Anchor Calls Bully out on Live TV

Since I work in television news, I feel obligated to post this story. A local News Anchor received a letter from a viewer that said this: "It's unusual that I see your morning show, but I did so for a very short time today. I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn't improved for many years. Surely you don't consider yourself a suitable example for this community's young people, girls in particular. Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain. I leave you this note hoping that you'll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle." The anchor took this opportunity to address the viewer's email on television. You can find the video clip here: (http://jezebel.com/5948276/the-best-thing-youll-see-all-day-local-news-anchor-has-on+air-message-for-man-who-called-her-fat) Since I am in this business, I will not express my opinion on this specific incident via my blog, but I am curious as to your thoughts. I will, however, give you my personal experience as an overweight newsperson.I have worked at every position in a news room there is. I have been a reporter, a photographer, a truck operator, a producer, etc... Feedback from viewers comes often and is usually not very nice. People have a certain opinion on how on-air personalities should look. As a reporter, I was only allowed to track my news stories without showing my face because of my weight. After a while my weight wasn't coming off, so I decided to stick with the behind the scenes stuff. I often wonder how different my life would be had I just lost the weight a few years ago and continued to pursue the dream of being an anchor. How would I have dealt with an email like this? With my current position in the newsroom I handle viewer concerns directly and one of the most common comments I get are based on how the female anchors look. How they do their hair, how they're dressed, the list goes on and on. If I had really been serious about my career as a reporter/anchor I would have had to have lost a lot of weight before a News Director would let me do stand-ups, as opposed to just voice tracking. How obsessed with my looks and how self-conscious would I be right now if I had lost weight at the start of my career? The emphasis people put on looks really does make me sick, but I am not naive. Your looks determine how people perceive you. If you look like a lazy slob, people will assume you are a lazy slob. If I am standing in front of a camera telling a news story I need to look credible and responsible. Being overweight is not responsible. Often I wonder if I will go back to reporting once I lose weight. A part of me says hell no just out of pure spite of the whole system, but another part of me wants to give it another go just to prove to myself that I can. For a long time I was so angry and jealous at thin reporters who got an on air position just because of their looks. Especially when I had to run camera for them instead of telling the story myself! I felt like my writing was so much better than theirs and I definitely worked harder than they did. I spent a lot of time being angry at News Directors and other reporters instead of addressing the real problem. I miss being in the field for sure, but do I want to go back to facing this kind of public scrutiny? Would it help me stay in shape out of fear of mean viewer emails? Who knows. My story is still being told. For shits and giggles, here's me running live camera at an election at my first TV gig back in Birmingham:

I Want YOU! To write a Post!

I'm looking for a few contributing writers for my blog. If you're interested, let me know! No deadlines and I will let you pretty much have full range of how you want to do it. Here are the subjects I'm looking for: 1) Pregnancy and Health. I am looking for a woman who is currently pregnant and is struggling with the pressures of being healthy and pregnant. I would also like for the writer to delve into all the different methods, superstitions, guidelines, etc... out there and how they are dealing. 2) Diabetes. I want someone who is diabetic to write a general entry about how diabetes affects their life and how important a healthy lifestyle is 3) Parents and the health of their children. I want a parent to write about how they deal with being a good influence on their child/children. What is this biggest struggle you face? Is it school meals? Fast food? Sedentary lifestyle? Free range... 4) Someone who has lost a lot of weight and kept it off. Just tell the readers how you've changed your lifestyle around and kept it that way. 5) Military. How has the military changed your life as far as diet and exercise. Please pass along to someone you think is appropriate! It doesn't have to be long, just tell me your story!

Sorry I've Been M.I.A.

Ok, so it's been over a month since my last post. I'm so sorry, I've just been in a weird mood lately. Sooo.... where to start? I'll start on my second triathlon that I did August 18th. I totally killed it! I cut my time nearly in half from my last one in May. This time I got in the water to warm up first (because we all remember what happened at my first triathlon!) It was the biggest pool I've ever swam in. The lanes were really long, so it was extremely tiring. But I rocked at the swim. They put you in swim groups based on your estimated swim time with the goal of staying with that group throughout the whole leg. They do this so that it keeps folks from running over other swimmers. My race number was 81 and I finished with the 80s, which is exactly how it's supposed to work. This was a huge accomplishment for me. At the last triathlon there was a woman there who out swam me and she was in this race. I passed her in the pool this time because she was resting on a lane divider. Made me happy :)Since this was my second triathlon, I was more familiar with what I really needed at the transitions, so that shaved off a ton of time. Now for the biking: when will they stop calling these routes flat!?? So not flat. It was so hilly. But unlike last time, I wasn't scared to push myself. I really pedaled to the medal and I even got to say "on your left!" to a few folks I passed. Speaking of passing, some bratty lady had a bike bell and would ding the damn thing when she wanted to pass someone. How douchey can you be? It had some of us cracking up. Anyway, moving on... I injured myself 1/4th of the way through the biking and I was freaking out because it really hurt and I got scared for what it meant for my run. My p.o.s. mountain bike is really jumpy when I change gears sometimes and my feet were still pretty wet from the swim. Well, the gears jumped, causing my foot to slip and it got caught in the pedal or something. Whatever it did, it hurt like hell and I limped for two days. Luckily my adrenaline was pumping hardcore that it didn't bother me at all during the run. It was so awesome to start my run while there still a ton of people biking. My first triathlon there were only like 2 people behind me, which was so discouraging. During the run I really pushed myself and it felt great. I love all the people on the sidelines cheering strangers on. It really helps. And of course, since I'm a big 'ol sap it always brings tears to my eyes. My best friend Amy came to cheer me on- which also made me tear up :) As I was putting my bike on my car bike rack, an older man came up to me and said the sweetest thing. He told me he didn't know why I raced that day and it was none of his business, but he was proud of me and that we all have our reasons for doing stuff like triathlons. He was a big and tall man, probably in his 70s. He said that he had a life changing experience a few years ago when he had serious health problems that forced him to get healthy and lose weight. He said he wasn't ready to leave the world yet and starting racing and now he volunteers at races to cheer other folks on.

Me and Amy:

So what else is new? Well, I have to say thank you so much to everyone who has asked me about my blog and told me that you've missed my entries. You really have no idea how much this means to me. I've been walking a lot and taking it slow. My back was really hurting there for a while and it scared me. Sometimes I forget that I weigh nearly 300 pounds and I push myself to limits that my body physically can't handle. It's like wearing heels. I love wearing heels, but I have to wear more supportive shoes because of my weight. This really pisses me off. I hate not being able to wear heels to a night out on the town! Luckily I live in Nashville, so I can get away with some cute cowgirl boots! I've also been doing Nutrisytem and I love it! I've been observing my coworkers and their eating habits and I've been trying to mimic them. I work with a lot of very healthy people and they encourage me to be better. At first I was just so amazed that they could come in to work and not eat a thing all day until their lunch (which is usually a Lean Cuisine) and then be done with it! I mean, that's ALL they eat! Whole shift! That's 9 hours, 1 time to eat. As my friend Lacey said: that's normal. What's not normal is my eating habits. I used to feel as if I had to eat every couple hours in addition to my lunch or else I would get too hungry. Well, now I just bring my Nutrisystem dinner in and that's all I eat and I'm fine! I still get hungry when I get home from work (remember I work 1:30pm-10:30pm), but I set out a snack on the counter, so it's there when I get home. I also have actually been craving healthy food when I get hungry. I went to the grocery store the other day to get some football game-day snacks and all I wanted was carrots and hummus. I've had several compliments this week from people saying that they could tell I've lost weight. It feels so good to hear that! Sometimes I just wish I could wave a wand and be done with it because this is so hard and slow. I have to go to war with myself every time I eat. I am so tired of feeling so inadequate every time I am in public. I just hate being around my thin friends sometimes it makes me mental. I feel so gross and it's like I stand out so much. I hate it! I love my friends, don't get me wrong- I'm not mad at them or jealous or anything, it's just so hard to be around thin people sometimes. I get so mad at myself that it just makes me incredibly depressed. I always make myself get over it, but it's just so hard. I can't wear what I want to wear because I feel I have to dress in a way that will conceal me, not make me stand out anymore than I already do. Moving on: what else has been going on... I went to my 10 year high school reunion a few weeks ago. I almost didn't go. It's the same story a lot of people have: I've gained so much weight since high school, I'm embarrassed, blah blah blah. I made myself go because I really wanted to see everyone. I went to a small private school in Auburn, AL with a small graduating class. My school was K-12, so most of us have literally known each other our whole lives. I knew I would regret it if I didn't go. I also knew that I had to get over my handicap about seeing folks I grew up with. They're not going to care that I've gained weight and if they do then they're fake and not real friends anyway! And it was fabulous. I was soo happy I went! I got to see some childhood friends that I really miss. With Facebook, we are fortunately able to keep up with each other a little bit, but seeing everybody all in the same place together again was really nice. the guys were still giving each other hell just like they did in 4th grade and the girls were still just as silly and fun as I remembered. It was fantastic. Of course I was really self-conscious at first, but once we all said our hellos and had a few drinks, we had a blast. Here's a picture of me and a good high school friend, Ashley, circa 2001/2002:

And here we are at the reunion, August 2012:

She looks just as fabulous now as she did 10 years ago and I am proud of her. And she has a child! I admire women who can stay in shape and make healthy decisions. I am slowly but surely becoming one of those women. Feels good.

Food

I love to cook. That is not a secret. I also love to find healthy recipes that are mouth watering and don't make me feel like I'm just eating raw carrots.

French Toast is amazing, obviously. Wheat bread, tons of cinnamon. Cinnamon is so underused. Much better for you than sugar and tons of health benefits (google it).


English muffins are healthier that biscuits. Poached eggs are the healthiest way to eat eggs and the most delicious.


Seafood enchiladas. Wheat tortillas stuffed with shrimp, scallops, etc... Sauce is whipping cream with diced jalapenos and tomatoes. Green beans as side.


Maple Ground Mustard Chicken. Pan seared chicken with stone ground mustard and maple glaze.





Salmon and Brown rice



Salmon quesadillas. Plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.



Burgers are awesome. Make a slider, add a poached egg, fills you up and is amazing. Crispy yellow pepper fries.



Good 'ol veggies and chicken. Season it right and you can't go wrong.



Avocado is awesome on egg sandwiches.



Southwestern veggies on a salad with chicken and a few tortilla chips is way healthier than nachos.

Lemon pepper chicken and steamed brocolli and cauliflower. Tastier than you might think!

Stone Ground mustard chicken and grilled veggies. Great to make ahead and take to work. Way better than lean cuisine and doesn't have all the sodium.

Soul Food

Lately I've been discovering what my "soul food" is. I know that most people think of fried chicken and mac and cheese when they think of soul food, but that's not my definition. In my opinion, soul food is good old fashioned home-cooked goodness that reminds you of home. I think of the food that I grew up eating and that takes me back to my roots. I remember steamed veggies, snapper, seared tuna, red potatoes, shrimp pasta, salmon and Greek salads. This is what soul food means to me. I don't know where I lost my love for soul food along the way, but I am enjoying getting it back. Here are some pics of the soul food I've been cooking lately. I stocked my fridge with all of my favorite soul foods and I have had so much fun cooking back to my roots! Veggies cooked in olive oil, grilled chicken and beans, wheat bagels with low-fat cream cheese (ok, so that's not really cooking, but I have learned that if I have groceries in my house that I love to splurge on, I don't go out and binge on restaurant food near as much!), Grilled cheese, turkey, tomato and avocado sandwiches, chicken sausage with fresh peppers and homemade sweet potato fries! P.S. I've lost 2 more pounds :)

My Taco Shell is Made of Cheese

I saw a friend post a picture of a taco shell made of cheese and I had to try it. It was amazing and lower in carbs than a regular shell. It was really greasy, though. Next time I'll blot it a lot. I just plopped 3 piles of shredded cheese on a silicone baking mat and baked the cheese on 350 degrees for about 7-8 mins, or until the cheese was light brown, flat and bubbly. I grabbed a wooded skewer, slid it under the cheese circle, and let them hang until hardened. For the stuffing I grilled a chicken breast and fresh peppers in olive oil. Fresh avocado and tomato made it just right! I ate half the chicken breast with the 3 mini tacos and put the rest in a salad made of kale and chard for dinner at work. Pretty tasty!! Next time I will use a little less olive oil, the veggies were a little greasy.

Not So Delicious Red Apple

I realized today that I don't like apples. I always buy them and take them to work with me as a snack, but never eat them. I see so many healthy people around me constantly munching on apples and it seems like they're such a good idea. For the longest time I thought they went to waste because of my adversity to healthy snacks. Glad I figured that out. I did two-a-days today. 45 minute bike ride before work and a one mile run on my dinner break. Yesterday (Sunday) I Jerry-rigged that mountain bike I bought a while ago and I think I love that bike now! I fixed it up with cable ties! Hey, if I had a handyman it might not look so ghetto, but that was the best I could do. I think it will work very well for my triathlon in August. Here are some pics I snapped yesterday:

I'm reading the book "Ada's Rules." I'll write more about it later, it deserves it's own post. I do want to give you a teaser, though. The author talks about all these different ways to lose weight and they all work for her. Her motto is to keep doing something different than what you've always done. This is me! I started to get a little too comfortable blogging, so I backed off a little bit and I'm back at it harder than ever! I am so ready for this weight to go away. My friend Lacey tells me I'm being too impatient, but I'm serious! It just won't go away. I'm back to weighing everyday- it helps. I'm down 5 pounds from a week ago :)