The Great Infomercial Wrap Up!!

But put that checkbook away!! There's more!!

Act now and not only will you get my full account including some great awkward and embarrassing moments, but for the full price of a little bit of patience you'll also receive...

The official Before and Afters and Stats!!!

When I got home on the day of the filming I had such a natural high from my adrenaline pumping for so many hours straight. I couldn't sit still and I'm sure I was talking a million miles a minute (which, no doubt, some of you have heard a time or two before! ;D ). While being someone who usually loves being the center of attention I also get really anxious in front of people and can't act AT ALL, so you mix that with the sheer joy over what I had accomplished and the unbelievable fact that we were filming an infomercial, let's just say I was one insane ball of energy in crazy stage makeup!!! I remember thinking how I couldn't wait until I could write about the whole experience and share it with all of you!! Then I sat down to write and I thought, "you know, it feels a little anti-climactic to post my stats and my feelings on the experience and then post the before and afters at a later date, I think I'll wait and do it all at once". Well talk about anti-climactic, waiting 4 months to give you any information is even more so. Or maybe the suspense is killing you and the anticipation has made this blog much more exciting than it would have been?!?!? Not likely, ;) but to all of you who have stayed interested while I tried your patience, I will finally write my account of my crazy "infomercial stardom" experience. :)

For the entire month of working out I had been weighing myself everyday (I know this is generally frowned upon but it keeps me motivated) but in the days before my official weigh in I had stopped weighing myself so I could be more surprised when the time came. We really kicked in into high gear the weekend before filming and I had just broken through a plateau that I had been on the week before so I was a bit nervous if I would hit my hope of losing 10 lbs in that month, I was still a few pounds away. I hadn't taken my inches measurement all month and was hoping to lose about 2-3 inches. I didn't fit into my size 13-14 jeans anymore so I had to go buy a pair for the shoot I hoped to be a size 12. I went to the dressing rooms with a few pairs in size 12 and one in a 10 which I told myself I was crazy for grabbing, there was no way!! I was ecstatic when the 12s were a bit loose and the 10 fit perfectly!! I can't remember when I was that small!! That was the first indication that I had made progress that month, but somehow, though I was excited, I still downplayed what that meant. It was still hard for me to believe.

Day 1: Weigh in and after pictures

With my new haircut, my new jeans and a red shirt from the back of my closet that didn't fit before, I headed with Joanna to Mindy's for the final weigh in and after pictures. Katie was there taking her pictures along with some of the other girls and I stepped on the scale in my shorts and sports bra from the first shoot. As I watched Mindy move the weight lower, 5 lbs lost, lower, 7 lbs, still not balancing, lower, 8, 9... 10 pounds!!! I had hit my mark!!! I couldn't believe it!!!!! I felt my eyes tear up, 10 lbs in one month, it had taken me 8 months to lose my first 10 and here I had lost 10 in one month!! I was emotionally, excitedly talking with everyone in the room about it and not fully paying attention to the fact that I was still being measured, arm -1 inch, thigh -3 inches, hip -3 inches- blur of emotions, not really sinking in, can't believe I'm hitting my goals of losing a few inches!! Then she moves to my waistline, ahh the dreaded waistline, I'm hoping for a couple inches, talking excitedly with Katie and Joanna, still not really focusing, and Mindy stops, grabs my attention and in shock tells me "your not gonna believe this", she has my full attention now, I'm looking at her thinking -Wow, maybe I did hit my 2-3 inches -could it be as high as 4? that would be amazing, mind racing, and she says... "seven, you lost 7 inches off your waist" -flood of emotion- I'm actually crying now, laughing, flashes of people around the room excited for me, vaguely remember a camera pointed at me, I think I was asking for it to be repeated, hearing people say it was the most inches lost out of everyone, 14 inches total body. Total Shock. I pose for my shorts and sports bra after pictures with a huge cheesy grin on my face asking "Who won the most lbs lost so far?" They tell me Joanna did!! and Katie was pretty high as well! I asked JoRuss- why didn't you tell me?!?!? That's so awesome!!!!! She said she didn't want to take away from my moment! I was so excited for them and Mindy was saying "now that's true friends!!" We had done pretty well for ourselves, Joanna in pounds!! Katie smaller than at her wedding!! and me with my inches!! I guess having the support of each other helped us through the times when we were not surrounded by the comforts of the group!! So I put on my jeans red shirt and wedge heals and took my final pictures and then Katie, JoRuss and I took some "Charlie's Angels" pictures and we headed home to rest up for the next day's testimonial shoot!!

Day 2: Testimonial and B-Roll Shoot

Testimonial-

Wake up early, do my hair, gather my outfits and head over to the Westside to find a warehouse where they are shooting the testimonial. It turns out to be in an industrial part of town and I feel weird in my very high wedge heals with my hair all done walking by men working looking for the right warehouse. This is just the beginning of all the awkwardness. I'm really nervous about being on camera and what I'm going to say and my adrenaline is already pumping, thank goodness they are doing my makeup I couldn't be trusted to keep a steady hand. I find the door, go up a couple of flights of industrial metal stairs, heals knocking, and come in to what looks like a big storage warehouse, this can't be right, I go right looking for the makeup tent and pass right by it without seeing it, find the door to where they're filming, but not where I'm supposed to be yet, some people I don't know start urgently, but quietly because they're filming, ushering me around telling me to be here, no there, wait here, until it's finally figured out that I'm looking for makeup and I'm not the next girl to shoot, already feeling really awkward, anxiety rising!! Find the makeup tent and start to feel a little better, it's very relaxing to just sit there and be made up!! But I'm still anxious about being on camera, trying not to think about it. The makeup artist was awesome and we started talking and she was very excited that I wear red lipstick and like the vintage look, she says that she can really have fun with that, I'm excited she was willing to do a look I was into, I was picturing being made up into a look that wasn't me and it helped me feel more confidant to be made up in a style I liked!! And Katie's right, I've never in my life had that much makeup on!! I felt ridiculous, like I had a mask 3 inches thick on my face!! But she does movie makeup for a living so I'm sure the stage makeup looks great on camera!! Feeling a bit more confident, I get ushered back into the filming area, it's dark with a lot of shades, umbrellas and cameras, I sit on a stool in front of a green screen under a bright spotlight (I'm sure it felt brighter than it actually was ;D ) to be interviewed. As aforementioned, I can't act to save my life and I'm nervous, she asks me a bunch of questions I can't remember because, for the most part, it was a blur, but I think in all my nervousness I was talking too fast and saying too much (surprise, surprise ;D ) and she would pick out the things she wanted me to say again and say them slower, or in a different order, or focus on one part and it was at that point that I felt the most awkward, I could say it okay out of my head but when asked to repeat I couldn't do it. Also it doesn't help that since they can't talk over you because they aren't going to be in the final cut, they would be afraid to interrupt letting you awkwardly trail off not sure if that was what they were looking for. But I was VERY animated and over the top to say the least!! For all you who know me and know how excitable and cheesy I can't be, well let's just say I pulled out all the stops. :) The interview started awkward with me trying to answer all their questions and nervously trying to put in to words what I was thinking and trying to give them what they wanted, they wanted to hear all about my "7 inches off my waist and 14 inches total body and 10 lbs lost in one month using the Zone Dancing Program"- it's a mouthful, you try to say it in one stint over and over in different ways with the proper enthusiasm and not sound nervous while still sounding genuine and adding in all that I did and how I work with chocolate for a living and so on. But at the end of the interview she asked if there was anything else I could say about my experience with Zone Dancing, and that was when I finally felt more comfortable, I excitedly (and over the top) told them all about how this changed my life and I've never loved my body before and about how I've never been in shape before, work with chocolate for a living, have a thyroid problem and I still managed to lose Blah, Blah Blah and if I can do it anyone can!!! I poured it on thick and even teared up a bit at one point!! Now everything I said was true but I really laid it on thick!!! I didn't hold back!! The interview officially ended with her asking me which part was my favorite so I told them "funny story. the one that was my favorite was the one I dreaded and thought I like the least, the Salsa Dancing, I have no rhythm and didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I had so much fun doing it and it made me feel sexy" I said while holding my arms out in front of me and doing a little shimmy with my shoulders. Yes. I actually did that. Does it get more embarrassing than that?... Actually, yes it does. and that brings me to the B-Roll shoot.

The B-Roll Shoot-

So I then walked back through the industrial area in my heals only this time with full stage makeup to head across town to where they were shooting the dreaded B-Roll. This is the part of the infomercials where you act out how excited you are about your experience with the product, to go along with your interview testimonial, and this was the part I was most nervous about. As I was leaving the interview they were saying "this girl needs to do some salsa dancing on camera! and make sure she is shown 'loving her body!' " Oh great, what did I get myself into with all my over the top excitement?!?!? I quickly tried to say that I wouldn't be very good at that as they ushered me out the door but by the time I arrived at the B-Roll shoot it I walked in to find that it had been called ahead that I should do some Salsa Dancing and some "loving my body". Anxiety rising as I sit through make up again and I'm trying to calm myself down. I go out and I start the shoot, and they start off with placing me in front of full length mirror set at an angle so the camera could see my reflection but I couldn't and I was told to look like I'm checking myself out in the mirror and to "love my body". I'm sure I looked ridiculous trying to Ooo and Ahh over my own body and check my self out (the self I couldn't actually see) when the fact is I would even be embarrassed to do so at home by myself!! But now I'm doing it on camera over and over with a director telling me different ways of doing it!! Then I had to look at a measuring tape like I was really excited and pull out to 7 inches, look even more surprised, and show it excitedly to the camera and grin even bigger with a "WOW!!" look on my face! Well, they had me smiling so big to begin with that when I went to show it to the camera and look more excited, there was no possible way I could do so, so I looked to the camera and changed my already cheesy grin to... a terrifying crazy grin!! They immediately stopped me, a little frightened, and told me I looked scary!!! I informed them that I knew I did but I couldn't possibly smile any bigger than they already had me doing!! They then had me do it over and over again but starting out not smiling so I could smile big when the time came. Then I had to take my old jeans and hold them up and "throw them away like I was done with them", well, I took this direction to heart and apparently I threw them a little (or a lot) like I was "done" with them!! I was feeling the motivation and I threw those jeans like I was disgusted with them and I never wanted to see the likes of them again!!! I guess this was a little intense and scary as well!! ;) And finally, they wanted me to, without the video, do a little impromptu Salsa Dancing, I had been a good sport up to this point but I tried to explain to them that people seeing me attempt to Salsa on camera was not going to sell any DVD's, I asked them to trust me on this one. But I think they thought I was just being a tad modest and they asked me to give it a shot. Well, I could not for the life of me remember how the Salsa was done and having absolutely NO rhythm, I sucked it up... and... Gave them the "Rachel Dance"! Yes, I did the "Rachel Dance" on camera. Now many of you might be asking yourselves, "What the hell is a "Rachel Dance?", Well, when I'm being silly (which is often) as long as I can remember I do this little subtle shimmy dance, shaking my bum with my lips puckered up and my fist's up in front of me (at times there has even been pointing), Close friends see it all the time!! Now, needless to say, with one look at the extent of my "dancing" skills, they said that was a wrap and sent me home. :) Way to end with a bang!! I gave it my best acting shot and I hope they were able to get something usable out of all that for their sake!!

All in all, it was an amazing experience and one I will remember it fondly for the rest of my life!! I can't believe I had the opportunity to do something like this!! And now, as I sit here still wearing my size 10 jeans!, my next goal is to lose the rest and train to become a runner!! Something I never thought I'd say!!! I still have a long way to go but I will get there this year!!

And the moment you've all been waiting for (and I've been dreading) or that you just scrolled down to see!! ;D

Here it is!!!!!!!!!

Height: 5'4

Weight: Before- 161, After 151 =10 lbs lost!!!

Waist (belly button): Before 40.5, After 33.5!! = 7 inches lost!!!

Hip (at hip bones): Before 43, After 40! =3 inches lost!!

Thigh (largest part): Before 25, After 22 =3 inches lost!!

Arm: Before 13, After 12 =1 inch lost

= 10 pounds and 14 inches lost total body!!

With the Zone Dancing Program!! ;)