Ireland: Living Authentically & Transparently & Loving Life!

Please click to enlarge to see the full beauty!
Drombeg Stone Circle, Co. Cork, Ireland

And there it was again.

That complete feeling of being 'home' the moment I stepped off the plane and onto Irish soil.  I've felt it there before and the pull of my ancestoral roots was never stronger than the 17 days I spent in Ireland in September.

I went by myself, set my own schedule, did my own adventures, and soaked in every single second.  There wasn't a moment I was afraid in Ireland, nor was there a moment when I was lonely.  Every day was filled with adventure, exploration and joy.

 If I felt like climbing a steep cliff to explore castle or stone age fort ruins, I climbed it.

The castle of "the pirate queen",
Grace O'Malley
Outside of Newport, Co. Mayo, Ireland

If I was hungry, I pulled over and went into a pub and tried delicious brown breads and stews or fresh-from-the-Irish-sea chowders.

I had the best salmon meals of my life while there.

 I met people at the pubs...

 and on boats, in the streets and in libraries and on country paths.

 I drank more Guinness (one pint or glass a night...lol!) than I ever have before (mainly because I don't especially like beer and don't drink it at all in the States!)

  

and, whenever I could, I stopped and listened to traditional Irish music sung in Irish (they don't call it Gaelic when you're there) and English and sighed with happiness when the ballads were over and clapped and whooped to the fiddles and pipes and bodhrans! 

And in the midst of it all, I took the time to pause and enjoy the moment.

The Irish in the small towns are so authentic, so openly transparent.  They don't try to put on airs to impress anyone.  They are who they are - farmers, shop owners, bakers, musicians.

They are deeply rooted to the towns they live in and are always looking for a better day, always expectant of good things to come and never forgetting, however, those that went before them.

Ireland is a land of myths and legends and astonishing history of overcoming those who have tried - again and again - to oppress them.

The Irish love a good story, want to hear yours, and want to tell you their's.  If you take the time to listen, to understand who they are, where they have been, where they want to be... you can't help but fall in love with the land and the people.

And - if you're very lucky - as I was - you'll find new friends who you can be your authentic self with, who will not judge you or try to sum you up, they are content to let you be you, whoever that is, wherever you are on life's journey.

I was 'home' for all 17 days I was 'away'.


Dream.
Believe.
Achieve!
Jan/HealthyLoserGal

PS:  This is only the 'tip of the iceberg' (yes, I went to the 100th Anniversary exhibit of Titantic!) on my Ireland trip. I'll be posting more photos with captions and other tidbits on my ancestoral blog: Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are! sometime in the next few weeks.  :)

Let's all strive for this in our lives...

Thank you, Susan Branch!

I have been a fan of Susan Branch for years and years!  That makes her sound old (lol), but she isn't - - she's just a really talented artist, author, and cook and general lover of vintage materials and kitchenware and all the same kind of things that I love.

Susan's "Heart of the Home" cookbook is often what I give at bridal showers and my own copy was so well worn and splotched up with kitchen ingredients that I recently replaced it.  :)  I give her calendars as holiday gifts and they adorn my own  home, my "A little birdie told me" pen is my favorite pen to journal with (you know, the old fashioned journal... pen to paper!).  So, yup! I'm a bonafide Susan Branch fan.

A few years ago I began to follow her on Twitter and discovered she is every bit as sweet tweeting as I knew she would be. So... imagine my delight when I found out last month that this blog was included in Susan's website's "Inspiration" Blog Roll.  I was like a wide-eyed kid who'd just been told by their heroine (again, she's not much older than me! lol) that she'd "done well"! :)   THANK YOU, SUSAN, for all the happiness you bring into my life through your artwork and your books and sundries and for honoring me by including me in your list.  There are so many incredible blogs and sites on this list... I encourage everyone to make a nice mug of tea or pour yourself a glass of wine and peruse the sites, linger over them and enjoy Susan Branch's site as well as all of those on her list! :)

Signed... *beaming with happiness*
A devoted fan

PS: All the artwork in this post is, of course, the delightful work of Susan Branch! Isn't she great?! :)

Inspiration: Instructions for Life

While this list was first published in 2006 by The Dalai Lama, it is timeless in the message.  I've printed it out and plan to put it in MANY places around my home and office.  I hope you'll enjoy the inspiration as much as I have in reading it.

20 Ways to Get Good Karma

Instructions for Life by The Dalai Lama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s:

    - Respect for self,

    - Respect for others and

    - Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.


Dream. Believe. Achieve.
Jan / Healthy Loser Gal

Who is shaping your life? Beautiful quote...

So Honored! Voting for 50 Most Inspiring Healthy Tweeps

I am delighted to be included in the running for Mamavation's Top 50 Most Inspirational Healthy Tweeps for my twitter presence!  Sooo nice of Leah to include me and I would be honored to be part of the list with people that I turn to daily for inspiration, advice and great tips.

I'd really appreciate your votes over the next two weeks and am hopeful to make it onto the final Top 50 list! : ) 

Thanks, friends!

This is one of those Dream. Believe. Achieve! moments! *grin*

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Healthy Words to Live By

Healthy Habits Challenge: Self-Discipline & No Excuses!

I can't believe that in six weeks we'll be at the end of August - - summer's end!  Only SIX WEEKS!!

Well, I don't know about you - but I plan to make the most of these next six weeks!  Did you know that behaviorists have learned that it takes somewhere between 30 to 66 days to form a habit - - a GOOD one or a BAD one?!

Usually I start a Healthy Loser Gal challenge at the beginning of the month but this challenge is going to be six weeks long and is all about self-discipline and creating great habits that will carry us into a fantastic, fit Fall! (And, too, hopefully then last a lifetime!)

Someday Isle...

I've been doing a lot of reading this summer and have really been enjoying learning self-improvement techniques and quick tips.  One book, "No Excuses: The Power of Self-Discipline!" by Brian Tracy, is really aimed at self-improvement for sales and business people, but the lessons I've learned have already helped in my daily life.  Brian Tracy talks about home many people live on "Someday Isle"... because they don't have the self-discipline to work toward their dreams now. This was me for soooo many years.  I would say "Well, someday I'll lose the weight..." or "someday I'll start to exercise again..." and "someday I'll stop watching t.v. every night and eating myself into a comatose state...".  Someday Isle... Someday I'll...

Until... one day... I finally left "Someday Isle" and began living in the present, believed in my goals and dreams, and - here's the kicker - got off my backside and developed self-discipline and then habits to work hard and achieve what I truly wanted:  to lose 100 pounds and get my 50 year old self fit again! : )

"If it's to be, it's up to me," Brian Tracy says.  How true!  No one else can walk fitness miles for me, no one else can plan my meals or stop me from overeating, no one else can accept a challenge for me and then see it through.  Those are steps I proudly, confidently take on my own.  Being confident is the key - - and remaining positive!

I want the next six weeks to be AWESOME!  Will you join me? : ) I want us all to ask ourselves this question:  "If my life were ideal, what would it look like?"  Get a really good picture in your mind, write it down and then answer this:
"What is the main discipline I need to achieve that picture?"

Once you've answered that question, you now have your focus for the next six week when - with self-discipline - we can form new behaviors and form HEALTHY HABITS!  (Thank you, Brian Tracy, for inspiring me to answer this question!)

I have many things I need to become more disciplined in but planning is the healthy habit I'm concentrating on for the next six weeks of Healthy Habits Challenge.  In many cross areas of my life, planning will make a tremendous difference.  It is great to be "spontaneous", but too much spontaneity can lead (in my case) to disorganization and chaos.  And chaos = disorder and that is never good!

The healthy habits I plan to gain in these next six weeks are:
1) Planning out my week and daily schedule with some weekend flexibility
2) Planning my weekly food
3) Packing my food every morning prior to leaving for work
4) Planning in my daily fitness
5) and finally, committing time (planning it in advance) to blog regularly and track my progress, find out how friends (that's you!) in the challenge are doing!

My week days are going to start an hour earlier to plan my day out, set my goal list, and do what I call my 'home fitness' which is usually walking, WiiFit or a DVD.  (It is summer and right now my home fitness is walking 95percent of the time!)

I'm starting the Healthy Habit Challenge tomorrow morning - heck! I've really started it today as I've written this.  I'd LOVE for you to join me in these next six weeks so we can share our accomplishments, encourage one another.  There truly is power in numbers and self-discipline is so key to achieving our dreams and goals! If we say we're  going to make a commitment to ourselves, let's DO IT!  No backing away... no excuses. We determine to do it - and darnitall - we do! :)

When we give in to that inner voice that urges us to do something other than what we'd planned to do, we lose a little bit of our conviction.  And then, if we continue to give in, the habit of 'giving in' becomes our reality and wins. Let's not let that happen any longer in our lives. This time, in the next six weeks, WE WIN!

It takes only six weeks to develop a habit - a HEALTHY HABIT - what is yours going to be? : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan ~ Healthy Loser Gal

And the FitBoston bag of goodies goes to...

Roxanne! Congrats to you and please email me your address so I can send off the wonderful products from the great FitBoston day sponsored by MeYouHealth, Modern Pilates, and Healthworks! :)

@BrilliantJen

It has been great fun to chat on Twitter and Facebook with new friends I made last Saturday at FitBoston and to have finally put real life faces to friends I've chatted with for a long time now. 



Elina Holbrook



Elise Fletcher (left) getting her bounce on! :)



Some of these great gals include Elina Holbrook of @ElinaCooks on Twitter as well as her site http://www.russianbites.com/; Laura Baker of Proliphique; Jenn Mitchell of http://www.personalfitcoach.com/; Janel of @DietitianJanel (and lucky winnner of a FitTrampoline!); @BrilliantJen; @KerryCooks; @LenaOnTheBeach; and long-time Twitter pal, @EliseFletcher!  I am leaving out tons of people - heck! even Social Media Guru Chris Brogan popped in for a few minutes!

Alicia Benjamin, Lisa Johnson, Chris Brogan (huh?), Jacqy Carly

Alicia from MeYouHealth posted a few videos from Saturday, including one of me telling what my inspiration to get fit is (see me below sans makeup and oh-so-close-up! lol):

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

FitBoston = Fitness & Blogging & Fun



Alicia Benjamin (MeYouHealth), me, Lisa Johnson (Modern PIlates)

I wish you all could have been at FitBoston in Brookline yesterday with me to experience the fun and absorb the great info and tips!  From the moment I walked in and was met by Lisa Johnson with a hug as she handed out FitStudio (thank you @FitStudio and Sears!) t-shirts to all attending, to the moment I walked out four hours later with an extra goody bag (more on that and how you can score that a little later) and was in disbelief that four hours passed so quickly, it was all a great time!
It was (please note the caps!!) WONDERFUL to meet friends in person that I've tweeted with and emailed with and gotten to know a bit through Twitter and Facebook and through our blogs! 

The day started with Alicia Benjamin (@LexiMaven and the gal often behind the tweets @MeYouHealth) welcoming everyone and letting us know the agenda for the day as well as getting us up and moving to warm up our bodies! Such fun!  I was so happy to finally meet Alicia as I've considered her a friend for some time now and was truly honored to be part of their Blogger Well Being Challenge on the MeYouHealth / Daily Challenge site back in December of 2010! :)

Healthworks co-sponsored FitBoston

The Healthworks facility in Brookline is REALLY, REALLY nice! LOL  Like REALLY nice - I was kind of awe struck when I went into the locker rooms.  I could get used to having a workout experience like that on a regular basis.  And Nina from Healthworks was with us throughout the day and was a great Healthworks ambassador!  And - who'd a thunk it - at the end of the day when the raffle prizes were being awarded, *I* won the month free membership at Healthworks!  Just THRILLED!!

I've admired Lisa Johnson who owns Modern Pilates for a long time. On Twitter with her own name (did you know there are 7000+ Lisa Johnsons in the US? lol) and @ModernPilates, Lisa spoke about being a successful fitness blogger (she sure is!) and shared tips for beginner, intermediate and advanced bloggers. This was one of the high points of the day for me as I took notes like a mad woman and soaked in her advice.  Make no mistake about it, if you want to have your blog be a success, you need to be consistent and put aside the time in your life to 'work it'.

I was able to speak with Lisa a bit more at a break and she was very helpful in answering questions, offering suggestions!  Big huge thanks to her for helpful advice to everyone in attendance and, too, for leading us through pilates moves later in the afternoon!

Kurt Eng is a WordPress platform guru and aficionado and - even though I may have been the only one in the room who doesn't use WordPress to blog - his tips were just as valuable to me as anyone about where and when to spend your hard earned dollars (use free templates vs. purchasing developed art work for your blog) and what add-ons are best.  I was honestly way impressed when @KurtEng tweeted at midnight last night the top 10 apps he'd suggest when he couldn't remember them all off the top of his head when asked at FitBoston.  That was pretty cool of him!  Kurt is a founding organizer of the upcoming WordCamp Boston, too... follow him on Twitter for more info on that or follow @WordCampBoston.




Jacq Carly was the key-note speaker

 Did you know that Fitarella changed her Twitter name to her real name now?  :)  I didn't 'til yesterday so y'all need to check out @JacqCarly if you're looking for her!  Jacque is a force to be reckoned with... this gal has spunk and a great, positive attitude and that is what she keynoted about yesterday.  Live your life in the present, friends.  Yesterday is in the past, the future is what you make it...but don't be looking forward or backward so much that you don't enjoy the NOW.  Her 15 minutes in front of us all at FitBoston were inspiring to listen to and left everyone with an upbeat message of enjoy the now and be happy for who you are now - don't postpone your happiness for the person you're dreaming of becoming.  I've always loved that message and try to live it on a daily basis! 

I want to thank Alicia Benjamin for inviting the college student from Northeastern who volunteers at Girls LEAP.  This young woman (whose name I cannot remember... was it Nina?) stood in front of us all and spoke eloquently and from the heart on why Girls LEAP looks to empower young girls (and really women of all ages) in finding their voice and learning the basics of not just self defense but self offense... not allowing someone to steal your voice from you.  She skillfully showed us very basic moves of self defense and how saying "NO!" strongly and forcefully at the right time can make the difference between avoiding a bad situation and being the victim of one.  Bravo to this young woman and the Girls LEAP program.

Other great workout sessions included Rachel Kobey of Energize Studio demoing the http://www.fitnesstrampoline.com/.  Boy! am I glad I didn't volunteer to be on the tramp session... Rachel is a powerhouse and really put the gal volunteers through the paces.  I think my jaw fell open at least once watching the intensity of how fast Rachel was able to bounce and turn.  (I was watching her and having one of those movie things in my brain at the same time of me bouncing OFF the tramp and into another person... us all crashing to the wooden floor... lol!)

Sarah Rhines is a young entrepreneur who has launched SunCircles which are hula hoops for fitness.  She began her presentation with hoop dancing (I believe that is what she called it) and it was lyrical and so beautiful to watch.  Who knew a hoop could be so artistic?  I didn't but do now! :)  We then were invited to try hooping with different intentions (core, bat wings, etc.) and it was great fun.  I hope she does well in her business... Sarah personally makes each hoop and can ship it off to you. : )

In the breakout sessions we were offered a number of choices and the owner (Dan Fitzgerald) of South End Athletic Company was on hand to talk with the runners in the group and offer running tips.  Other break off groups included TRX Training, table or chair massage, and interval workout advice on maximizing your training.  I opted for the interval training and was fortunate to meet Hannah of Healthworks and learn about high intensity bursts of interval training (we focused on the treadmill and pumping up the incline for 30 seconds at a time) - and finding your own personal measure of 1-10 for "pushing yourself forward" as you advance.  I probably met with Hannah for less than 10 minutes and came away with new techniques to try for my regular routine.  How awesome is that!? She was great!



Finally got to meet Boston Sports Woman!

 Just a shout out here to Kathy McConnell of Boston Sports Woman who is organizing a January event: Be Healthy Boston.  (Kathy is a lot of fun to massage kale and avocado salads with.  I'm just saying...) And she is a powerhouse of Boston women's sports info... do check her out on Twitter @bos_sportswoman and on her blogs as well as the http://www.behealthyboston.com/ site.  It was so fun to finally meet this lady in person after having tweeted back 'n forth with her for a couple of years! :)

I'll have to post more later in the week about the fun bloggers and fitness folks I met on Saturday.  But while I'm working on THAT post, I do have a fun announcement.  @MeYouHealth (Alicia) and @ModernPilates (Lisa Johnson) offered up a bag full of goodies to one of the Healthy Loser Gal readers. 

I'll be sending the bag off to one random winner and it is chuck full of great giveaways from FitBoston including:

FitStudio sportswear shirt

Mix1 all natural vanilla protein shake

Whole Foods Cranberry Trail Mix

Taza Ginger Chocolate (OH MY IS THIS GOOD!)

Delicious Pretzel Crisps and a Reusable Grocery Bag

Bearded Brothers Mighty Maca Chocolate Energy Bar

Luna Peanut Butter Cookie

Attune Foods (Yay!) Probiotic Chocolate Bar AND Free Coupons

And - if you're local to the Boston area - a 7 day pass to Healthworks to use before July ends!

Plus other fun little surprises!

All you have to do to be entered in the giveaway is to follow @MeYouHealth, @ModernPilates and me on Twitter or Facebook and then leave a comment here on what inspires you to be fit? : )  So easy!  I'll be picking the winner randomly on Thursday morning and will let you know who won by noontime EST on the 14th! :)

Yesterday was so much fun - congrats to the organizers on pulling off a great event - I think Roni Noone of Fitbloggin would be proud of you! :)  Thank you to all the sponsors for making the great event possible and to all the other participants for making it so worthwhile and fun!

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan ~ HealthyLoserGal

Don't settle for less than you deserve!

What Do You Believe In?

I'm going to ask you to do a very simple exercise:
Write down five things you truly have faith or believe in. 
Or, to make it easier... what are the first five things that come to mind when asked "what do you believe in"?
(I'll give you a few moments to think about it... one mississippi.... two mississippi... okay.... times UP! *grin*)

Did you include yourself?

Two years ago I would never even have considered adding "myself" to my list of what I believe in.  But today? Today believing in myself is second on my list. 

Believe in yourself.
You can change your life.
You can accomplish great things.
You can set a goal and accomplish that goal and much more.

Believe in yourself.
Believe in your self-worth.
Believe you are worth the work and the time to be the person you want to become.
Believe first in yourself!

Believe in you!
I do.

Dream. Believe. Achieve. ~
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

I'm Gonna Pick Myself Up, Brush Myself Off...

... and start all over again!

I haven't been around much in the past month - five weeks really - I haven't been blogging, or tweeting much, I haven't been posting on Facebook.  I have been reeling from some pretty tumultuous events in my life - one on top of another it has seemed - and have been knocked back on my heels by the fact that - no matter how wise or learned I may have thought I was - I can be fully, completely duped and taken for a fool.  That hurts and is a hard lesson to learn. 

You won't be seeing any more postings about HL Guy on Twitter or here.  You won't find photos of him on the blog or on Facebook and you definitely won't be hearing me talk about him.  That relationship is - as they say in Boston with the accent - "OOvah!"  And, were my Dad alive, he would add (besides the 'good strong kick to HLGuy's a$$') "Good riddance to bad rubbish!".  And he would be right.  *grin*  "Hasta la vista, bay-bee!"

A month ago I sat in the ER at my local hospital really ill with pneumonia.  Alone. Alone with a lot of time to think. Enough time to realize I was unhappy and needed to make some changes.  I won't go into details here but let's just say on top of being sick, I have had some pretty rough emotional weeks and they're not quite over yet - but I am hoping this weekend will be the turning point and I can "pick myself up, brush myself off, and start all over again".  This time I'll be a little wiser, a little more cautious, a little less trusting.  But that isn't all bad.

So now you know.  What I've been struggling with - personally and health wise.  And I've gained 6 pounds in 5 weeks.  But I'm not going to beat myself up over that either because I couldn't exercise with pneumonia and I did indulge in a tiny bit of comfort food consumption.  I'm back walking and exercising as of Saturday and feeling more like "me" every day!  That's the silver lining here! ; )

I'll see you over on Twitter for Biggest Loser tonight, huh?  I'll be back to myself.  I'll be back to being happy!

xo for listening and caring!

Dream. Believe. Achieve.
Jan

Visiting Biggest Loser 12 Open Casting Call: "Wicked Good!"

Saturday was bitter cold in Boston but that did not deter the 400+ hopefuls who showed up at the Boston Seaport Hotel to try out for the next season of The Biggest Loser!  It was so inspiring to me to see so many people, of many shapes and sizes, waiting patiently in line for their chance to change their lives!  Young and old, alike, turned out in force to be interviewed by the Biggest Loser Casting Team and given their opportunity to tell their story to one of the three casting directors.

I'm blessed to be able to say that since I've lost over 100 pounds in the past (nearly) two years, I no longer qualify to be a contestant on the show so I wasn't there to audition.  I was there, I suppose, to root for those who were and - honestly - to get a 'behind the scenes' glance for all of us who are faithful Biggest Loser lovers!  So here we go, my take on Saturday's auditions...



Holland Striplan listening to a hopeful contestant's
story. (Please note the Mr. Potato Head! lol)

I was wearing a Healthy Loser Gal t-shirt which helped me be recognized and welcomed by Holland Striplan (she's the Biggest Loser casting wiz!) and introduced to the other two members of the casting team.  Holland gave me the okay to take photos and poke around to my heart's content!  I've been a reporter in a past life, so this was second nature to me and - camera and notebook in hand - off I went to see what the skinny was! ; ) 

I first met Jay Kruger - from Season 5 - who with his brother, Mark, were fan favorites.  Mark is still being kidded about his crying continually on the show that season!  Jay is local to the Boston area, living in New Bedford, Mass.

Jay is a friendly, great guy and told me that he's just begun training for his second Boston Marathon.  We chatted about shin splints and his tendinitis and how his body balked at him running back to back marathons last year and the months of recovery it took afterward.  Now three years away from his time on the ranch, Jay looks amazingly fit and gained back only a few pounds (I'm guessing muscle, not fat, because he looks great) since he had the final weigh-in for Biggest Loser.  I asked him if he looks back at his 'old self' and is amazed at the difference that three years can make?  "Everything is so much better. Life is good!" he smiled back in reply to that question!

Jay chatted with potential contestants easily in line, taking photos with them and laughing about stories, encouraging every one of the folks to - whether they were chosen for the show or not - continue their goal of being fit and losing the weight.  I'm happy to report that he's agreed to guest blog sometime soon here, too!



Elizabeth Ruiz, Season 10, chatting with hopefuls...

One of the finalists from last season, Elizabeth Ruiz, was also on hand to meet and greet the hopeful Biggest Loser contestants as they waited through the lines.  Elizabeth is a beautiful young woman who lost over 70 pounds from the day she walked onto the ranch, June 1st, 2010 to her final weigh in. 

Since I have asthma, I was interested to find out from Elizabeth how she is doing now with her exercise since it seemed to be a major impact on her during the show.  Elizabeth reports that her asthma is much better and that she is able to control it far better now that she's lost weight and is working out regularly.  "I really pay attention to my breathing now," she said, "and when I have a problem, I get my breathing in control and can go on."  I understood from personal experience completely what she meant! ; )

Elizabeth explained that her time on the ranch was very isolated from the real world... the three months of last summer, from June 1st to August 29th... were spent with no 'real world' worries of paying bills, going to work, dealing with day to day family and real life issues.  "We were in a bubble," Elizabeth explained to me, "completely isolated".  And coming back into the real world, revisiting old problems, isn't easy for anyone. 

But Elizabeth, to me, seems to have come into her own.  She explained that she believes that everything happens for a reason and talked about how both Brendan and Frado of Season 10 took on 'big brother' roles once they'd auditioned with her last April in Boston and saw her collapse from an asthma attack while doing step-ups.  Having big brothers in her real life, Elizabeth was comfortable in that role with them and their support helped her get into the final contestants of Season 10. And yes, she keeps in touch with them both now, too. 

Elizabeth's time on Biggest Loser taught her important life lessons, aside from the weight loss. I asked her what the biggest lesson from the ranch that she came away with was: "It is okay to be selfish sometimes. No one is going to take care of me, but me."  And she's right! No one can lose the weight or get your body fit besides ourselves.  We have to take responsibility for our own well being, our own goals... whether we have friends acting as big brothers for us or not, in the end - we only can get healthy on our own. 

As shown on The Biggest Loser, Elizabeth hopes to encourage children in the schools of Lawrence, Mass. how to stay healthy and fit.  Her next goal includes getting her personal training certification and helping others at the Sculpture at Strength fitness club in Chelmsford, Mass.   

A group from late afternoon
waiting before meeting casting directors...

Finally, the people that I met who were auditioning were amazing! I admire them for giving it a shot to get on the show and wait in hours of lines to meet with the casting teams.  Here is how I saw what the process worked like:

1) you show up and fill out forms... 

Bonnie from Brockton was trying out a 2nd time...
fingers crossed for her!

2) You wait (for three or four hours average, it seemed) in different rooms to go onto casting

Finally outside of the casting team rooms... what will you say?
The guy in the hat was a 'fish monger' and had an incredible story!

Anxious to see what is going on
in the casting room, two hopefuls
couldn't help but peek!

3) You then file into the casting rooms and meet the casting team and they explain to you what it is The Biggest Loser is looking for in contestants and that this moment is your chance to tell your story, what makes YOU unique, why they should decide to cast you...

Three tables of auditioners telling stories to the casting team

I'm hoping the husband and wife in the red were cast! :)



4) That's it! After you've spoken with the casting directors and everyone at your table has told their story, you're encouraged to also send in a video to the show if you haven't. 

5) That very evening, the decisions were made on who would be called and would wouldn't.  By midnight I saw tweets and Facebook posts from Holland Striplan and @BLCastingTeam that they'd finished with calls.  

Holland Striplan explains the
casting process...

What impressed me about the hopefuls most of all was that they took a first step to realize they need help, they need to change where they are now and become healthier people.  And that - in my way of thinking - already has them a step ahead soooo many others who refuse to look at their health problems.  To me, the people who showed on Saturday and tried... they're not losers, they're going to win in this battle!


PS:  HUGE thanks to Holland Striplan and The Biggest Loser Casting Team for letting me attend on Saturday and listen in on the casting calls and take photos. I had a great time and am so thankful to have been given the opportunity! Thanks, too, to Jay and Elizabeth for their interviews!   :)