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

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.

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!!!

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