The Beauty Show News

Check-In Weekly for Lisa’s Makeover Up-dates

History:
My father was in the Air Force and we moved around a lot my first 6 years (Florida, Hawaii, Texas, Germany). I am the second child with an older brother by 2 years. My parents divorced when I was 6 and we moved back to Oklahoma, where my mother’s family lived. My Mom worked hard and was a single Mom for awhile. I do not know what the cause was, but I was painfully almost certifiably shy and my body image and weight did nothing to help that. I did not make friends easily and had a very lonely and awkward childhood. My mother had another daughter, when I was 11, during her second marriage that lasted about 5 years. She was a single Mom again and I was pretty much my sister’s child care provider for a few years during middle and high school. I was even more reclusive and my weight gain continued into my late teens/early twenties.
I moved to Florida to live with my father and focused on loosing weight. I literally did nothing else but work and workout for several months. I went from about 230 to 135 and started getting attention that I was not used to. I made some friends and started going out to clubs, but the attention and low self esteem was not a good combination. I felt more comfortable with my inner dialog but was still very awkward socially, which at 41 I still very much am. I got pregnant and had my beautiful daughter at 23, met and married my husband 2 years later. When I got married, I started putting my weight back on and continued to gain until I reached almost 240. I was so miserable and uncomfortable all the time. Being so overweight affected my fertility and I was never able to get pregnant during 14 years of marriage. My husband never, ever complained about my weight but desperately wanted a child and it caused several ongoing arguments over the years. I had tried to loose weight over and over and eventually turned to gastric by pass surgery Feb 2, 2006. Eight months and 70 pounds lighter, I got pregnant. We had our son 7-7-07 (lucky numbers, huh). Post this weight loss of almost 100 lbs, and pregnancy, I had been dreaming about getting at least a breast lift and augmentation due to the loose skin. I really needed a tummy tuck as well but thought that would be very unlikely since we could probably not even afford one surgery.

Casting:
When I heard about the show casting back in Feb I thought it sounded like it might be fun to go to. After all it was close to my house and I have always dreamed about getting a makeover. You could safely describe me as a reality show “addict” and I think it is because I find the real human experience so much more interesting than dramas and such shows. So, I was off to the casting thinking I would just get an experience out of it and not expecting to be selected at all. I took my 17 year old daughter with me and left my 7 month old son at home with my mother who lives with us. That is right, I have a daughter that was about to start her last year of high school and a son that I was still nursing! Well, I had a great time chatting with the other women that were there, I was really putting forth an effort to be as outgoing as possible, and after several hours waiting it was my turn to talk to the producer. I was given the impression that I would probably not be in the running and that there would be a call back in the few weeks following. I did not hear anything further and was a little disappointed, but had a fun time.
Around the end of August I received an e-mail from one of the producers asking, what I thought was everyone, back again. He said that production had been stalled but was picking up again. I came so close to not going because it was scheduled on my work day and I did not know if it was worth it to take a day off. But, my interest in the show won out and I took my mother with me this time. That day was so fun! I was very surprised to find out that there were only around 40 women there and that I had made some sort of cut already.
Meeting all the professionals was a great experience and they were all very kind and interested in all of us. It took a while to make the rounds to everyone and after lunch, all the professionals deliberated to pick their top 3 for follow up questions. When Maria came into the room, I was telling the ladies at my table that I was sure that she would not call my name. She asked for 3 ladies to come out to talk to one of the teams and she called out my name last. I was so shocked! I started to get nervous at that point because it was a possibility in my mind now that I could be picked.
We were brought into a conference room with the panel of professionals for team 2 and they asked us some questions. I was a little nervous because we had to have microphones and the cameras and lights were going as well. When they told me that I was selected for their team, I could not believe my ears. The first thing I wanted to do was to go tell my Mom, but they had to interview me some more. Everyone was really happy and excited for me but I was so shocked it took quite a while for it to sink in and seem real.

Meeting with the professionals:
That was on Sat and I already had an appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Mosharaffa, on Monday morning to clear me health wise. I was pretty nervous and did not know what to expect. Dr. Mosharaffa made me feel very comfortable and relaxed. He explained in detail the procedures and recovery process and made me feel like I would be in the best of care. Ok, taking the pictures was not the best experience, but that was a very small price to pay for the end results. I left that appointment feeling great.
My personal trainer, Jacky, wanted to start right away as well. I have been meeting with her every day that I do not work since that Sat. It is really nice because she come to my house and involves the rest of my family as well, if they are available. My Mom has worked out with me the most, but my daughter has joined a couple of times. It is amazing the type of workout you can get at home with just the ball and bands! Jacky has me sore all over, everyday. It is hard but a lot of fun as well. We have done a couple of sessions where we dance, and that is great. We have also used my pool for a workout and that one was very hard. She really keeps it switched up and interesting. I hope that some of it will sink in and that I can do it my self when this process is over.
I was surprised that my hair professional wanted to meet with me early in the process, but Curtis told me that I needed some products to get my hair into shape. I met with him at Veronica’s for a consultation where everyone was so attentive. We discussed the possibilities and have decided on blond, blond, blond. I am still not sure if we are going to do extensions, which blows my mind, or go to a shorter style. I left there with some shampoo, conditioner, supplements and looking forward to my hair makeover.
I did not have an appointment with my cosmetic dentist until Rich, the camera man, was in town to do some filming. I already had a great time with Dr. Smallwood and Dr. Elannan at the casting and new they would be a lot of fun. I was not disappointed. We had a great time at that appointment and I had the feeling that they, and their staff, give all their patients special treatment. They took all kinds of impressions and explained the process of my smile makeover. I was so excited because I have always hated my smile. That is the one thing I have wanted to fix as long as I can remember. I still won’t believe it until it is done.

I have not met with the rest of my team yet, since casting, but I am scheduled Monday for a shoot at Paradise Medspa and my surgery is on Tue. I am focusing on loosing as much weight or inches as possible before surgery, but it is approaching very quickly. Honestly, just getting the opportunity to work with one of the professionals on my team would have been a dream come true, but all of them is just unbelievable! It still does not feel real that I am on a show. I can’t wait to see the finished Salt Lake show – then it will probably hit me.