cannot sit up or stand up first thing in the morning.

And just so you know...today is a 10!

Workout Day One: "barely survived"

Well yesterday at 6:30pm was my first official workout with my trainer Hayden. After working out for almost three weeks by myself on the treadmill and simply making smart choices I lost 9lbs so I was anxiously awaiting taking my workouts to take it to the next level. I think I far surpassed the next level and maybe the 10 levels that followed that yesterday...but I survived. Honestly I don't remember what all we did because after the first ten minutes I was dizzy and gasping for air and trying not to pass out the rest of the workout. Let me just go ahead and get it out there that YES I did throw up during the workout. I might be ruined on bananas for a while...they just aren't the same the second time around. Here are just some of the things we did that I vaguely remember doing...
We started with a brisk run around the football field to get our heart rate up. Shamefully I only ran half way before I started walking and then picked back up running. One day I will be running that thing like a champ but that day was not today!
After our warm up run we moved on to stretches and I was already feeling light headed...not a good sign.
At some point there were 10 yard sprints...lunges, squats, kicks, punching some bag that Hayden was holding. We ran something called a death square. The point at which I threw up was after doing squat to jumps as seen in the picture below....



We also ran these sprints called yo yos or suicides where you run 5 yards and then run backwards, run 10 yards and then run it backwards, run 15 yards and then run it backwards and then run 20 yards and run it backwards. UGH!!



I'll say this for my first workout. I am sore. I am tired. I am dehydrated. BUT I feel accomplished. I know I probably wasn't able to go as fast or as hard at most things as Hayden would like but I at least did everything he asked even through the vomit. I DID IT...I survived day one.

Day two is now underway on the schedule is swimming laps if I can still move at 6:30 tonight.

Cochon de Lait

So today was Cochon de Lait...one of my favorite events at LC. We host a family day for students and their parents and boil 3000lbs of crawfish. I have wholeheartedly embraced life in Louisiana when it comes to eating crawfish. I look forward to this event every year and could eat my weight in these little mudbugs!



The air is filled with great smells of crawfish boiling, roasted pig and dirty rice...so there is bound to be something for everyone. I don't waste room in my tummy with anything but those glorious crawfish but the pork did look yummy.



It's always entertaining to watch people eat crawfish because you have the people who have been eating them since they were born and can peel them super fast. I'm getting there but still jealous of these people. Then there are people like my friend Angie, who peel them slowly and then have to clean "everything" off of them and then smother them in ketchup to cover up the taste. Either way you see enjoyment on every face! Okay, so maybe not on Cory's face because he had just put a whole crawfish in his mouth, shell, claws and all to prove that he could eat them just as fast as the cajun folks at the table. For the extreme crawfish eater like my friend Austin, you must suck all the juices out of the head. I've tried it but it's too salty for my liking.






Aside from the food there was live entertainment, baggo...which Amy beat me at. How do you get beat by a pregnant woman in a game? After the festivities we headed to the softball game to see the Lady Wildcats take on and beat ETBU.





After taking in some of the game it was nap time in my world...chalk this up to a great Saturday!! Pictured below is Parker Robin who shares my thoughts on an afternoon nap!

Beside Himself

So for those of you who have been around to experience me falling down the stairs in my own apartment or dislocating my hips playing softball, you're about to get a small glimpse into where my luck comes from. I have mentioned in several blog posts how much of a spitting image I am of my dad...the good, the bad, the misfortune!

Dad...I'm sorry but I can't resist sharing this story.

So my dad was heading on a camping adventure yesterday and while driving down the interstate in his RV with his truck in tow noticed in the side mirror that his truck was coming up beside him on the shoulder. I'm not sure there is ever a time where being "beside yourself" is a good scenario...but I am 100% positive that this is NOT GOOD! Luckily dad was driving through a construction zone so his speed wasn't that high and he had a safety chain on that kept the truck from getting away from him completely. Praise the Lord for quick thinking under pressure. Dad slowed down and pulled over and let the truck collide into the back of the RV. Thank goodness for low mounted spare tires that buffer the collision. Fortunately no damage was done to the RV or the truck.

Dad and Scotty were being followed by some friends who were in their own RV and I am not sure which is worse....being in dad's position realizing your vehicle is loose or being the vehicle following behind them watching all this happen. Never a dull a moment in the Thomas family!

I only wish I could attach a video of this whole incident...I could win money!!

the flowers aren't all that are in BLOOM

I finally got to take a picture with Amy Sue and Baby Noah. I don't think that Amy reads my blog so I am safe to post this picture...if I'm wrong then Amy forgive me. I know she will hate this picture when in all honesty Amy has made an adorable mommy to be! I am fortunate to be Aunt Kabes to nieces and nephews all over the continental US...however, I have never gotten to experience the joys of the whole pregnancy with any of my closest girlfriends. I've never gotten to be there to see their babies born or go through those newborn days...so I am a little beside myself with anticipation with Noah's arrival just around the corner. I love sitting on the couch with Amy and feeling him kick and sorting through his little clothes. I think he is a go getter like his mom and dad both because he thought about coming a little early last week. Amy is now on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. She is now in week 34 and we are crossing our fingers to make it to week 36 until we see sweet Noah. Crazy thing is that Noah's baby shower isn't until May 2nd so he may be here in time to be the guest of honor at his party! Last week at 33 weeks he was already measuring 5lbs and 11ounces so if Amy makes it full term now that she is not teaching and taking it easy...this kid is gonna be huge...atta boy!

Here is a picture of Amy and I at Megan Berry's lingerie shower and the other is of the diaper cake that I made for Noah's shower...I was pretty proud of my creation!

NOW WHAT?

As promised here is the follow up to the Biggest Loser three part adventure blog entries. After starting the application process I watched the show with wide eyes every week thinking to myself "could I really do this? could I handle what they get put through on this show in order to lose weight?" To be honest what was scarier to me was not getting cast and having to answer the NOW WHAT? Obviously for 32 years nothing that I have tried on my own has been successful. In part because I have very little self-discipline and self-control when it comes to food and excercise...lets just be honest. When it comes to school, work, excellence in just about anything else I am a perfectionist but not so much in this particular area.

The sobering reality on the drive home from New Orleans was that with every hour that past our chances of getting a call back were dwindling away. Something in me, probably the prompting of the Lord and my own overshare personality...led me to share with numerous people the process I was going through and at this point I now felt accountable to them to figure out how to lose this weight without the show. So how?

Probably the greatest thing that I learned about myself through the application process is that I am an emotional eater. I'm happy and there is something to celebrate...LET'S EAT. I've had a rough day and I'm stressed...LET'S EAT. I'm bored..LET'S EAT. Regardless the emotion and how quickly the emotion changes my chosen way of dealing with the emotion has been food. First step is identifying the problem and the second is choosing a new release. Blogging has turned into a great stress release for me, hopefully exercise will turn into a great release that will have a health benefit. I've learned the importance of making ONE SMART CHOICE AT A TIME. Every time I fix a drink I have a choice...water or something with calories/caffiene. Sometimes I make a good choice and sometimes I don't. Every meal is a choice to eat something healthy or to eat something not so healthy....to eat enough to be full or to overeat. Taking my day once choice at a time is managable and when I mess up it doesn't give me an excuse to blow the rest of the day. I've even set goals at the start of every day to make "X" number of good choices that day and then try to exceed my goal.

So far we are taking this one day and once choice at a time. Within two weeks of the casting call just by making smart choices I have lost 5lbs. The next step was to be realistic about adding exercise into my daily routine. So I now officially look like a dork at work but I have replaced my office chair with an exercise ball. Constantly having to tighten your core abdominal muscles to balance on the ball all day is a great workout. Replacing my chair with the ball has also helped my posture tremendously...we'll see how the ball goes. I feel like a midget sitting at my desk though because it is considerably lower than my chair, oh well. The ball is quite the conversation piece because everyone who walks by stops to comment.

The other addition to my daily routine is walking on a treadmill. I am not a gym girl. I don't feel like a fit in at the gym. I am constantly self-conscious the entire time I am there because I am not walking as fast as the person next to me or I am out of breath or my butt keeps eating my shorts (a wardrobe malfunction for the overweight). I don't mind walking and even trying to run on a treadmill I just don't like being in the gym. Praise the Lord for craig's list and my dad who is a pro at finding good deals. I am now the proud owner of a treadmill that will be replacing my oversize chair in my living room when I get back to Pineville. So my living room will lose some of it's cozy feel but I will lose some of my big butt...a win lose situation. I love to watch TV at night, especially Criminal Minds so now I will watch my favorite shows while my body is in motion. That's change I can live with. And in the privacy of my own home I can leave my shorts in my crack, fart while I run, pant because I am out of breath and even walk in my PJs if I want to.

All of the above were settled upon solutions and then came the last addition. Like I said...I had shared with several people about applying for the show, including my RA staff. After not getting a call back I received a text from one of my RAs saying that if I was serious about losing weight that his brother was a personal trainer and amateur body builder and he would get him to come up with a plan for me. Who needs Jillian and Bob...I have Hayden and his brother?! Famous last words of a fat chick. Hayden is home this week for spring break working with his brother to put together a diet and workout plan for me that I am sure will be brutal. Not quite the leisure exercise my treadmill is going to be...but as Hayden so graciously put it...you can lose a 150lbs the easy way but its going to take you 45 years. So if I live to tell about my training adventures I will keep my blog updated with stories and pics of my progress. MY GOAL....to not be eligible for the Biggest Loser when casting calls come around next year...how wonderful would that be?

The Beauty of Give and Take

One of the many things I have inherited from my father is my love of plants and flowers. I realize that in order for the flowers to be beautiful in the spring they have to be pollenated...thus the title of this entry "the beauty of give and take." In order to enjoy the beauty of flowers in bloom I have to give up a week or two of absolute sinus/allergy misery. It's one give and take relationship that pays off in the long run! Thanks to my allergy shots this season hasn't been near as bad as in the past.

I am currently in Alabama visiting my family and these are just a few pictures I have taken of the flowers in full bloom in my dad's yard. Between my love of flowers and my love for photography the picture taking has been a bit ridiculous since I got home. Enjoy!

Biggest Loser Part III

So thankfully I didn't poop my pants standing in the line waiting to interview, especially since Angie had made it quite clear where her friendship line was drawn. We watched anxiously through the glass window as the two groups in front of us interviewed and then our time came. It appeared that we were going to be interviewing with Brandon, the non-Auburn casting director, so my attire for the day was all for not. When we got the clearance to enter the casting room they pulled the ole switch up on us and sent our group to Holland, the Auburn fan...the Lord is working things in our favor. YES! In a group setting you need to stand out and we are clearly dressed for success compared to all the people in our group. Holland introduces herself and explained how the interview was going to work. We all went around the table and introduced ourselves telling where we were from, how old we were and what we did for a living. Angie and I knew that this was our opportunity to shine because we both live and work on a college campus. What an opportunity to influence so many people if they cast us on the show! That's what we thought and so we weren't afraid to use that as our sales pitch. In our rehearsing I planned to say, "My name is KB Thomas, I'm from Pineville,Louisiana, I'm 32 years old and I am the Residence Life Director at a small liberal arts college. I play mom to 600 college students but I'd prefer to not look like I birthed them all." As everyone introduced themselves and it was getting around to my turn something in my gut told me to leave off the part about birthing all of them. In hindsight I regret not inserting my funny antic when I had the chance, but oh well. I was relieved, as was my stomach when Holland actually responded to my introduction with a "wow"..I thought,"yay, we stood out!" After all introducing ourselves she asked one question and the interviews were downhill from there. What was the one question...WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THE BIGGEST LOSER? Again this was a popcorn style interview setting so you just had to jump in there and answer. Our 250lb friend from Thibodeaux was the first one off of the block and immediately had a meltdown as she explained that she was tired of being fat. She said she had been made fun of her whole life and as she continued to talk she was sitting amongst a group of obese people who were all making fun of her in their heads. She was interrupted by the next person and then the next and the next...all with the same answers which the casting directors have probably heard for years. "I've been overweight my whole life. My back hurts, my feet hurt, my clothes don't fit..." with each answer you could see Holland drift away and I felt like Angie and I were never going to get to pop into the conversation.One lady even said that her mom tells her that she was the only baby that ever got fat on breast milk. Finally Angie made a break for it and gave an answer that was different, unique..that stood out. A few more people spoke and then I sat up on the edge of my seat and went for it. "The reason I want to be on the Biggest Loser is because I have been a driven and successful woman at everything I have put my mind to for 32 years except controlling me weight. The only thing I have consistantly failed at is losing weight and I am ready to do something about it!" In that moment I was engaged with Holland and I felt like my answer was unique...but more importantly my struggle made sense. That wasn't just an answer to impress...it was honest and I don't like to fail. Not long after I got to answer the lady keeping time came by and said that time was up. My heart skipped a beat and my thoughts began to race....did Holland even notice my Auburn necklace? Did we stand out? I think she really liked us but who knows? AND THEN IT HAPPENED....someone asked her as we were leaving if she was from California and she said no that she was from Alabama and I seized the day and turned around and said WAR EAGLE!! She looked up at me and just smiled and I kept on walking, picked up my stuff and left the interview room.

Time to finally breathe...and go to the bathroom. Thank the Lord that is over but now the waiting game begins. I sat my stuff down with Angie and our chair friend and made a B line for the bathroom. As I was taking care of my business I hear a familiar voice from the stall next to me and realize that it is Holland, the casting director, and she is talking to someone on the phone. A normal person would probably be paranoid at this point that she would smell their "business" and would be mortified but all I am thinking is you need to hurry so that you meet up with her at the sink KB. So, I rush the process in order to get that one last chance at some face time with the casting director. I mean really...she needs to see the Auburn necklace, she needs to remember my face. Come on, Angie and I will make for great TV! I quickly hurry from the stall and slowly wash my hands and then soap and wash again and realize she is taking her time and I have rushed the process too much and now I can't just stand around or it is going to be obvious. I slowly walked out of the bathroom and stood near the door so I could conveniently walk beside her when she came out...oh the shame but it was game time! I met back up with Angie and we made a game plan to leave the mall and head for some lunch. Holland had told us during the interview that they would break at 2:00pm and make some call backs from the morning interview groups so we knew we needed to stay in town until at least 4:00pm.

So I've failed to mention at this point that at most of the open casting calls they usually bring back former contestants to mingle with the crowd. Angie had discovered that Abby from season 8 was going to be at the New Orleans casting call and I was just a wee bit excited. Abby is my favorite Biggest Loser contestant of all time. Every week I would cry watching her compete and hearing her story, she is truly an inspiration. Well we had gotten all the way through the line and finished our interview and were leaving the mall and still had not gotten to meet Abby so I was a little disappointed. Angie and I had gotten out of the mall and all the way down the sidewalk and I had asked her to stop so I could readjust all the stuff I was carrying and as I looked up I saw Abby walking towards us and I am ashamed to admit that I had a celebrity geek out moment. So shameful. Angie had her back to the sidewalk so she never saw her coming and it all happened so fast that I couldn't even stop myself. Abby was looking down at her phone texting when I saw her and realized who it was and I just yelled as though I saw a friend that I hadn't seen in ages.."ABBBBBBYYYY!!!" She looked up from her phone and looked at me very confused as if trying to figure out if or how she knew me because certainly the way I addressed her it was like we were long lost friends. At this point Angie turns around and surveys the situation and realizes what is going on as I am rambling like a mad woman. I don't know that I ever stopped to breathe as I am saying, "we didn't think we were going to get to meet you...we saw on your blog you were going to be here but we never saw you...you're my favorite contestant." Thankfully Angie stopped me long enough to introduce herself and me and tell her that we had just come from our interview and connect all the dots for her. Now that she realized that she didn't know us she explained that she has been lost in the city all morning trying to find the interview location. See I was just helping a sister out by letting her know she was in the right place. Okay maybe not. She asked us how our interview went and graciously agreed to take a picture with us.


She still looks amazing....what an inspiration. My celebrity geek out moment was worth the embarrassment because meeting her made it all seem so real. Whether we got cast for the show or not, I look at this picture and think that it is possible to get healthy and lose weight. Not to mention that our chair friend stayed around the mall ALL day stalking the casting directors and sent us a text message while we were at lunch that said "look who I met" and had a picture of her and Abby. At that moment I told Angie that I may have had a geek out moment but at least I saw her so that we could meet her because we both would have been ticked to get that text message and know our chair friend met her and we didn't. True story?! We also thought this might just be another way of the Lord looking out for us because we were the first people that she met at the casting calls so if they ask for her opinion on anyone we might stand out, but then again thanks to my geek out moment maybe not in a good way.

So we head back to the car to decide where to eat lunch and how to kill time as we wait anxiously for a call back. As I walk to the car I realize that I have made two bad decisions. Number one the shoes I have chosen for the day were a bad choice. The walk to and from the mall and through the mall have now completely rubbed the skin off both my heels and my heels are bleeding pretty bad. Beauty is pain, right? The second bad choice...rushing the process in the bathroom. The entire walk back to the car I just feel like something isn't right in that area. The only way I can explain it is to say that I feel like I have been out running on a hot day and now have a sweaty butt like my chair friend only I know I'm not sweating. I realize this is probably too much information but for the sake of the story and to be fair to Angie I have to incriminate myself too. So, something is not right in my underoos. We finally get to the car and after just sitting for about 30 minutes and doing nothing we decide to head to the French Quarter to find some lunch. Keep in mind this has been a high emotion, high energy day and we've been going strong since 4:00am. We park the car and head toward the market and Angie realized she forgot her phone so we turn around and go back to the car. We head once again towards the market and decide to eat at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.


Though we didn't order any margaritas it probably would have helped calm our nerves. Angie and I usually never lack for conversation but that afternoon we sat and ate lunch in complete silence. Every few moments I would let out a sigh but not many words were spoken. Our poor waiter probably thought we hated each other or that we were deaf and mute but we were just done for. We both could have bought a new car if someone paid us a dollar for every time we checked our phones to see what time it was and slowly the minutes ticked by. I vaguely remember what I ate that meal and really don't remember taking a bite of anything or what it tasted like...we were merely existing. I finally got up from the table to go to the bathroom and discovered what my "something is not right" problem was. Now rewind back to the first entry where I told you about the weaknesses question and keep in mind that Angie's answer for me on that question was that I am vulgar. She is quick to tell me and other that I burp and fart and do not act lady like. On a daily basis I say and do things that gross her out without even thinking about it. So as I come back to the table I am trying to figure out how to address this without being crass or offensive to her. So I simply tell her, "Ang if we get a call back I'm going to need to go somewhere and make a partial wardrobe change" and I left it at that. That's pretty tactful, huh? I even got sympathetic eyes from Angie and then a small chuckle at my expense. So we paid the bill and left the restaurant to kill another few hours in the Big Easy. We just walked aimlessly with absolutely no interest in what we were doing or seeing. I finally looked at her and said "Angie I need to go somewhere where I can really go to the bathroom in peace and quiet and I just want to sit down." So we decided that we would go be bums in the student center at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. We headed back to the car and somehow I got in front of Angie and I hear this voice from behind me say "you're going to need to change your pants too." My heart just sank. I rushed the process to meet the casting director for the Biggest Loser and crapped my pants! My favorite khakis now had poop on the butt and blood on the heels...sad times, but I felt like I took one for the team. (judge lest ye be judged)

So we make it to the seminary and take care of all our business. I change clothes and wash my khakis in the sink in case we get a call back and have to stay in town another night. After leaving the restroom Angie and I made our way to the couches where we were just going to sit for a few minutes and we made the mistake of laying down. It was about 2:10 when we sat down and at 4:15pm Angie woke me up from a dead sleep and we realized that we had missed the "window" and probably weren't getting a call so we got in the car and headed home. There were quite a few seminary students, mostly internationals studying in the student center that Saturday afternoon and they probably were a little disturbed by the ungodly noises coming out of the two sleeping women on the couches in that student center. We became the seminary bums. The trip home was either spent in silence or in gut wrenching laughter at the events of the day.

At about 6:00am on Sunday morning I received a text message from Angie that said Holland tweeted that all the callbacks for New Orleans were complete and our phones had not rung...so sadly, we are not the BIGGEST LOSERS...but what an amazing process this has been. Stay tuned for my next entry entitled "Now What"...just because I didn't make it on the show doesn't change the reality that I am almost 150lbs overweight. This process helped me realize what some of my obstacles and emotional food triggers are and begin to think through setting realistic goals. I've got a plan and I'm ready for change my friends!!