Week 12
Medifast Mother-Daughter Challenge Produces ALL Winners!

Well, we are at the end of the 12-week Challenge! We have all hung in there and done so well. What a great experience we have gone through together!

As of week 11, we had lost 214.4 pounds as a group! That is a HUGE amount of weight lost. Elaine and Kristin lost 61.2 lbs, Carolyn and Roshonda lost 71.7 lbs and Charlotte and I had lost 81.5lbs. That makes us ALL winners!!! We’re still fighting the overweight fight but we have learned better ways to go about it. The Medifast Program has made this a much easier fight to win. And win, we all did! You gals are the greatest!! A round of applause for all of you!

The Medifast Mother-Daughter Challenge has been about so much more that just losing the weight:

• We have learned a much better way of dealing with life.
  
• Food is not a reward nor should it be a punishment.
  
• We found that we have so many more friends than we ever realized (some of the most supportive have really surprised us).
  
• We’ve discovered so many great non-food rewards.
  
• Exercise is actually fun and the kids love to do it, too.
  
• Even though I am a better writer than speaker, I have enjoyed telling everyone about the Medifast Program. We talk to folks everywhere we go and have spread it over a 4 state area this summer. We have had responses to Mother-Daughter Challenge from all over the US and several foreign countries.
  
  

And the very best is that we can do this! My weight will not be a stumbling block to enjoying the rest of my life! I will stay with this plan until I get down to a “normal” weight and can enjoy all that life throws at me.

Lead, follow, or get the heck out of the way! We’re coming through!

Week 11
We’re headed into our last week on the Mother-Daughter Challenge! I’m down 4lbs this week. It was 5 yesterday but that fickle scale backed up a pound overnight on me.

I went to donate blood again this week and my blood pressure was only 110/60! This is after I have cut one of my meds in half and the other in quarters. My resting pulse was only 60 (prior to Medifast it was 100-120). I had to ask them if I was still alive it was so low! With Medifast I’m going to be able to someday get off of all medications, WooHoo!

Yesterday I ordered another 2 week supply of Medifast for Charlotte and myself so we won’t be without this fantastic product between when the Challenge ends and they announce the winners. If I keep to the plan I should be a “normal” size by next summer. That’s hard to fathom, I have to tell you. That little fat kid inside me is going to have to adjust to a whole different world.

This week we bumped our trail mileage to 3 miles per day, twice a week. We aren’t fast but we do get through it. The other 3 weekdays we go to the gym and swim. Weekends are so busy we just walk wherever we end up. As the weather gets colder we’ll probably work out at the gym more often.

Hope you all have a glorious week this week. Keep smiling

Week 10
Wow, only 2 weeks left of our challenge. Hard to believe we have been together for 10 weeks already.

I’m going to kick it up a notch and sprint towards the finish line. I’ve been staying on plan and have lost almost 4lbs a week, on average, but I still think I can do more. I had originally hoped to lose 60-70lbs during the Challenge. I haven’t done quite that well but that’s okay as I’ve lost over 70lbs since New Years. I’ve done well and I feel so much better. That is truly priceless.

Since starting Medifast my body doesn’t crave junk foods anymore. I can go to social gatherings and not be afraid that I’ll overindulge in things that aren’t healthy for me. I eat a Medifast Meal before I go and take along a Medifast bar to nibble on when the desserts come around. Most restaurants serve food that’s acceptable for my Lean & Green Meal, and ice water with a lemon slice quenches my thirst. I’ve learned to savor the flavors of the things I eat and not just wolf them down. And the very best compliments I receive are when someone asks me how I’ve done it and I can tell them all about the Medifast Plan and how it’s changed my life. If I can only help someone, I will be happy.

Thanks to all my friends, family and extended circle (you know who you are) for your encouragement. Have a wonderful week everyone!

Week 9
Yep, we are 3/4th of the way through our challenge. This week has been about trying to further spread the word about the Medifast Mother-Daughter Challenge and wow, have we been busy doing that!

We tried to interest our local media in writing up something on the Mother-Daughter Challenge and got no response. A national newsletter I subscribe to has been very helpful in spreading the word, though. Also, my cousin put our info on a website she works with and the response has been fantastic. We have gotten votes in from coast to coast and from Japan to India, to Great Britain. International, baby!

I spent the weekend with family to keep my mind off the fact that my girls are out of town for two weeks. I have stayed so on plan with Medifast that I was not tempted to eat something I shouldn’t. I ate my nutrition bars while traveling and mixed my shakes up in cold water. It’s just too easy! I make my oatmeal before I hit the road and my soup after I have arrived. My aunt is so wonderful about serving good foods when I come to visit.

Friends are starting to ask about getting on the Medifast Program. I try to answer any questions they might have. Of course, I steer them to the Nutrition Support team for the technical answers. I want everyone to enjoy the same success that Charlotte and I have achieved.

Have a fantastic week! Think happy thoughts!

Week 8 - 8 Weeks and Counting!
It is hard to believe that we have been on Medifast for 8 weeks now. The time is flying as fast as the pounds are dropping. I am down 34 lbs and Charlotte is down 31 for a team total of 65 lbs! WOW!

This week has been about trying to get more exercise into my daily life. I managed to walk 4 evenings this last week. With the 2 days we did water aerobics that makes 6 evenings of exercise besides the walking we do on our breaks at work. My goal is to keep this pattern of exercise going long enough to make it a habit. The next two weeks will be tough because my two younger daughters are visiting family and won’t be here to walk with me. It is much harder to get out and do things by yourself. Guess my big dog will get her wish and be my walking partner this week. I must, I must, I must keep exercising!

As a non-food treat, we went to a Toby Keith concert Friday. All the exercise we’ve been doing helped our night out as our seats were up 4 sections of stairs. I was able to do it without even breathing hard! I was so worried I’d be caught halfway up huffing and puffing. No sweat this time. Yah baby!!

I hope everyone else is enjoying their thinner, more mobile, selves. Life just keeps getting better. Catch me if you can!

Week 7
Seven weeks on Medifast and I’m down 31 pounds. Unbelievable!

Most days I start with my Medifast oatmeal. I really like the apple cinnamon the best. For my next meal I will have a shake. I like that I can mix the chocolate shake into a cold bottle of water and it tastes just like chocolate milk. There is a small coffee hut near my work that will blend it up into a shake for me, too, if I’m looking for something a little more decadent. Yummy for my tummy!

Some days I eat my Lean & Green Meal for lunch and sometimes I wait until I get home from work. It kinda depends on how hungry I am at lunch time, I guess. For the opposite meal I will make up a packet of a Medifast soup or the beef stew or the chili. I have realized that I really am a soup lover. I like having the option of a hot or a cold Medifast Meal, depending on what grabs my fancy at the time. After classes start up again in the fall it will probably be easier to eat my Lean & Green Meal at lunchtime so I can grab a quick shake on the way to evening classes. I also can make the soup up and put it in my thermos to eat in-between classes.

The Medifast program has made a huge positive change in my live. Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Week 6
People are starting to notice that I have lost weight! In the 6 weeks we have been on the Medifast Mother-Daughter Challenge I have lost 28 lbs but, even better, since the first of the year I have lost 61 lbs! That works out to almost 2 pants sizes and over 2 shirt sizes. I know I still have 169 lbs to go but that is okay, I'll get there. This diet is so much easier than any of the dozens of other diets I have done in the past.

I am shopping in the back of my closet right now for clothes that actually fit but pretty soon I'm going to have to hit the stores. The most needed thing is pants. The ones I have are soooo baggy in the butt.  Looks like I'm carrying a load of you know what back there!

The staying on plan has gotten so easy. I actually like a lot of the Medifast food. This last monthly order we received I had ordered a lot of different things to try and I can't wait to try them all! My daughter doesn't like as much variety so she only ordered one kind of soup, one flavor of bar and then shakes for her next month. Ah well, different strokes for different folks. Whatever it takes to keep these pounds falling off!

This losing weight is also affecting my moods. One guy at work called me Ms Sunshine this week. I have always tried to be bright and chipper at work but I guess I must really be glowing now. I'll have to be careful not to irritate some of the not so happy people. NOT! They'll just have to get over it!!!

For one of my workouts this week my girls and I walked on part of the Chehalis Western Trail here in Olympia, WA. The portion we walked goes through a beautiful wooded area alongside a lake. Even though it was a warm afternoon it was so pleasant out on the trail. Truthfully, it took us 45 minutes to walk the two miles (there are mileage markers on the trail) but that is okay. Six months ago I wouldn’t have been able to walk that far in any amount of time. That I have gotten this far so quickly is still amazing.

Sunday morning we went to Seattle and walked for 2 hours all over the Pikes Place Market. If you have never been, it is a shopping/farmers market area that has been built into an old wharf. It has three different levels with 50+ stores besides the outside farmers market. We didn’t go to buy anything in particular, just wanted the excuse to get out and about. It’s a great place to people watch! You can sit and look out over the beautiful Puget Sound and see all the surrounding mountains.

I hope you all have a wonderful week; I'm out the door to hit the gym for family swim.
See ya’ll later!

Week 5 - Five Weeks Down and Still Kickin’ It:
Well, we’ve done 5 weeks on the Medifast plan and things are going great. I am down 6 more pounds this week for a total of 24 pounds in 5 weeks! In all the diets I have tried in the past I’d be lucky to lose 2 lbs a week but on Medifast I’m averaging almost 5 pounds a week! Wow, this is fantastic. The motivation and support we get from the MyMedifast blogs is super. You couldn’t ask for a better community of friends! Some of our co-workers are starting to notice that we are losing! Yippee!

We have been so active this week. For July 4th we went to Mount Rainier and did some light hiking. It has been over 20 years since I have been able to hike. There are so many trails here in WA and I want to see a bunch of them as I lose more weight. My girls love being outdoors, too. I’m trying to make sure that my two younger girls never have the weight problems that Charlotte and I have had.

By next summer one of my goals is to go white water rafting. It is one of those things I have wanted to do for a long time but at almost 400 pounds you just can’t do it. One of my friends at work has family that runs a white water rafting outfit and will show me a super time once I am ready to do it.

Charlotte and I have started back to the gym again. The local Bally’s has family swim 5 nights a week so I have been taking my younger girls with us and let them swim while Charlotte and I do water aerobics. On other evenings I like riding the stationery bike and Charlotte likes the treadmill. I have spent so many years with not enough energy to do any of this. I’m done. I’m never going back to that way of life.

We are still walking at least 30 minutes every day. On weekdays we walk through the complex of state offices where we work and on the weekends we look for scenic areas to walk in. Today we walked around part of Capitol Lake here in Olympia. With Charlotte starting a part time job this week she won’t have as much time to go to the gym but her work is very physical so she is still getting plenty of exercise.

The very best news of the week I saved for last. I saw my doctor this week to have my blood pressure checked. I have been on two blood pressure medications to control my high blood pressure readings. My BP was down to 102/74 this time and this is after I have cut both of my pills in half! Now I will be cutting one of them down to a ¼ pill everyday. Eventually I may be able to get off them completely if I stay on plan and get this weight off. That is exciting!

I hope everyone has a great week this week. Don’t let the garbage get you down and DON’T PUT THAT GARBAGE IN YOUR MOUTH!

Hugs and Kisses to Everyone!

Week 4 - Glad To Be Home and On Track

Wow, a two week vacation is long! I had a fantastic time but I’m really worn out today. We got in yesterday evening just in time to get my aunt back to the airport for her flight home. Today I will need to get back on track.

After spending a week at our family reunion, we traveled on down to Los Angeles for 3 days at Disneyland. Even though I have been several times in my adult life, I still feel it is truly the happiest place on earth. I wish Charlotte could have been with us. We kept in contact every day by phone but it wasn’t the same as having her there with us.

With all the weight that I have lost this year I was able to ride all the rides that I haven’t been able to because of my size. What a great feeling! I have to admit that some of the rides were still a very tight squeeze but I did ride them. The next time I go I will be a “normal” size and hopefully will not have to even think about the not fitting thing! That is the most exciting thing of all!

I was surprised that we were able to find so many places at Disneyland that serve salads. I was able to eat my Lean & Green Meal every day. The amount of sweets and candy stores was hard to take. I worked hard to keep away from the sweets but then on our last day there a chimichanga flew into my hand and I ate about half of it before I even realized what I was doing. I quickly handed it to the kids. The worst part was that I wasn’t even hungry! It was just mindless eating. This is something I will have to work at. I will not let food control the rest of my life.

Coming home from Disneyland we traveled a lot of the trip by secondary roads. We wandered along parts of the northern California coast and through the giant redwood forests. It was a very scenic drive but hard on the bladder! I know I did not drink enough water every day due to the fear that I might not find many rest areas. Well, I’m home now and can get back to what I know I need. I am very thirsty this morning, which is my body telling me I need to get drinking my H2O.

Charlotte and I will start back at the gym this week. I’m looking forward to being in the pool again. Swimming is one of the few sports that I managed to get good grades in while in high school. We don’t get a very long summer here in western WA so if you want to swim you pretty much need to join a gym with an indoor pool. We are not taking any college classes this summer so we should be able to work out a few times a week anyway. After my heel recoups from vacation we’ll start our trail walking also.

Here’s hoping your week is a good one! We’ll see ya’ on down the road!

Week 3
One more week down and we are hanging in there. The hardest part of this week has been being gone from home and not seeing Charlotte every day. We call and talk to each other at least a couple of times every day but it just isn't the same as having someone there. We'll be home by the end of this week so that will have to do. For this week I am down 3 more pounds for a total of 17 in 3 weeks. My grand total since the first of the year is 50 pounds! That is more than my 7 year old niece weighs!

Making my Medifast Meals away from home has been fairly easy. I make sure my morning meal is my oatmeal and my last meal is my soup. I make up the shakes and eat my bar in between the two hot meals. We have tried to eat our biggest meal of the day early so no one is stuffed at bedtime.

We have spent most of this week at my family reunion. It has been a struggle to stay away from the delicious foods we are making. I have incorporated a lean meat into every main meal and a green salad so that I can make my Lean & Green Meal without any additional preparation. When the family gathers for dessert I head to the kitchen and start washing dishes or putting up food. I'm pretty strong but who can resist home made pies?

I was able to go out and buy new capris in a smaller size this week. Yeah!! I've not bought any new clothes for quite some time and it was great to buy a smaller size this time. When we get home I'll be digging through my stored clothes for my next smaller size. It will look like I have a whole new wardrobe with how long it has been since I was able to wear them. That is exciting!

Tomorrow we are on to Disneyland for three days. We have saved for two years to make this trip. I have looked forward to the chocolate covered frozen bananas that they sell at Disneyland and now will not eat one since it isn't in my meal plan. I am staying on plan although I have eaten a bit more than I should at times. I will try some of the tips from the MyMedifast discussion boards for meals on the go and report back next week on how we coped at Disneyland.

Falling off plan is just not an option for me. I will have the rest of my life as a thin person to indulge myself with small tastes of those things I really love.  For the chance of completely changing my life around I can have patience. As soon as we return it will be "back to the gym" time. Charlotte and I had a membership but failed to use it due to school pressures. They renewed us for a discounted rate so we will try to fit it in this summer as much as we can. I like the stationary bike and Charlotte likes the treadmill. We both love the pool!

I hope the other gals are doing equally as well this week. This is such an exciting journey we are on together. Best wishes to everyone and we'll see ya on down the road.

Week 2 - And We Are Doing Great!
Well, we have made it through two weeks now. Weighed in this morning at 343lbs for 14 pounds lost! When you add that to the 33 lbs that I lost before starting Medifast, it makes a total of 47 pounds lighter this year. That is exciting. It has been so easy to stay on this diet. Of course, that isn’t to say I haven’t had a thought about cheating from time to time. That little voice that says, “It’s okay . . . it’s only one bite . . . who will know . . . Just this once . . .” It gets easier as you go along, for sure. Since our capacity for food has shrunken up so much we really savor our Lean & Green Meal. We thought it would never be enough food in the day when we started and now it is hard to finish it all!

This last week I was a blood donor again for the first time in over 20 years. When they took my vitals before the donation I was pleasantly surprised when my blood pressure was down to 120/70. And this is after I have cut my two blood pressure medications in half since starting Medifast! My resting pulse was down to 80 beats per minute from my usual 100+ beats per minutes. We can contribute that to the 30 minutes, minimum, that we walk every day. We have rejoined our local gym and I will start going back as soon as vacation is over.

Most of the family is leaving today for a trip to California. Charlotte can’t come as she is new at work and has no leave available. We are starting our vacation out at our family reunion. My bachelor cousin is the host but we are going to help him out with the cooking. You know I’ll incorporate Lean & Green items into all our meals! My aunts like to walk in the mornings so I will get my exercise in. We have plenty of sight seeing planned so I will get lots of walking in there, too.

After we spend time with the extended family we are going to Disneyland. It IS the funnest place on earth! It has been several years since we have gone and I have been looking forward to this trip for two years. I plan to use more of the Medifast shakes while we are on the road and use the microwaves at the hotels for my hot meals. Stay tuned for updates on how I do on the road.

Here’s hoping you all have a wonderful week. Our fellow challengers are doing wonderful. Keep it up girls!!! See ya’ll down the road!

WEEK 1
Week One over and down 9 pounds! Not as much as I had hoped but if I can do this much steadily it will be wonderful. Since the start of the year that gives me a total of 40+ pounds lost. That is exciting! The weight is just falling off on Medifast compared to how hard I struggled with the first 33 pounds on my own.

I have been surprised at how easy it has been to keep on track. You’d have to understand our household to understand what I mean by that. My baby sister and I have a combined household with our 5 girls, ages 7-20. Charlotte (my oldest), my sister, and myself all work full time and take college classes in the evenings or on weekends. The other 4 children have after school activities and religious education classes we ferry them to. Dinner is a quick and/or late “whoever isn’t too busy to cook” affair. Weekends we try to get a few things cooked up so there will be leftovers for a day or two. I make my Medifast Meal up while I am cooking for the family and we all get to eat at the same time.

I’ve done a bit of adding to my packets of Medifast. With my Tomato soup I added a chopped up Boca Italian Sausage and a pinch of Italian Seasonings. Yummy! The MyMedifast website has some great suggestions from other members on ways to change your meals up a bit and still stay on plan. Everyone has been so helpful and supportive!

Charlotte and I get most of our exercise walking on our breaks at work. We just take enough time to make up our Meal and then spend the rest of our break walking. We are fortunate to live in a part of the country that has beautiful, scenic areas to walk in. Even though Charlotte wants to start running again, I know that my knees will never take that. I will walk for now and should be able to add other activities as I lose weight. My English Mastiff loves to go for walks in the evening so I think I’ll make her happy for now.

I’m starting to get excited about how my life will change as I lose this bulk. I’ve always dreamed about doing things like white water rafting, horseback riding in our National Parks, hiking, and even taking a line dance class but knew that I couldn’t do it as a morbidly obese person. I’m going to start seriously planning these things as the weight falls off!

Here’s wishing everyone a great week ahead. See Ya Down The Road!

Background

Carrie needs some help with her weight. She and her daughter Charlotte have always been a team. They’re both studying for degrees in accounting and work in the same building as junior accountants. They take classes together and compete for grades.

Carrie wants to take Charlotte on a special birthday trip to Las Vegas next year but she says she needs to lose a few more pounds before she can fit into the seatbelt on the plane. They are both ready to get started!