I am 33 years old, married and the mother of two beautiful daughters, Maija age 4 and Jenna age 2. I work as a comedy agent booking comedy shows for parties, corporate functions, special events etc.
2. Why did you agree to participate in the TIO series?
Why not? I feel I am one of many women out there who gained weight since getting into a relationship and then having two children. When I met my husband I was 150 lbs, when I got pregnant the first time I was 180 lbs. When we started taping the show I weighed 207 lbs. I have spent the last 5 years telling myself that I will do something about my increasing weight later... before summer gets here... before the Christmas party... later just never seemed to come. I love before and after stories about weight loss so I thought why not be one and hopefully along the way motivate others with the same issues as myself. Trust me if I can do it - anyone can!
3. What have your struggles been through the years that have led you to wanting to improve your body and overall health today?
One of my biggest struggles has been feeling positive about my body and my size. Even when I was 140 lbs (very briefly in my mid twenties ) I felt uncomfortable in my body. (If you could give me that body today I would parade naked through the streets!) As my weight crept up it only got worse and my self esteem took a beating with every extra pound. I think I reached my own personal break point with it all. The effort it takes to do the work is less painful than the guilt I feel for not. I'm a mom now, my kids and my husband love me and need me. I owe it to them as well as to myself to be the best me that I can. I fully intend to meet and play actively with my grandchildren one day!
4. If you could swap bodies with anyone in the world, who would that be and why?
I wouldn't trade bodies with anyone. I've finally learned to appreciate the shape of my body under the extra fat. I am fairly tall at almost 5' 9" and I am pretty well proportioned, wide shoulders to balance my wide hips (butt). What I would like though would be to trade metabolisms with any woman that I have ever met who returned to their "pre-pregnancy weight" within a couple of weeks of giving birth... you know the ones... they look like they have never had a child!
5. What advice would you have for others who are working hard at improving their body image and health?
Be realistic. If you have a Rosie O'Donnell body shape you cannot achieve a Courtney Cox. Ignore the media if you can. A healthy body does not look like your average cover girl. Many of those woman have eating disorders or have had the extra curves airbrushed away.
Set goals that you can attain. I think one big mistake people make is setting the bar to high for themselves and if they don't achieve their goals as quickly as they thought they give up. Your goal should be to make changes in your life that you can maintain in the long term. If you return to your old patterns your old body will return as well.
6. What are your expectations of how your life will change when you meet your desired goal?
I really don't have a magic weight that I am trying to achieve. I would not care if I was 180 lbs my entire life as long as I was healthy and fit. My goal is to feel better physically than I ever have. My life has taken on a new dimension, a more active one. As a result there are fair more activities I can do with my husband and my kids.
I also suffer from anxiety on occasion and I find that now that I am being pro-active I feel less afraid for my health and as a result less anxious overall. My quality of life is improving every day.
7. What or who are your own personal barriers to getting through your days the way you want to?
Trying to juggle too many things... between family, work, domestic responsibilities and workouts, the first thing that gets left behind is the folding the laundry, next is the workout. It doesn't happen often that I skip my workout, but I think about it a lot! I must say though I have a lot of unfolded laundry!
8. Describe some of your great moments of success that you have already achieved on this new journey of TIO.
- My 4 year old daughter saying "mommy what happened to your belly, it's not the same anymore, I miss it." ( I almost cried! )
- Realizing that the world does keep turning if I don't have a coke slurpee every day.
- Looking at my before and 12 week pictures... a true document of my effort to date
- wandering into a store that I thought was a plus size store (it wasn't) and finding clothes that fit!!!
9. Have you thought about what being recognized from appearing on the show will be like?
Many of my friends are actors so often when I'm out for coffee with one of them someone will recognize them and comment on something they have seen them in. It would be bizarre to have it happen to me, but I don't think it would make me uncomfortable. I'll be happy as long as strangers aren't judging me for what I put in to my cart at the grocery store... I never want to hear: "Hey, aren't you that woman from that show? Do you think you should you be buying ice-cream?".
10. Do you have a habit or a hobby that your viewers may be surprised to learn about you?
I collect rubber ducks, I have about 80 of them - all different.
