The morning was totally chaotic. I had to get my kids ready to take to my parents house, and at the same time get myself ready to head to NYC. My flight was at 11:25 AM, and I left for the airport pretty early, at 9:00. The plane was absolutely tiny--three seats per row, and only like 13 rows. I was in the very front by the window. I didn't take any Xanax because I didn't want to feel drowsy when I got to the studio.
The flight was pretty smooth, and I saw a couple of cool things out the window. There was a corn maze in the shape of a spider web and a spider (being the day after Halloween, it was very appropriate). I saw all the snow that dumped on the east coast. And then I saw THE CITY. I couldn't believe how amazing it was from the plane--I could see everything!
When we landed, we actually had to go down portable steps and get into a bus that took us to the terminal. Like I said, VERY small plane! I was supposed to go to baggage claim and find my driver, who would be holding a sign with my last name on it. He was easy to spot, because he was VERY tall (I later learned he was 6'10"). He was SUPER nice, and he chatted with me all the way to the studio, which was about 30-40 minutes away.
When I learned that he drives a lot of celebrities, I wanted to hear all about them--and he told me some fun info about his opinions of certain people ;) When he asked about why I was going to appear on The Dr. Oz Show, and I told him about my weight loss, he said that as a very tall person, he has a lot of the same physical issues that obese people have. He's even broken a few chairs.
So I arrived at Rockefeller Plaza (where the studio is) and had to check in with security. They gave me a little pass to swipe to get to the elevators. I couldn't figure out how to work it, and someone came over to help me. Classy as always. Then Kyle, the travel coordinator for the Dr. Oz Show saw me and took me up to the offices.
I met Ali, the producer who first discovered my e-mail and got the ball rolling for me--she was SO NICE, and I immediately liked her. Then I met Margaret, who I feel knows more about me than a lot of my friends by now--she's the one that wrote the show, and asked me millions of questions in order to do so. I met other people, and I feel awful that I don't remember everyone's names. Everybody was super friendly, and made me feel very comfortable.
Margaret went over the gist of the show with me, and then I went to this little sound booth to record a narration (I forget what they call it). At the beginning of my part of the show, there are my pictures shown on the screen and my voice narrating in the background. Everything I said was pretty accurate, but I just wish I'd had more of a say in what content was there. I just hope it sounded sincere!
I did request one change, which they made for me. I had to read it directly off the paper (over and over again, with someone instructing me HOW to say it). While I was waiting to do the voice, I chatted with the sound-guy (again, forget his name!) I asked him a million questions about how it all works and he explained it to me. I asked him if he watches the show, and he said no. LOL
After recording that part (it only took about 10 minutes total), I went into Margaret's office and role-played the show about four times (she played Dr. Oz asking me questions, and I answered). I still didn't feel 100% confident with my answers, and there were lots of things I wanted to say but I couldn't--I wanted to mention Sparkpeople, my blog, and some of the advice that you all told me I should mention. When watching the show, you wouldn't even realize it's me, because I didn't get to say any of the things that I find MOST relevant to my weight loss (like RUNNING for example; Sparkpeople; my blog; not making changes you aren't willing to live with forever). But I'll talk about that part later.
After role-playing with Margaret, an intern (she had a cool name and now I forget!) took me to Lucky Magazine's offices where I was told I was going to have a clothes fitting. This ended up being the worst part of my trip. There were three dresses the Lucky stylist chose for me, and they were HIDEOUS (in my opinion, of course!). One of them, the stylist agreed wasn't even an option when I put it on. The other two, she really liked, but I HATED. I was nearly in tears as I tried them on.
They were very blousy and large--like a muumuu. But because they were cinched in the waist, she told me they were "slimming". And she wanted me to wear black tights with them. Now, I'm certainly no stylist for Lucky magazine, but I would NEVER make someone wear these dresses! I'm embarrassed to even show them here:
SERIOUSLY?! I was smiling for the pics, but I felt the lump in my throat and I really just wanted to get to my hotel room and cry. I couldn't believe this was happening. I am NOT a picky person, and I was so grateful for everything that The Dr. Oz Show was doing for me, but I couldn't go on TV looking like that. I told the intern how I felt, and she said she would relay the message to Ali.
The stylist seemed offended that I didn't like her choices, so I didn't want to dwell on it in front of her. But it didn't help that she said I was "hippy"--meaning that I have big hips. What the?! First, I don't think I have big hips at ALL for my body size; and second, I had just lost 100+ pounds and the last thing you should point out is a flaw in my body. That does not help one's self-esteem.
The intern escorted me (in a cab) to my hotel. I was staying at the AKA Central Park, and it was awesome. I checked in, went up to my room, and took a few pictures before messing things up:
I called Jerry, and just started sobbing. I told him that I made a big mistake, that I shouldn't have come. I was going to look like an idiot on national TV, and it was too late to back out. He told me the dresses couldn't be THAT bad (typical man-response, right?!). I was starving at this point, because I had a protein shake for breakfast at 7:00, then a Larabar on the plane. And that was IT, and it was now 6:00 pm.
I then started crying because I wanted to get something for dinner, but it was NYC and I didn't want to get lost or hurt going out by myself. I just felt SO overwhelmed. I stopped crying long enough to talk to my mom and sister on the phone (I didn't want them to know how upset I was). Then I felt sorry for myself a little longer. Then I wiped all the mascara off my face and went down to the lobby.
I asked if there was anything super close by that I could eat, and he told me some ideas. I walked down the street and realized that DUH, it's NYC, there is food everywhere. So I walked halfway around the block and found a restaurant that looked decent. The people working there were rude, but I learned quickly that nearly everybody I encountered was rude in NYC (at least compared to where I live). I ordered dinner and took it back to my room at the hotel.
Penne with tomatoes and basil, salad, garlic bread and Sprite Zero. Not pictured: An oatmeal raisin cookie for dessert. I ate about 3/4 of the penne, two bites of salad (it was gross), all of the bread, and the cookie. I wasn't stuffed, but I was definitely satisfied, and feeling better.
I started watching a stupid movie on HBO and then Ali (the producer) called. She said she heard about the dress situation, and if I wanted to, I could wear the dress that I brought. I was so happy I would have kissed her had she been in front of me. (FYI, I brought along the blue/black dress that I wore to Sarah's bridal shower in June). After eating, and hearing from Ali, I was feeling much better. I started going over the questions that Dr. Oz was most likely going to ask me, and trying to smooth out my answers.
Then Margaret called and said that she had to cut out parts of the show for time--they were eliminating parts from everyone. She took out two questions, and I was bummed to see that one of them was about advice that I have for others, where I was going to talk about not making any changes that you aren't willing to live with FOREVER. On the other hand, it was nice to have less questions to worry about answering! Margaret was great with helping me feel prepared for the show!
I took a Xanax so that I could calm down enough to be able to sleep, and I was asleep by 10.
The flight was pretty smooth, and I saw a couple of cool things out the window. There was a corn maze in the shape of a spider web and a spider (being the day after Halloween, it was very appropriate). I saw all the snow that dumped on the east coast. And then I saw THE CITY. I couldn't believe how amazing it was from the plane--I could see everything!
When we landed, we actually had to go down portable steps and get into a bus that took us to the terminal. Like I said, VERY small plane! I was supposed to go to baggage claim and find my driver, who would be holding a sign with my last name on it. He was easy to spot, because he was VERY tall (I later learned he was 6'10"). He was SUPER nice, and he chatted with me all the way to the studio, which was about 30-40 minutes away.
When I learned that he drives a lot of celebrities, I wanted to hear all about them--and he told me some fun info about his opinions of certain people ;) When he asked about why I was going to appear on The Dr. Oz Show, and I told him about my weight loss, he said that as a very tall person, he has a lot of the same physical issues that obese people have. He's even broken a few chairs.
So I arrived at Rockefeller Plaza (where the studio is) and had to check in with security. They gave me a little pass to swipe to get to the elevators. I couldn't figure out how to work it, and someone came over to help me. Classy as always. Then Kyle, the travel coordinator for the Dr. Oz Show saw me and took me up to the offices.
I met Ali, the producer who first discovered my e-mail and got the ball rolling for me--she was SO NICE, and I immediately liked her. Then I met Margaret, who I feel knows more about me than a lot of my friends by now--she's the one that wrote the show, and asked me millions of questions in order to do so. I met other people, and I feel awful that I don't remember everyone's names. Everybody was super friendly, and made me feel very comfortable.
Margaret went over the gist of the show with me, and then I went to this little sound booth to record a narration (I forget what they call it). At the beginning of my part of the show, there are my pictures shown on the screen and my voice narrating in the background. Everything I said was pretty accurate, but I just wish I'd had more of a say in what content was there. I just hope it sounded sincere!
I did request one change, which they made for me. I had to read it directly off the paper (over and over again, with someone instructing me HOW to say it). While I was waiting to do the voice, I chatted with the sound-guy (again, forget his name!) I asked him a million questions about how it all works and he explained it to me. I asked him if he watches the show, and he said no. LOL
After recording that part (it only took about 10 minutes total), I went into Margaret's office and role-played the show about four times (she played Dr. Oz asking me questions, and I answered). I still didn't feel 100% confident with my answers, and there were lots of things I wanted to say but I couldn't--I wanted to mention Sparkpeople, my blog, and some of the advice that you all told me I should mention. When watching the show, you wouldn't even realize it's me, because I didn't get to say any of the things that I find MOST relevant to my weight loss (like RUNNING for example; Sparkpeople; my blog; not making changes you aren't willing to live with forever). But I'll talk about that part later.
After role-playing with Margaret, an intern (she had a cool name and now I forget!) took me to Lucky Magazine's offices where I was told I was going to have a clothes fitting. This ended up being the worst part of my trip. There were three dresses the Lucky stylist chose for me, and they were HIDEOUS (in my opinion, of course!). One of them, the stylist agreed wasn't even an option when I put it on. The other two, she really liked, but I HATED. I was nearly in tears as I tried them on.
They were very blousy and large--like a muumuu. But because they were cinched in the waist, she told me they were "slimming". And she wanted me to wear black tights with them. Now, I'm certainly no stylist for Lucky magazine, but I would NEVER make someone wear these dresses! I'm embarrassed to even show them here:
The stylist seemed offended that I didn't like her choices, so I didn't want to dwell on it in front of her. But it didn't help that she said I was "hippy"--meaning that I have big hips. What the?! First, I don't think I have big hips at ALL for my body size; and second, I had just lost 100+ pounds and the last thing you should point out is a flaw in my body. That does not help one's self-esteem.
The intern escorted me (in a cab) to my hotel. I was staying at the AKA Central Park, and it was awesome. I checked in, went up to my room, and took a few pictures before messing things up:
I called Jerry, and just started sobbing. I told him that I made a big mistake, that I shouldn't have come. I was going to look like an idiot on national TV, and it was too late to back out. He told me the dresses couldn't be THAT bad (typical man-response, right?!). I was starving at this point, because I had a protein shake for breakfast at 7:00, then a Larabar on the plane. And that was IT, and it was now 6:00 pm.
I then started crying because I wanted to get something for dinner, but it was NYC and I didn't want to get lost or hurt going out by myself. I just felt SO overwhelmed. I stopped crying long enough to talk to my mom and sister on the phone (I didn't want them to know how upset I was). Then I felt sorry for myself a little longer. Then I wiped all the mascara off my face and went down to the lobby.
I asked if there was anything super close by that I could eat, and he told me some ideas. I walked down the street and realized that DUH, it's NYC, there is food everywhere. So I walked halfway around the block and found a restaurant that looked decent. The people working there were rude, but I learned quickly that nearly everybody I encountered was rude in NYC (at least compared to where I live). I ordered dinner and took it back to my room at the hotel.
Penne with tomatoes and basil, salad, garlic bread and Sprite Zero. Not pictured: An oatmeal raisin cookie for dessert. I ate about 3/4 of the penne, two bites of salad (it was gross), all of the bread, and the cookie. I wasn't stuffed, but I was definitely satisfied, and feeling better.
I started watching a stupid movie on HBO and then Ali (the producer) called. She said she heard about the dress situation, and if I wanted to, I could wear the dress that I brought. I was so happy I would have kissed her had she been in front of me. (FYI, I brought along the blue/black dress that I wore to Sarah's bridal shower in June). After eating, and hearing from Ali, I was feeling much better. I started going over the questions that Dr. Oz was most likely going to ask me, and trying to smooth out my answers.
Then Margaret called and said that she had to cut out parts of the show for time--they were eliminating parts from everyone. She took out two questions, and I was bummed to see that one of them was about advice that I have for others, where I was going to talk about not making any changes that you aren't willing to live with FOREVER. On the other hand, it was nice to have less questions to worry about answering! Margaret was great with helping me feel prepared for the show!
I took a Xanax so that I could calm down enough to be able to sleep, and I was asleep by 10.
