news you can use #1: i phone apps, chi man, and biggest loser

just to keep you in the know, i present you:

news you can use!

in tech news, iphone has a new badass app that i'm now obsessed with.  (okay, maybe it's not so new, maybe it came out last year, but whatev, it's new to me.)  anyways, it's a barcode scanner and you scan the item you're wanting to purchase and up pops the item with a list of stores and their prices!  now you can always know you're getting the best deal!  some stores even match competitor prices so you can just show them, and they'll give it to you for the lowest published price.  badass, right??  it's like you're own personal shopping assistant!  genius!  perfect during the christmas season!!  soon there will be an app that actually does your christmas shopping for you.  wouldn't that be nice?

in political news, farouk shami - the guy who invented the CHI, the guy who is the reason why my hair is so sleek, straight, and shiny everyday, the guy who has sold millions of his CHI products worldwide and has made a multi-billion dollar company in the process - is running for governor of texas.  if he wins, i will lobby for free CHI products for everyone!!  gotta love democracy and capitalism.

just an fyi: CHI stands for ceramic hydration interlink.  and to think that this whole time i just thought they were trying to come up with a clever title like "chia pet" without the "a" and "pet" at the end.

CHI man, farouk shami, will actually be running against my former boss who is the current mayor of houston, bill white.  oh, and here's a fun little factoid for houstonians who aren't in the know - prior to being houston's mayor he was deputy secretary of energy of the u.s. under former president bill clinton.

in the greatest contestant show ever news, danny cahill is the season 8 biggest loser winner!!  (seriously, check out that link to see some of the transformations.)  danny was my pick to win it all from the very beginning and he totally deserved it.  he was an all-round good guy and a total family man.  he had a starting weight of 430 pounds and ended the season at 191 pounds - that's a total weight loss of 239 pounds(!), just in case you're too lazy to do the math.  he looked awesome and years younger.  if you don't watch this show, you should.  fat people lose hundreds of pounds and transform their lives while i sit on the couch eating cookies.  it's life changing, really.  you can go here to see all the before and after photos from the season 8 finale.  next season starts in january!

like i said, bloggy friends, news you can use!

my beloved biggest loser

about a year ago i discovered the one reality show that could actually bring me to tears: the biggest loser.  don't judge me just yet - i have friends who cry during grey's, a show made up of actors.  the biggest loser is real, hence the term "reality show." (duh.)  anyways, these are real people (really overweight people) with real stories.  and by really overweight, i mean extremely obese; these people need help.  each contestant has their own story and each contestant used overeating and food as a coping mechanism.  i don't think you have to currently be overweight or have ever been overweight to like this show.  it doesn't matter if you're short/tall, fat/skinny, black/white, or somewhere in between: we all have ways of dealing with the issues that come with life.  for some (and in the case of those on the biggest loser) it's food and overeating; for others it's not eating; more others it's excessive drinking; etc.  you get the idea, the list goes on.  these people come to the show really wanting to change their lives: they want to change for their families, their friends, and for themself.  i mean look at the results from last season's biggest loser winner, helen:

i mean seriously, how can you not love that transformation.  my love for the show runs deep.  for instance, last year when the biggest loser had a casting call in my city, i wanted to go.  i mean, i actually wanted to BE ON the show.  (at this point my friends are rolling their eyes and/or laughing.)  since you can't see me, let me give you a little insight, i'm about 5'4 and 112 pounds at my heaviest.  i swear there is an inner fat girl inside of me - i love food, particularly the worst kinds of food for you, so i can relate to having a love affair with good food.  but i obviously couldn't try out for the show without getting stoned.  since plan a didn't work, i came up with a plan b: oooh, maybe i'll just make signs and posters displaying my love of the show and my support for these people really wanting to change their lives.  my friends convinced me that unless i was trying out to be a physical trainer, i shouldn't go.  i reluctantly agreed.


most tuesday evenings, i get home just before seven too exhausted and hungry to go to the gym and workout; plus, the biggest loser is about to come on!  lame excuse, i know.  so my normal tuesday evening consists of me laying on the couch eating organic chocolate chip cookie dough (because i'm too lazy and too hungry to actually bake the cookies).  doesn't sound too supportive of my fave fat-people-trying-to-make-their-lives-healthy, does it?  so last night, i decided to be active in my love for the show 'cause actions speak louder than words, right?*  i got out of meetings early and seized the opportunity.  i went to a 45-minute aerobics step class then did a quick 20-minute run to make it home in time for the show.  i even had a healthy dinner and settled in on the couch to tune in.


there is something really rewarding about changing for good and being transformed.  tune in next tuesday night!  nbc 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (central standard time)


xo
-m


*something i'm constantly telling the quasi-bf!