I had my photo shoot today. I wasn't too thrilled about traveling there and back (up at 5am, at the post office by 6am to pick up my tickets, then on to the train to London, then on the Underground twice, then on an overground train again and then in a taxi and that was just to get to the shoot. I had to do it all again to come home.) But everyone at the shoot was really nice.
The first person I met was Jan Lynegar, the Slimming World editorial assistant. She is a beautiful and tall blonde who looked like she should be strolling on a beach in California rather than standing in a small English house on a cloudy day. She was really nice and easy to talk with.
I was a little unfair on Jan in taking a photo of her while we were all eating, so the photo doesn't really do her justice. In fact, none of the photos I took today are very good, but I was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, so I wasn't really setting up my shots.
Next, I met Vicky Burdon, the Slimming World art editor. She was really sweet. She's a petite blonde who looks like she would fit right in with the Dallas Cowgirl Cheerleading squad. (She helped me find the right Underground trains to take on my way home, even going part of the way with me.) I'm not surprised that she and Jan were so sweet though as everyone I have ever met from Slimming World headquarters have been really great.
This is Fay and Vicky. Again, I snapped the shot fo them while they were talking. If anyone I photographed today wants to send me a nicer photo of themselves for me to substitute for these shots, I will be happy to do so.)
I met a woman named Fay who was being photographed before me. She was great and appeared to be enjoying the photo shoot. They took some shots of her outside just before it started raining.
I got to have my make-up done twice (because it needed to match the color of my outfits). Liz Kitchiner, who did my make-up and hair, really knew what she was doing, because I hardly recognized myself by the time she was done. My hair was given two different styles. Liz even added some hair attachments underneath because my hair is a little on the thin side and she wanted to thicken it up. I got to wear it down with loose curls and also in a loose, low-lying ponytail to the side (also with loose curls).
This is Liz in front of the table covered in her equipment. Her hand is on the hairspray that she used. Every time she used it on me, she apologized for spraying "poinson" at me (because of the fumes).
Rachel Fanconi was the stylist who helped pick out the outfits, jewelery and shoes for me. She was really nice and had a great eye for what would look good. I also got to wear four separate outfits (all dresses with shrugs/jackets, complete with matching earrings, rings and high-heeled shoes). I got to wear a white dress with a purple flowers print. I got to wear a pale blue and soft brown patterned dress that was soft and feminine. I got to wear a dress with a sort-of golden brown color to it. It wasn't a dress I would have normally picked out for myself but I had to admit that it looked good on me. It had an unusual neckline. I also got to wear a white dress with green and black print on it with a matching green jacket.
This is Rachel amongst the clothes and going through some bags of jewelery.
We were all provided with sandwiches, fruit and diet coke/coffee/tea. The sandwiches were not Slimming World-friendly, but at least we had something for lunch. The fruit was really nice. There was a lot of sliced apple, some pineapples slices, strawberries, green grapes and more.
I didn't have to wear nylons because they rubbed a lotion all over my legs which turned them tan (temporarily). (I have some SERIOUSLY pale legs naturally!) It was fun to see the photos on the computer screen after they were taken and see how tan my legs looked compared to their natural look.
The photographer Paul Buller had a Canon and lots of equipment. Despite having to work with some not-so-great lighting conditions, he took some great photos. He gave me some instructions for my poses, and would have to pause in his shooting when either Liz would dash in front of me to fix my hair or make-up from time to time or Rachel would dash in front to straighten or adjust my clothes.
This is Paul, a top London photographer, but Paul didn't work alone. His assistant is pictured below.
It was a long day though. I got to the shoot at about 9:00am (I was early), and we weren't done until 5:00pm. I didn't get home until around 7:30pm. I left my overly glamorous make-up on for the trip home so that my kids could see it. I knew the girls would love to see their mom all made up. robert took a quick photo of me when I got home. (My hair was a mess by then though.)
I looked a bit tired, the make-up was starting to wear off and the lighting was not ideal for the photo, but here I am.
All in all, it was a fun experience and kind of nice to get pampered. I will be sent a copy of the magazine when it goes out and also I will get copies of the photos. I have to admit that I am a little excited about geting to see the results!
Robert, Cameron and I were on Daybreak this morning on ITV. If you are in the UK and missed it, you can view it here.
We arrived by train last night and we stayed at the Mint Hotel in Westminster. It had some beautiful views. We were treated to a meal in the restaurant and it was very enjoyable.
Our morning today started with an early wake up call. I'm glad we arranged for an early wake up call, because, although we were told we would be on at 8:30am and would be picked up from the hotel at 7:50am, we got a phone call at 6:45am telling us that our ride was already waiting. Apparently, there was a mix-up and we were supposed to be on at 7:15am instead.
We threw our clothes on and got Cameron dressed. And then we were on our way.
I realized when we got there that wearing a purple dress wasn't the best plan of mine, since the couches were also purple. We got our microphones put on and then I was informed that we were not supposed to mention Slimming World at all. And right after that, I was introduced and asked the question, "So how did you do it?" I tried to make it clear that I went to Slimming World without actually saying the word. I put emphasis on the word "Slimming" and spoke the word "club" very softly. And I mentioned that it was one that allowed me to join while pregnant (with doctor and midwife approval). I don't think there are any other weight loss clubs that allow pregnant women to join. I might be wrong though.
We were asked to stay on until the end, so we spent the rest of the time following Cameron as he ran up and down the halls and waved hello at people. At one point, he ran up behind the weather girl, Lucy Verasamy, who had just entered the hallway and he reached up with both hands and startled her by patting her bum a few times. (I apologized for him, the cheeky little monkey!)
While in the "green room" (where the guests wait to go on), Channing Tatum joined us for a little bit. I must admit, I wasn't sure who he was, but then Robert looked his name up on-line using his phone and we both realized that we had seen "Dear John" which he starred in.
We were brought back out to the couch at the end where everyone sat together.
Then we were taken back to the hotel, packed up our things and took the train home again.
When we got home, we watched the recording of the show. I immediately decided that I wore the wrong dress for it as it made my stomach look big and squishy (to my mind). And then I started critiquing other things about myself (my overbite, etc). Then I realized what I was doing and had to put a stop to it. Seriously, after all of the weight I have lost and all of the times I have worked on being confident and not letting that negative self-talk undermine me, I quickly had reverted back to it once I realized lots of others would see me on the tv. Old habits really do die hard, and it is something I will probably always be having to work through.
Still, it was a lovely day and a fun experience. I wish they'd asked Robert a few questions too though, as he has lost a lot of weight too.
If you are in the UK, you may have watched ITV's morning show, from 6:00am until 9:00am, called Daybreak. Robert and I, along with our two year old Cameron, will be on the couch on the Daybreak show this Thursday morning to talk with the show's hosts!
I have no way to record the show, which is disappointing, but I'm still excited about appearing on it!
We'll be talking about our weight loss. I'm a bit nervous about how Cameron will behave. At two years old, he could act like a complete angel or he could choose to behave as a complete little devil. We'll have to wait and see.
If you have the time on Thursday morning, tune in to Daybreak and you'll see us there!
I am featured on page 28 of this week's Take A Break magazine (10th March 2011, Issue 10)!
They got some of the details wrong though. For instance, it says that I had Connor by cesarean, but I have never had a c-section, though I was threatened with having one. It also states that Robert and I met in a chat room, and that I had gone on-line out of loneliness, which is all incorrect, although Robert and I did meet on-line. The general gist if the story is correct though, and I believe they tried to get the details right.
The thing that annoys me about the article though is that they name the street we live on. The article talks about my kids and large family. It even names my kids. It shows a picture of my whole family, kids included. And then, as irresponsible as it is, it mentions MY STREET ADDRESS! And the thing is, my street address was not even germaine to the story!
I am not overly worried about it though as we are moving within the month, but if we weren't I would have been fuming.
Either way, it's fun being featured, so if you are in the UK, go have a look at this week's Take A Break.
I know that some of you are worried that you will overindulge in chocolate or while eating a meal at a restaurant on this day, but I believe in moderation and in not having to give up anything completely. So go out and enjoy a light meal out, and let yourself have one or two chocolates. Enjoy your Valentine's Day, just don't let your eating get out of hand. And if you have not been as "good" as you think you should have been, you can always make up for it tomorrow.
Life has to be lived. Living for weight loss alone is not a life.
This was previously posted in the November 2011 issue of Beverly Hills Child Magazine where I write monthly about ways to ensure we raise healthy children.
One of the best and simplest ways to get your kids to eat healthier is by letting them help you make family meals. Children love to help, and they are more likely to eat food that they have prepared with their own hands and by their own efforts.
The following are some simple snack and meal ideas that children can help make.
1. Kebabs – Cut chicken or lean beef into large chunks, chop up some bell peppers into large pieces, set out a bowl of cherry tomatoes, chop up some onions into large pieces and set everything out with some skewers. Let your child push the pieces of meat, peppers, onion and tomatoes onto the skewers in whatever order they choose to and then grill them yourself. It’s a great way to help your child feel pride in helping you make the meal and also to get your child to eat vegetables (bell pepper, onion and tomato).
2. Dips for vegetables– Chop up carrots into sticks. Clean and prepare mushrooms and celery. Chop bell peppers into strips. Wash and set out cherry tomatoes. Then let your child help you make some dips. Use fat-free fromage frais or plain yogurt in several separate bowls and let your child choose which spices and seasonings to add to each one. You could have a jalapeno and cheese dip, using finely diced jalapenos and grated low-fat cheese, or you could have onion and chive dip by adding chopped fresh chives and finely diced onion. You could make a garlic and onion dip using garlic powder and onion powder. Your child might prefer a taco dip which would just take some taco seasoning. You can also have some dry soup packets, such as Lipton’s Onion Soup and add those to the plain yogurt to make a delicious and healthy dip.
3. Burgers – Finely dice onion and bell peppers. Let your child add the diced vegetables and whatever spices you wish to add to a bowl full of ground lean beef or ground turkey. Next, your child can use her hands to mash it all together and mix it up. Kids love the tactile sensations of getting messy while making this, and they will also enjoy patting the burgers into balls that they can then flatten onto a plate. Next, you grill the burgers and serve them on whole wheat buns with some lettuce and slices of tomato.
4. Peanut butter apple dip – This one is really easy to make. Let your child mix one 190g pot of fat-free vanilla or fat-free toffee yogurt to ½ cup of reduced fat and reduced sugar peanut butter. Once it is mixed until it’s smooth, give your child some apple slices to dip in it.
5. Healthy personal pizzas – Mix some tomato sauce with some oregano, a dash of salt, some garlic and a bit of pepper. Lay out some whole wheat pita breads. Prepare some low-fat grated cheese. Chop up some bell peppers and onion. Set everything out and let your child take a pita bread and top it to make his own pizza. Once he has added the toppings that he wants, just bake it for about 5 minutes at 250 degrees.
6. Fruit salad – Wash red grapes, green grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Chop up some cantaloupe and honeydew melon into bite-sized chunks. Let your child choose which of the types of fruit that she wants to add to her own bowl of fruit salad, and then let her pour an individual-sized pot of fat-free yogurt, in a flavour of her choice, over the fruit. Using a large bowl, let her make a fruit salad with all of the left-over fruit to serve to others.
7. Healthy Strawberries and cream – Wash and slice strawberries into a bowl. Let your child sprinkle a small amount of sweetener over his bowl of strawberries. Open an individual-sized pot of fat-free vanilla yogurt and let your child add two tablespoons of sweetener to it and mix it well. Then he can pour the yogurt and sweetener mixture over his strawberries and enjoy it!
8. Mexican meatballs – Finely dice some spring onions. Put one pound of lean ground pork into a large bowl. Let your child pour a packet of taco seasoning into the bowl and then add the diced spring onions to the bowl. Next, let your child mix it all together with their hands, letting it all squish between their fingers. Then your child can roll the mix into individual balls, small enough to make 15 meatballs. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 300 degrees.
9. Pasta – This is very simple and once you’ve boiled and drained the whole wheat pasta, your child should have no problems doing the rest. Your child will just need to add two heaped tablespoons of extra light mayonnaise , a bit of seasoning and about a handful of low-fat grated cheese. If these are added right away, the cheese melts and sticks in a tasty manner to the pasta. You do not have to add vegetables to the meal, but throwing in some peas or corn will add nutritional value to the meal.
10. Jacket potatoes – You will need to prepare some toppings for your child to choose from, such as tuna and mayonnaise, baked beans, low-fat grated cheese, or other toppings. Bake your jacket potatoes after piercing them several times with a fork and spraying them with a low calorie oil spray. One hour at 300 degrees should be enough time for the potatoes to bake. Once the potatoes are removed from the oven, let them sit for ten minutes, the put a potato on your child’s plate and slice it across in two cuts, one horizontal and one vertical. Place the potato on its plate in front of your child and let them choose how they wish to top their jacket potato.
There are many ways to serve healthy meals to your kids, but letting them help and be a part of the preparation is the best way to insure that they will want to, at least, try the food they are helping prepare. In all of the above suggestions, let your child be creative. He might come up with ideas of his own that will help improve or change the meal. It’s important to give your child choices but healthy ones, so that she can feel that she has some control over what she eats, and you can be assured that, whatever she chooses, it will be healthy.
I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to review the Philips AirFryer, something I have really wanted to try out.
The AirFryer makes it simple to give food a "deep fried" taste without using a lot of oil. The instructions say that, if you are using convenience food (like frozen chips (french fries) or chicken nuggets for frying), you don't need to add any oil to it at all. When using fresh, homemade ingredients, such as potatoes that you've peeled and sliced yourself, you need to add a very small amount of oil. For 500g of potatoes, you only need to add 1/2 a tablespoon of oil.
According to the materials that came with it, the Philips AirFryer will save you 80% of the fat in your "frying."
The Philips AirFryer arrived encased in a lot of packaging, but I was thankful to see that it didn't contain any styrofoam in its packaging.
I was given this Philips AirFryer in exchange for my reviewing it, so I figured I had better try out both methods of cooking with it. First, I cooked up some "fry chips" from the freezer section of the grocery store.
It was really easy to make them. First you set the temperature.
Then you put the chips in the AirFryer.
And then you set the timer.
Halfway through the cooking, you take them out and shake them up and put them back in. It was a very simple process, and by the end, my kids had some delicious chips (french fries) that tasted, as my five year old kept telling me "absolutely delicious!" (She also told me that she really likes my new "thingy" that helped me make them.) Chicken nuggets and chips (french fries)ar enot the healthiest of foods, in general, but if you must serve them up, then cooking them without any added oil is a good thing. And the Philips AirFyer lets you do that while retaining that "deep fried" taste that you won't get from oven baking.
Having made the chips for their dinner in just 13 minutes, I then added some chicken goujons to my AirFryer. The chicken goujons came out perfectly too, and they were just as easy to "fry".
Having cooked convenience food in the AirFryer, I then had to see how well it worked with fresh food, so I peeled and sliced up some potatoes and went through the very simple process again. The chips (french fries) made with the AirFryer came out really well, although I may have cooked them a few minutes too long. They did have a taste very much like they had been fried, and I only had to use a fraction of the oil I would have had to use without it.
After I'd done all of the food for the night, I realized that the machine had come with a metal divider to be used when cooking two things at once, so I could have "fried" the chips at the same time as the goujons.
The Philips AirFryer also came with a recipe book. I love recipe books, and this one had some great recipes in it! I found out I can even make brownies in the machine, but I will more likely use it to make some of the healthier recipes that the cookbook contained. It has recipes in it such as "fish and chips," "crispy curry potato cubes with coriander salsa," "feta triangles" and "meatballs with feta," just to name a few. All of the recipes in the recipe book contain the nutritional values of the dishes.
Overall, I am really happy with the Philips AirFryer, and I am looking forward to making many more meals using it.
A friend of mine pointed out to me that I am also in today's Daily Mail nespaper. It can only be found on-line at The Mail On-Line. I'm not actually in the newspaper on the stands.
And below is one of the "before" and one of the "after" photos that they used. All of us had to go to London by train on the 29th of December in order to have "after" photos taken of me with Robert and with the kids.
Happy New Year! I hope 2011 is going to be a wonderful year for us all.
It is that time of year again when everyone starts to think about what they have achieved over the past year and what they hope to achieve in the new one. A lot of people will make new year's resolutions now. And most of those people will not stick with them any longer than next month.
Just how are you supposed to go about making resolutions and then making sure you achieve them?
Here are some quick tips, just from the top of my head.
1. Make realistic resolutions. Don't over-reach your abilities. Yes, you might be able to lose the extra 100 pounds you want to lose, but you can't expect to lose them by March. You might be able to fit into those new jeans you bought (that are a size smaller) by March though.
2. Resolve to WORK towards your goals. You will never reach any of your resolutions if you are not willing to put in the effort and take the steps needed to get attain them.
3. Believe in yourself. It is very important that you believe in your ability to reach your goals. Without that belief and confidence, you run the risk of sabatoging your own efforts.
4. Surround yourself with people who support you and believe in your goals. There is nothing more helpful than supportive friends and family who believe in you. The last thing you need if you are trying to lose weight is a friend who encourages you to "cheat" or is always giving you chocolate and sweets or taking you out for fast food.
5. Reward yourself for every step closer you get to achieving you goals. It is easy, on a long journey, to lose sight of how far you have come and to instead keep dwelling on how far you have left to go. Try to focus on what you have already achieved and how it brings you closer to your ultimate goal.
6. Write it down. Don't just write down your resolutions, but write down each step you need to take to get there. Reference this note whenever you feel tempted to slack in your efforts. Also, journal your efforts. If you are exercising, keep track of how much you are doing. If you are eating healthy, track what you are eating. Writing things down has a sort of power over our subconscious.
Robert and I were interviewed this morning on BBC Radio Wiltshire. They are doing a series on goals and resolutions in the new year and wanted to talk to us because of our weight loss.
Robert took a photo of me with Shaun Hodgetts (who was our interviewer), and you can hear the interview by clicking on the link below and fast-forwarding to 1:47 on the time of the recording. It will only be available to listen to for a limited time. (I think they only keep them available for a week.)
After the interview, we had to get home and get the family ready as we went into London for a family photo shoot which might appear in some magazines and newspapers sometime in the future.
I have been hearing from friends who are trying to lose weight that they are proud of themselves for working out when they were not feeling well. Depsite feeling sick, they managed to run that mile or went to the gym or did whatever their normal exercise routine was, and, for this, they were proud of themselves. And they should be proud of themselves.
BUT
They should also be proud of themselves if they have taken a day off from exercising to wait until they feel better. They should also be proud of themselves if they have listened to their bodies' needs and realized that their bodies needed to rest.
I am just as guilty of making myself exercise even when I am ill. A part of me feels like I have let myself down when I skip exercising for the day, but I need to stop feeling that way. There is nothing wrong with resting when I am sick. In fact, sometimes resting is exactly what my body needs, and I need to listen to my body.
I have a really bad cold this week. It is not bad enough to keep me from exercising, but my kids aren't well right now either. Some of the younger ones have been taking turns keeping me up all night long. I'm really, really tired.
My body is telling me to take a day off from exercising, to rest. I am going to listen to it. Are you listening to yours?
My good friend Litia, in conjunction with her friend Valerie, just started a new weight loss forum called Bee Healthy.
It's up and running already, and people are busy posting to it and chatting about their weight loss efforts. Everyone there is really lovely and supportive. I just had to add a word here about them and suggest that, if you're still trying to lose weight, you go and visit the site. (You have to join in order to see more than just the introductions.) And if you are already at your goal weight but know what it is like to work to reach it, go and give the ladies there some inspiration.
There is another reason to go join the site if you are still on your weight loss journey. They have a weigh-in thread, and right now, they are two weeks into a 12 week weigh-in. I have offered up a prize for the person who loses the highest percentage of weight during the 12 weeks.
The terms are that you are VERY honest about your weekly weights, that you have a beginning and ending weight, that you MUST add your weight for the last week of the month, and that you must weigh-in for at least 6 of the 12 weeks.
I just finished participating in NaNoWriMo. The goal is to write 50,000 words of your novel within the 30 days of November. I still have one more day to write, but I have already reached 53,025 words. I succeeded at it for the second year in a row!
A few years ago, I would never have even attempted it. I did not have the confindence in myself or my ability to succeed at anything. It was as if the extra weight carried with it magical powers that made me think I was not good at anything and would never be able to achieve any of my dreams.
As the weight fell away, and I kept meeting weight loss goal after goal, the power that my fat held over me faded along with the fat's disappearance. I slowly started to believe in myself again. I started setting new goals that had nothing to do with weight loss.
I just wish others realized that they are capable too. We all have the power to choose to succeed. We all have the power to believe in ourselves and to reach for our dreams.
Don't let the extra weight have power over you. Believe in yourself!
Today was Slimming World's Woman Of The Year 2010 ball. And, as I was one of the ten finalists, I got to go to the ball. :)
Sharon Painter, my Slimming World consultant, and her husband Quentin picked up Robert and me and drove us to Birmingham's ICC Centre which is where the ball was being held. We were staying in the Hyatt hotel across from it. Robert's and my room was on the 11th floor. We arrived at around 10:30am. I thought my hair and make-up appointment was at 11:00am, but when Sharon and I went to the 23rd floor for the appointment, I found out I was listed as having my appointment at noon. So Sharon, Sharon's husband and I got on the lift (known in the US as an elevator) and headed back down to my floor to pick up Robert, so we could all go out to get some lunch. There were a lot of people on the lift with us.
When we got off of the lift, Sharon's husband asked, "Did you know who that was?" I had no idea who any of the people on the lift with us were, but apparently one of them was Rio Ferdinand. For those of you in the US who are scratching your heads and wondering who Rio Ferdinand is, he is a "football" (i.e. soccer) player here who plays for Manchester United. Did I mention that people in the UK are football/soccer mad?
We went and got Robert and then got back onto the lift to head downstairs. There was a woman on the lift wearing large dark sunglasses who looked vaguely familiar. Sharon leaned towards her and said, "Your disguise is fabulous!" with a cheeky grin. She smiled and removed her sunglasses and chatted with us. It was Slimming World's founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell!
We walked outside and found a grocery store where we I bought two fruit salads and Robert bought some pasta and an egg and lettuce salad. Robert and I went back to our room to eat. I had brought some Slimming World HiFi bars with us as well as a couple cans of Sprite Zero.
Once we had eaten, it was time for my hair and make-up appointment. I went back up to the 23rd floor of the hotel. This time I did not meet any celebrities. *sigh*
The girls who did everyone's hair and make-up were very good at their jobs and everyone looked fabulous! When I got there, Julie was just finished having her hair and make-up done, while Harriet was getting her hair done and had already had her make-up done. Soon after, Jan Coupe arrived (one half of the two who won Couple Of The Year this year), and others I knew started arriving.
I had my make-up done, and then my hair done. The hairstylist decided, after my hair was curled, to sweep it up and to the side. She did a wonderful job with it. When she was finished she asked if I wanted her to spray some sparkle in my hair. She needn't have asked! Of course, I did! I'd already decided that this would be my night to shine!
Once done, I asked the artists who had styled us all if I could take their photo, and they agreed. I'd like to take this moment to thank them again for all of their hard work.
I went back to my room to change into my little black dress for the photos with Justin Lee Collins and Margaret Miles-Bramwell. Robert was not in our room. (I found out later he had gone to see "Despicable Me.")
I met up with Sharon. I had made sure to bring my camera along and took some photos while we waited. I took photos of Harriet Jenkins, Julie Cummings and Susan Melville. Harriet's consultant Joanna Mortimore was with her, and Julie was accompanied by her consultant Donna Shore.
Sharon, using my camera, took some photos of me.
And Julie took a photo with her own camera of Susan with me and one of me on my own.
Next we had the rehearsals. When we walked into the room it was already ready with the lights and the table settings.
We practiced the line-up of how we were going to walk onto the stage. We were told what songs would be playing when we walked out. (For me, the song chosen was "California Girls."And we were told the question that Juston Lee Collins would ask us (a different question for each of us). (I am laughing as I type this part, and you'll find out why later.) My question was about how Slimming World fits in with family life.
Then we were allowed some time to rest, so I went back to my room. Robert was there and he took some photos of me at the window to both show the view that we had and to show my hairstyle.
Then the fun part of the night began; I got to dress up in the dress I'd bought for the occasion! (I bought my dress at /Rosella's Bridal Gowns in Cirencester.) Robert wore a suit with dicky and bow tie. We went into a room where backdrops were set up for us to have professional photos taken. I may buy the ones we had taken at a later date and share them here, but as we knew those photos would have to wait, we took some of our own out in the hallway.
In the room where the photos were taken, this was the "bartender:"
(photo courtesy of Julie Cummings)
The fun thing about having my own blog is that, although I will be sharing photos of all of the final ten contestants and other Slimming World winners, I get to be the star here. I get to share as many pictures of myself as I want to. The irony about the fact that I want to share these photos of myself is that two years ago I would have been horrified at the thought of people all over the world seeing photos of me. I felt big and unattractive, and I preferred to be behind the camera rather than in front of it. But tonight, I suffered from none of that self-consciousness. I loved getting to dress like a princess. I loved how tiny my waist looked in the dress, and I loved showing myself off a bit for once! After all, how often does a 38 year old get to feel like a princess?
Next we all went into the ballroom and the night began in earnest. First, Margaret Miles-Bramwell came out and spoke to the audience.
Then our celebrity presenter, Justin Lee Collins, came out.
First out was Charmaine Coates. She is 33, 5'4" tall and has lost an amazin 9 stone 13 pounds (139 pounds). She is from Minehead, Somerset and her Slimming World consultant is Laraine Smith.
Next on stage was Julie Cummings. Julie is 36 years old, 5'5" tall and has lost an incredible 11 stone (154 pounds)! She is from St. Georges, Shropshire and her consultant is Donna Shore.
After Julie, it was Eileen Curoe's turn on stage. Eileen is 51 years old, 5'6" tall, and has lost a whopping 11 stone 3 pounds (157 pounds)! She is from Mayfield, Northern Ireland and her consultant is Dawn Richardson.
I was the fourth one to get to take the stage. Sharon and I had decided that, when we took the required pause as we passed through the heart-shaped entrance to the stage, she would hold up her hands up as if presenting me and I would twirl. Fortunately, I managed to do the maneuver without falling over. (Robert tried to video our entrance. It was taken with his phone and the quality is very poor. He says to listen to all of the shouts and cheers though. He says I had the largest cheering he heard that night, but our theory is that it was from the Bristol and Wiltshire district Slimming World ladies.)
For those of you who don't know, I am 38 years old, 5'3" tall (sometimes 5'2" tall depending on who is doing the measuring) and have now lost 10 stone 5 pounds (145 pounds). I am from Swindon, Wiltshire, and my consultant is Sharon Painter.
Just before we walked in, some of our story would show on the big tv screens against the wall. And the tv screens continued to show us once we were on the stage.
(photo courtesy of Clive Morgan)
(photo courtesy of Clive Morgan)
My question didn't really go as planned. I mentioned my seven children, which was pertinent to the fact that Slimming World fits in with family life, and Justin Lee Collins asked me to name them all. Normally, this would not be a problem, but, as I was on stage, I couldnt' believe it but I actually had to think about the names to bring them to mind! What a nightmare if I had actually forgotten my kids names! ;) I got a round of applause when I finished naming my children, and Justin pointed out that all I did was remember my own kids' names which was hardly a reason for applause. Hah!
Also having to do with family life and Slimming World, I mentioned that my husband had also lost a lot of weight (nearly 7 stone). Justin had me point Robert out in the audience, and when he saw him, he commented, "Oh, he's gorgeous!" Of course, I agree with him because Robert really is incredibly handsome. Then Justin asked him to come up onto the stage! Robert is definitely not shy, so he came right up.
One thing Justin could not have been aware of from way up on the stage looking down at Robert in the audience, is the fact that Robert is very tall. He's 6'8" tall. When Robert got up on the stage, Justin grabbed my hand and backed us both up as if fearful of Robert. (He wasn't really afraid, just surprised and working with it.) He commented that he felt like Frodo and Robert was Gandolph! I honestly was having trouble; my sides were starting to hurt because I couldnt' stop laughing.
(photo courtesy of Clive Morgan)
Of course, the fun wasn't yet over. Justin decided that, as gorgeous as Robert was, he needed to snog him!
(photo courtesy of Clive Morgan)
I am still hoping that someone in the audience caught all of that on video and will post it to YouTube sometime soon!
Then Justin asked me, "So what's next?" I could have said something about the children's novels I have written and am hoping to get published. I could have mentioned the two novels I am working on. I could have mentioned my blogs. I could have said something about one of the projects I am working on with my children. I could have soken about the magazines I have been writing health articles for. I could have mentioned my on-line businesses. There are a lot of things I could have spoken about to answer this question.
Before I tell you how I answered, let me explain something. I already knew that I was not going to win the title of Woman Of The Year 2010. Robert and I had already figured out who was going to win it. No, nobody at Slimming World let the name of the winner slip out. Robert and I both just happen to be really good at reading people and we made an educated guess that happened to be very accurate.
So I decided to be a bit cheeky with my answer to Justin's question. He asked, "So what's next?" and I answered, "Well, we were thinking of trying to win next year's Couple Of The Year title." Justin went along with it and presented us to the audience, saying, "What do you think? Couple Of the Year 2011!" I just might have a slightly devious streak in me!
Unfortunately, he forgot to ask Sharon her question about me, despite the fact that she had spent a few minutes figuring out how she was going to answer it. She was a good sport about it though.
After me, it was Gayle Gallagher's turn on the stage. Gayle is 35 years old, 5'2" tall and has lost an astounding 9 stone 5 pounds (131 pounds)! She is from Chester-le-Street, County Durham and her consultant is Suzanne Jones. Her husband got called up onto the stage too. He was so sweet. It looked as if he was a bit teary-eyed when he spoke of how proud he was of his wife.
Next up was Harriet Jenkins. Harriet is the youngest of us at only 25 years old. She is 5'9" tall and has lost an awesome 14 stone 12 1/2 pounds (208 1/2 pounds)! She is from Freemantle, Hampshire and her consultant is Joanna Mortimore.
Justin Lee Collins had been moaning about the fact that all of us who had come up on the stage thus far were all married. Harriet is single. And Justin was pleased.
Then it was Susan Melville's turn to come on stage. Susan is 43 years old, 5'5 1/2" tall and has lost a fantastic 10 stone 1 1/2 pounds (141 1/2 pounds)! She is from Dalkieth, Lothian (Scotland) and has a lovely sounding accent as a result. Her consultant is Fiona Neill.
Next up was Alison Murphy. Alison is 34 years old, 5'7" tall, and has lost an impressive 8 stone 5 1/2 pounds (117 1/2 pounds)! She is from Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, and her consultant is Kim Osborn. These ladies are both great fun!
During Alison's interview that was being shown on the tv screen before she came out, she mentioned that she was a big eater. She innocently stated that she could eat her husband under the table. Justin picked up on that comment and had everybody laughing. I don't think he was prepared for the fact that both Alison and Kim could not only take his ribbing, but dish it back in just as funny a way!
The next finalist was Dawn Old. Dawn is 51 years old, a petite 5'1" tall, and had lost a wonderful 9 stone 11 pounds (137 pounds)! She is from Truro, Cornwall, and her consultant is Cherylyn Howard.
(The second picture of her up above is not the clearest, but I wanted to show you the assistance we got in walking down the stairs. I hoped to get a photograph taken with these bare-chested gentlemen, but for some unknown reason, they seemed eager to get away from the room (full several hundred woman) and they left promptly after the show ended.)
Next on stage was Jane Parry. Jane is 47 years old, 5'3" tall, and has lost an incredible 11 stone 3 pounds (157 pounds)! She is from Sedgley, West Midlands, and her consultant is Sue Rollason.
Once we had all done our stage bit and were seated again, it was time for the other Slimming World contest winners to make an appearance and be given their trophies.
First up was the Consultant Slimmer Of The Year, Sue Wright. Sue is 30 years old, 5'10" tall, and has lost 7 stone 7 1/2 pounds (105 1/2 pounds)! she is from Swadincote, Derbyshire and her consultant is Leigh Wright.
(I do not have a photo of Sue on the stage, so if anyone was at the ball and has one they could share with me so I could put it in here, it would be appreciated.)
Next up was the Top Target Consultant, Sylvia Rubery. Sylvia is 38 years old, 5'7" tall, and has lost 5 stone 1 pound (71 pounds)! She has kept the weight off for 6 years. She is from Worle, Somerset.
The it was Miss Slinky's turn on stage. Noelle Wilkinson is 51 years old, 5'7" tall and has lost 4 stone 3 pounds (59 pounds)! She is from Middlewich, Cheshire and her consultant is Sonia Nurse. Noelle absolutely looks decades younger than her age. She's gorgeous!
The next couple was a couple Robert and I had already met before when we competed in the Couple Of The Year competition and got through to the finals. Couple of The Year 2010 Jan and Alan Coupe looked wonderful tonight! Alan is 56 years old, 5'7" tall and has lost 8 stone 2 pounds (114 pounds)! Jan is 51 years old, 5'6" tall and has lost 8 stone (112 pounds)! Together, they have lost a combined total of 16 stone 2 pounds (226 pounds)! They are from Stubbington, Hampshire and their consultant is Christine Micallef.
Then it was time for the Greatest Loser Mike Smith to take the stage. Mike is 57 years old, 5'10" tall and has lost the astonishing total of 17 stone 1 1/2 pounds (239 1/2 pounds)! He is from Eckington, Derbyshire and his consultant is Lynne Riley.
Our next man up was Man Of The Year Stuart Howells. Stuart is 43 years old, 5'8" tall and has lost an incredible 12 stone 6 pounds (174 pounds)! He is from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, and his consultant is Diane Williams. When Justin spoke with him , he mentioned that he runs a marathin every weekend. Justin didn't believe him and went into the audience to ask Stuart's wife Lisa about it. She confirmed that, yes, Stuart did run that much. When she spoke about all that her husband had achieved, she was so proud of him and she got really teary about it. She was very sweet and it was obvious how much she loved her husband.
(I did not have a photo of Stuart on the stage, so I grabbed this photo off of their Facebook page of he and his wife.)
Next up was Top Target Memeber Tracy Heighway. Tracy is 40 years old, 5'8" tall and has lost 6 stone 8 pounds (92 pounds)! She is from Chadwell St. Mary, Essex, and her consultant is Susan Simpson.
(I do not have a photo of Tracy on the stage, so if anyone was at the ball and has one they could share with me so I could put it in here, it would be appreciated.)
Last up was Young Slimmer Of The Year Kelly Meager. Kelly is 21 years old, 6 feet tall and has lost an impressive 10 stone 10 pounds (150 pounds)! She is from Canterbury, Kent, and her consultant is Sally de-Vere.
(I do not have a photo of Kelly on the stage, so if anyone was at the ball and has one they could share with me so I could put it in here, it would be appreciated.)
The it was time for the ten finalists to go back up on the stage with our consultants and wait for the winner of the title of Woman Of The Year 2010 to be announced.
Rebecca Wheatley, Slimming World's Woman Of The Year 2009, joined us on the stage with Justin Lee Collins.
Slimming World's Woman Of The Year 2010 is Harriet Jenkins!
Rebecca Wheatley crowned Harriet.
And then all of the 2010 winners joined us on the stage again.
(photo courtesy of Julie Ower)
I had a fabulous night. It was fun and memorable and absolutely delightful! If anyone from Slimming World headquarters is reading this, just let me say a really big THANK YOU!!!!
