Tuesday, June 21, 2011

I Will Cry No More! Bullies Be Gone!

Too often, I hear horrible stories of my friends being made to feel less than human by some random jerk with a rude comment about being fat. I, too, have fallen prey to these (for lack of a better word) bullies. My personal experience began in elementary school. In third grade the boys called my best friend and I "Crockett and Tubbs" (from Miami Vice). My friend had been given an unfortunate short and curly perm that made her dark hair look like an Afro and I was chubby (hence, the name Tubbs belonged to me).

Me in the third grade. BTW...I look nothing like Detective Tubbs. He was the one with the Afro. I guess the boys weren't too smart, but they sure thought they were so clever.

Fourth grade was my toughest year and most damaging to my fragile self-esteem. This was when I came face to face with creatures called "Mean Girls." For whatever reason, the leader of this group did not like me. She was one of the two most popular girls in our class and we went to a small Catholic School, so there weren't many kids to choose from for friendship. I had my small group of close friends and we would look out for each other. Well, this girl (we'll call her Queen Bee) started a secret girls' club and started inviting all the girls in our class, including my friends, to join. When the club was completely full of members, I was the one and only girl in our class that was left out. I couldn't blame my friends for joining. For once in their lives they belonged. The whole ordeal may have lasted a couple of months, but to me it was an eternity of solitude. I must have looked so sad and pathetic wandering around the playground all by self every day at recess. Being shunned is one of the most terrible feelings a person can experience.

Me as a singing firefly in our Christmas musical (fourth grade). The Mean Girls also made fun of my singing, so I went for several years thinking I couldn't sing. Thankfully, I had the best choir teacher ever, my Junior and Senior years in high school. He broke down the wall I had built up and started the process of bringing out my singing voice. Now I love to sing and I'm a vocalist on our praise team at church.

Fifth grade was completely different. I had my friends back, I got the teacher I wanted and life was good. Also, Queen Bee had a different teacher than me, so I didn't have to be around her much.

The fifth grade me playing with my friends. My BFF is giving me a piggy-back ride.

The following year, my best friend transferred to a new school, so I was on my own once again. I still had other friends that I got along with, but there's nothing like having your BFF with you. Sixth grade would have been decent, if not for a "Mean Girl" in the grade ahead of me. I was in that awkward in between stage of adolescence when it looked like I had mosquito bites on my chest. My mom didn't think I was quite ready for a bra. This girl decided to nickname me "Bra-less Girl." Just what I needed. Anytime she saw me she felt the need to say something mean to me and got her friends to join in. I didn't even know her.

Me in sixth grade. We were performing a skit for a Girl Scout event. I'm the damsel in distress with the stick of dynamite in my mouth.

I finally transferred to public school in seventh grade. Junior High and High School were great for me. I was still chubby, but I had gotten into playing softball and had a fairly athletic build. I made all kinds of great friends and life was good once more. Please know that I hold no animosity whatsoever towards the bullies from my childhood. They were just kids and most have completely changed in their adulthood. I'm even Facebook friends with some. The adults who continue to bully, on the other hand, should know better!

Me in ninth grade. This was my 15th birthday.

The first time I experienced a random act of rudeness as an adult was when I was nine months pregnant with my son. I had gained 46 pounds and was swollen from being at the end of my pregnancy. This man I was sitting next to on the bus looked at me and said, "It must be hard to be so fat!" I couldn't believe I had just heard such a rude comment, so I simply told him that I was pregnant. His response was, "So, you're still fat!" I tried my best not to cry until he was gone. My husband was with me at the time, but hadn't heard that conversation. I knew Jemel would have punched the guy in the face, so I didn't tell him until he asked why I was crying.

Anthony on board, Summer 1998. Wow we looked young!

I've also encountered negative feedback in my career, due to my weight. It's like when people see an overweight person, they automatically label that person as lazy. I've gotten that from more than one employer. They perceive me as a lazy worker, so I have to bust my behind to try not to appear lazy. I end up getting burned out and lose all motivation to do my job. My performance suffers and then I really do look lazy.

It's unfortunate that we can allow normal people, that are no better than anyone, to have such power over us. One snide remark can completely ruin our day. My daughter told me this weekend that she is being bullied by the boys and older kids at her summer camp. Will this vicious cycle never end? Well, I refuse to cry anymore over rude and ignorant people!  I am more motivated to change my life now, than any other time in my entire life. I am going to change the world, starting with me, one pound at a time! Bullies be gone!

On a much more positive note, this week was a really great week! Check out my latest weight loss update video! I finally met my first short-term goal! Yay!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

A Tribute to the Best Dad (and "Opa") Ever...Happy Fathers' Day!

Our Father/Daughter dance at my wedding, November 22, 2008.

John Ihrig has answered to many names over the years; John, Johnny, Ike, Buddha, The Professor, Green-eyed Soul Brother (my personal favorite), Mr. News, and most recently Opa (German for Grandpa). I know him best as Dad.

My dad, the Maryland Fan. I believe I've used this facial expression many times.

Friend to many, stranger to none. My dad rarely meets a person he doesn't want to chat it up with. I was very shy as a child (not so much anymore) so I've always admired this quality in him. He was, and still is, my super hero (Captain Commando). When my mom needed a co-leader for our Girl Scout events, my dad was there. The best DJ our Girl Scout overnight lock-ins ever had, hands down! I could always count on him to go door to door with me selling cookies. He also used to make up the coolest Mickey Mouse detective stories, that he would tell to my brother and me before we went to bed. Complete with all the voices. Just about every Saturday, we could count on having a yummy pancake breakfast prepared with love by Chef Dad.

My dad, Sean and me in the early 80s. Check out our awesome fashion!

Me and my dad at the Girl Scout Father/Daughter Banquet, Spring 1989.

I am so blessed to have a wonderful dad in my life. Wish I could say I've always been the best daughter, but my teen years were tough. Thankfully, we all survived to tell about it! Now I'm all grown up with a family of my own. My kids call my dad Opa.

My dad (Opa) holding my son, Anthony, who is now almost 13.

When it comes to personality and goofy sense of humor, my dad and I were cut from the same cloth. There are times when the silliness gets out of hand and we laugh so hard we can't breath. We have always had the best conversations. He also loves to dance, as do I. Check out this video clip of my dad getting his groove on (I did get his permission to share, honest). It's pretty awesome!


I will close by saying, "Thanks for everything, Dad! Happy Fathers' Day!! Smooches and Big Bear Hugs!"
Love,
Your Baby Girl, Theresa

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Nothing Says Inches Lost, Like Denim Sweatpants

What are denim sweatpants, you ask? Denim sweatpants is the affectionate name I've given my size 22 jeans. In March when I applied for The Biggest Loser this pair of pants fit me like a glove. Now they're baggy and I must wear a belt to keep them up properly. Wouldn't want to get caught sporting a "sag" in the wrong company! Lol! As I lose weight, it's getting more and more challenging to find clothes to wear in my closet. This is a great problem to have, but I'm really going to have to break down and go shopping soon...oh darn (slight sarcasm).

Me, modeling my denim "sweatpants."

All kidding aside, this brings me to the subject for today...Visual Aids. For so many of us, who are trying to lose weight, it can get hard to see our progress by simply looking at the scale or in the mirror. Obviously, we see ourselves everyday and even though our bodies are transforming, the changes are subtle and hard to notice. Visual aids are a fun way to help us see how far we've come on our weight loss journey, and keep us motivated. My visual aids consist of photographs, videos, my Motivation Board and periodically trying on my old "fat" clothes/new "skinny" clothes.

This is my most awesome Motivation Board. Each month I'll add a new photo, so I can see myself shrink.


Unfortunately, it's easy to get discouraged on this journey. The key to success is staying positive and not giving up, even if you have a bad day and eat a whole bag of cookies. Write it in your food journal (if you keep one, and I highly recommend it) and get back on plan. Let your visual aids remind you of your awesomeness. What do you use as a visual aid? Let me know in the comments section, and feel free to use any of my ideas.

To quote the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz, "I'm meeeeeeeelting!" The witch wasn't too happy to be melting, but I am loving it! Check out my latest weight loss update video below.





Monday, June 6, 2011

On The Road Again...Tempt Me Not, Ye Wendy's Frosty!

Me and my awesome Hubby (Jemel) at Chick-fil-A.

Madison (almost 7) and Anthony (almost 13) enjoying a little bit of ice cream after their lunch.

Today the Gause Family packed up the car for a road trip to Charlotte, NC. We were meeting my parents there (They live in Virginia and this would be the half way point between their home and Atlanta) to have lunch and drop our son, Anthony, off with them. Anthony gets to spend the month of June with his Opa and Oma (That's what the kids call my parents. It's German for Grandpa and Grandma). Knowing we would be on the road for about 4 1/2 hours each way, I made sure to pack plenty of bottled water, grapes, baby carrots, granola bars and baked chips so we would have healthy snacks and not have to waste our money and calories on junk. On one of our many restroom breaks, my hubby brings back Frosty treats from Wendy's to the car. I immediately said, "No Thanks," and stuffed a handful of dry Multi Grain Cheerios in my mouth, before I could "accidentally" shove a spoonful of chocolaty Frosty goodness in there instead. You see, my husband is very supportive of my weight loss efforts, but he doesn't really get the intense battle I go through with temptation every day. Thankfully, I'm extremely motivated and focused now, so that Frosty can go hop in the trashcan for all I care.

Madison is holding her right leg up, so you can't see it, but she broke her foot this past Friday. I feel so bad that she has to go through this, especially at the beginning of her Summer break! Sooooo...As you can imagine, each of our restroom breaks on this trip carried a little bit of a challenge with it. Good times!

We finally arrived in Mooresville, NC, which is a suburb of Charlotte, for a nice family lunch at one of our favorite spots, Chick-fil-A. I did decide to have the signature fried chicken sandwich (about 9 WW points), but I substituted fruit for the fries and I drank Diet Dr. Pepper, instead of the real stuff. It was a very nice, yet way too brief, visit with my parents. Before I knew it, we were all finished eating and a huge part of my heart was leaving for Virginia. Jemel, Madison and I got back on the road to go home to Atlanta, GA...Sniff!

Anthony, Mom (Sandy a.k.a. Oma), Dad (John a.k.a. Opa), me and Madison

During our lengthy ride home, I was met with temptation once again. This time the culprits were a Snickers bar and a king size bag of Peanut M&Ms. Of course my sweet hubby offered to share his sinful snacks. I politely said no to the Snickers right off the bat, but a couple of hours later I gave in to the M&Ms. Since I was allowing my self to enjoy a treat I hadn't had in months, I knew I had to approach this in a controlled manner. I let my husband eat a handful at a time while I sucked on one M&M at a time. This resulted in him eating the majority of the bag and me getting a taste of chocolate, but not going overboard.

I have to say that I'm pretty proud of how I handled the dreaded Road Trip Temptation. If I can do it, anyone can! Yay me, and yay us! We can do it!!!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Who Is Theresa, and What Is This Journey All About?

My mom, me and my little brother at the White House when I was 11 years old.
Hello, friends!
Hmmmm...Where do I begin? Let's see...My journey to freedom from obesity began this past March when I applied to be on The Biggest Loser, Season 12 (my audition video is included at the end of this post, if you're interested in viewing it). I was almost 268 lbs and feeling trapped in my own body. Although this journey got started in March, my battle with obesity began much earlier. I've been over weight for most of my life. The first time my mom took me to Weight Watchers with her was when I was 11 years old. Imagine being in the 5th grade and having to bring tuna fish with bean sprouts in pita bread pockets for lunch. As if I didn't already feel awkward enough as a chubby pre-teen. Thankfully, I've been blessed to have a wonderful family and great friends that have always supported me throughout my life. Now I'm even more blessed to have a loving husband and three awesome kids, as well. I don't ever want to leave my loved ones early due to health problems I can prevent by losing this weight! There is so much at stake in this fight for my life.

My son, Anthony, and me at 267.8 lbs (I'm holding my friends baby).


Okay, back to The Biggest Loser...Well, I didn't get selected for the show, so I decided to start my own walk down the path to health and fitness. Fortunately, I'm not alone on this journey. During the audition waiting period I had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people on Twitter, who were also Biggest Loser (BL) 12 hopefuls. Together, we started a group called BL Team Twitter. We are all determined to lose weight by getting more active and eating healthy, while giving each other the motivation we need. BL Team Twitter also has a page on Facebook (Please check it out when you get a chance). Since getting the news that I wasn't cast for BL12, I started journaling everything I eat and all of my exercise everyday. My activity has increased, from an occasional mile walked here or there, to at least 6 miles a week. I threw out all the junk food in our house and refuse to buy it anymore. Our meals now consist of mostly lean protein, whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies. Water has become my drink of choice (I still get my coffee fix, though); drinking at least 2-3 liters per day of the H2O. I have lost a total of 17.6 lbs in the past 11 weigh-ins (I weigh in every Saturday morning) since I began! Woo hoo!!!! I do plan to try for BL, Season 13 (collecting video clips as we speak), but in the mean time I want to lose as much weight as I can on my own. Who knows, I might even be too small for the show by the time they start casting. Join me and let's do this together! You can also follow me on Twitter @tihrig74 or check me out on YouTube by searching for Tihrig1974. We can do this, one pound at a time!!!

Me at 250.2 lbs 6/4/11