WEEK 12
Twelve weeks ago I was tasting a cheeseburger with fries and today I taste the success Medifast has helped me achieve. In twelve weeks, I’ve lost my poor eating habits and gained the confidence to wear a skirt and feel good about how I look. Tomorrow I hope to be a leader, helping others in need by sharing my Medifast story.

Although I have my whole life ahead of me, and several more pounds to lose, Medifast has opened my opportunities by making me believe in myself. Giving ourselves value and permission to be happy and fun is part of what motivates me. Medifast helped me remove several speed bumps in my life…. The spare tire too!! I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our other team members in the success they have achieved. You girls Rock!

WEEK 11
This week has been far from the usual. On Thursday, I had surgery on my big toe (I’ll keep the gory details out). That put me out of working at my second job (Costco) the rest of the week so it could heal. It’s been kind of weird being at home on the couch with my foot propped up. I’m not used to not being busy I guess. So I grabbed on of my Stephen King novels and caught up on some reading. Come Friday I didn’t care how bad my toe hurt I had to get out of the house. So I went walking around Wal-Mart for a while until my foot said that was enough.

With all that going on I have been able to lose 2.5 more pounds this week. That puts me at a grand total of 37.5 pounds lost since I started the Mother Daughter Challenge. That’s the size of a little kid! I have to say that my mom and I feel 150% better than I think we ever have. It’s been an amazing journey so far and we loving telling everyone about it! We have had quite a few people that have decided to try the Medifast Program because they see the amazing results my mom and I have had.

Next week my goal is 3 pounds. I will be back to work on Wednesday and can’t wait. I’ll have to work extra hard since I was gone a week! Until next week...

WEEK 10
School officially starts Sept. 24th and I can’t wait! I already have a new binder, pens, pencils, and anything else I could think of. I even bought myself a laptop so I can do my homework easier.

Weight-wise, I lost 2 pounds again this week. Two must be a lucky number for me! Like I’ve said before, I’m just glad I’m still losing! Next week on my days off (from one of my jobs) I’ll be walking all the way around the park in the evenings. On Monday night I’m hoping to make good use of the gym’s pool and hot tub.

It’s interesting how after you’ve been on Medifast a while, you look at foods you used to love and see them for what they really are. For example, I have to admit to being a big pizza eater. Well, the other day the kids ate pizza for dinner. There was grease dripping off it and it just made my stomach want to turn inside out. Before we started this challenge I would’ve eaten it with no regrets (until I stepped on a scale!). Now I see how bad some foods are for us and it makes me love my salad even more!

Well, next week I am shooting for 4 pounds. I plan on breaking this 2 pounds trend. I think with the extra exercise and everything I will have, hopefully, no problem. I hope everyone has an excellent week, and until then just keep smiling.

WEEK 9
This week has been very busy for me like every week seems to be. I worked a few extra hours at Costco a couple of nights because we had people from the corporate office come and inspect the place. The Lacey Costco has now been officially open a full year. Our inspection went excellent! We were all happy about that!

Well, school starts on September 24th and I can’t wait. I took the summer off to spend some extra time relaxing, but instead I ended up getting the second job with Costco. It’s ok though, I still have my days that I just lay around or hang out with my friends! Last weekend I went to Summer Jam with some friends. It was pretty cool. Then I went with my boyfriend to an after party, which was a lot of fun too.

This week I am down another 2 pounds. I am so thankful I am still loosing the weight! The other day I noticed my tummy was like “jelly.” I know that sounds funny but before it was like solid because there was so much fat and it was all packed in there. Now that the fat is melting away it’s getting softer so my belly is getting smaller.

This next week I am going to shoot for 2 pounds since 2 seems to be the right number the past few weeks. Well, hope everyone has an awesome week and I’ll see yah next week!!!

WEEK 8
Boy what to say about this week? Everything has been going smoothly in some ways. I went to a concert this weekend, which was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed spending the time with my friends! I stayed busy all weekend going here and there with all my buds.

I lost another 2 pounds this week, which puts me at a total of 31 pounds since we started the Medifast Program and now weighing in at 249 lbs!!! I am really glad I have the shakes in my Medifast Meals. It makes it so much easier especially when you’re running from one job to the next. I make mine up in the morning and stick them in the fridge so they are nice and cool when it’s time for me to drink one. I have found that the Medifast Bars make a great snack in the evenings.

I am kind of surprised that I haven’t gotten bored with the food. I though that with eating the same things everyday I would get bored but I have not one bit! I do tend to mix them up a little bit. For example, having my bar in the morning instead of the afternoon.

I am going to shoot high again for next week’s weight loss goal as I did this last week too. I am hoping for 3-4 pounds this coming week. Like I always say, only time will tell.

Well, until next week. Hope everyone enjoys the next week!!!

WEEK 7
Well, again this week I worked close to 30 hours at one job and 40 at the other. I’m starting to get used to it so it’s not really a big deal anymore. I have lost only 1 pound this week. In some ways I was kind of bummed about it but I think I have gained some muscle with working at Costco being a very physical job.

I was able to get all my water in this week, which was one of my goals. I have at least 3 litters of water a day. Some of the days that I sweated really bad at work I ended up drinking 4 liters.

I have to say that eating the Medifast Meals are so much easier now. I feel like I have always been doing this, the food is just automatic now. I used to spend several minutes trying to figure out what to eat and then most of the time it would be fast food because I didn’t want to spend the time to cook. Well, with the Medifast it’s grab and go. I love it!

My goal for next week will be 4 pounds. Hopefully, with enough water and exercise I will be able to achieve this; but like always only time will tell!!!

WEEK 6
Well, this week I am down another 2 pounds. Not what I had hoped from last week’s 6-pound loss. I was hoping for 3 pounds but I think I know why I didn’t get my 3 pounds. I have had some weeks that I get all the water I need in but then there’s other weeks like this week that it seemed no matter how hard I tried I didn’t get the water in. I never thought water was that important before I started this program. I used to have maybe one 8 oz glass a day. I mostly drank sodas, and teas that were all full of caffeine. Since starting this program I think I have had more water than I have had in a long, and I mean long time. I don’t really drink teas and sodas much anymore. Occasionally I will have a caffeine free, diet coke.

This week I had 3 days off from my second job and I spent some time with my friends. I did really good and only ate from my packets because I had already had my Lean & Green Meal. I notice that when I am out with my friends, they all order healthier stuff then what they used to order. For example, my friends like to go to McDonalds a lot and they always get the biggest burger and extra large their meals. The last few times we have gone they get salads, fruit cups, etc. It makes me feel good that my friends are ordering better stuff for themselves.

Well, even though I had a 2 pound loss this week I think next week I am still going to shoot for 3 pounds. I think with drinking enough water and exercising I will be able to achieve another 3 pound loss.

Oh, I have to share an interesting thing I found. At Costco we have 20-40 pound bags of flour, sugar, etc. I just realized the other day when I picked up one of the 20 pound bags, I was carrying around that much weight, plus more, before I started Medifast. It’s interesting how when we lose the weight and then go to pick up the weight we lost it seems so heavy!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week, catch you next week. Same time, same station!

WEEK 5
Well, this week has come and gone really super fast for me. I started my second job this week working at Costco in the Bakery department. I used to work there but quit because I needed a full time job. Well, I went back to earn some extra money to get lasik surgery done on my eyes. It is something I have always wanted to do but haven’t had the money to do it. In the bakery, I wrap all the products when they come out of the oven and get them ready to be sold. It’s a lot of fun, and I love all the people I work with. So this week I have been going from my full time job (7:30am to 4pm) and then going straight to Costco (5:15pm to 10:15pm). I have definitely been busy!!! I also ended up working this Saturday at Costco.

Between all the running around and everything, I am down another 6.3 pounds this week. That makes my total 25.3 pounds down since my mom and I started our Medifast journey. I already feel so much healthier! I am starting to fit into clothes that I haven’t been able to fit into in a long time. I put on a shirt today that was one that I haven’t worn in a year and a half. It felt so wonderful! Family and friends have started to notice the weight loss as well! I saw my friend’s mom today and she said I was looking so good. It made me feel like a million bucks!

My goal for next week is 3 pounds. I think with going to the gym on my days off (from the night job) and working at Costco I will be able to get at least 3 pounds off if not more; but only time will tell! I want to let everyone know that my mom and I are so thankful for all the support we have received so far! It helps us keep going, and helps us see that light at the end of the tunnel clearer. I hope everyone has an excellent week ahead of them!

WEEK 4 - My Mom is FINALLY BACK!

I was so excited Saturday as my mom and the rest of the gang came back from their vacation to California. They all got me a little something from the different places they stopped at since I wasn’t able to go. It is so nice to have the family all back together and under one roof again.

Well, this week has gone pretty good. I have followed my diet pretty good except I still am not drinking enough water. I get close but it’s always those last few ounces that I seem to miss. Exercise wise I have been taking the dogs on a walk just about every night. Today mom and I went to the gym with all the kids and went swimming. Mom and I did different agilities in the water we had learned from the water aerobics class we used to take. After that we swam a few laps; all in all we worked out for about 30 minutes. Our plan is to start going back to the gym 3 nights a week.

So far this week I have lost 2 pounds. Not as much as I would probably like but again any loss is good. I think next week I will probably lose more because I will be starting a job that is very physical. I will be working at Costco in the bakery. I used to work there before I started with my current job. I will be working part time as a bakery wrapper/ cleanup. I will get to wrap all the bakery products and get them ready for the sales floor (it sounds easy but after moving those heavy pans around a couple times it gets difficult). I will also be cleaning up. This includes putting all those heavy pans on racks to be cleaned, and once they are clean removing them. I think this job will be good because I will be constantly busy, which I love. Plus, the extra money is always nice too. When I first starting working for Costco I though the smell of the bakery would make me want the sweets all the time, but it actually doesn’t. Because you’re around the smell of the sweets all day I find I don’t want any of them PERIOD.

Anyways, I hope next week goes really well and I think with having mom and everyone back I will be better at getting all my water I need to be drinking. Plus now that mom is back I have someone to walk with on my breaks again (I got kind of lonely walking by myself the past few weeks).

I hope everyone is having a nice week and enjoys Independence Day!

WEEK 3
Well, I believe this week has been the hardest for me! I lost 3 additional pounds this week. I was originally hoping for more but three pounds is still a good amount of weight. It has been tough for me not having my mom here everyday. The whole family went on vacation to CA for our family reunion and to Disneyland. I would have gone but since I don’t have enough leave time available at work I wasn’t able to attend this year. I’ve been calling my mom everyday sometimes even 5-7 times so we keep in touch. I have been trying to occupy most of time with taking the dogs for walks and not sitting around the house. I have done a lot of extra cleaning up too (I guess you could call it summer cleaning?). I have been taking the dogs to the many different parks we have here in WA. They love it and it’s refreshing to get out and enjoy the fresh air.

I almost cheated this week while my mom and everyone were out. I went through a Kentucky Fried Chicken and got a breast piece (which is my all time favorite!). About two blocks down the road though I realized just what I was about to do and ended up turning around and going back through the drive through and telling the lady I didn’t want it. Of course at first I got a very weird look from the lady but I explained to her the diet my mom and I were doing and that they were out of town and I wanted that breast piece soooo bad but knew it wasn’t ok to have. They lady was very nice and told me she would take care of the chicken for me and ended up throwing it away for me. I felt really good leaving there but then bad at the same time. I ended up calling my mom and telling her what I did. She told me that it took a lot of courage to take the chicken back and that she was proud of me. I didn’t feel very proud though. After this incident however I haven’t thought about cheating at all!

Once mom gets back we will be going to the gym together which I think will do us both some good. We both like to go on the stationary bikes and walk on the treadmills. We also like to swim and the gym we signed up with has a good sized swimming pool to do laps in. Plus, mom and I are hoping to get some walking in on the many walking trails we have here in Lacey, WA.

So all in all I guess this week wasn’t all that bad but I think having my mom gone has been the tough part. My goal for next week is to lose at least 4 pounds so we’ll see how it goes! Best Wishes to everyone!

WEEK 2
Well, another week has come and gone now and I am still losing the weight. I have now lost a total of 14 pounds since we started the challenge. I now weigh 266.0 pounds. I didn’t lose as much as I did last week but that can be expected. I am feeling more and more confident about myself as I am losing the weight. Yesterday, I went to a concert, which I haven’t done in about a year. I had a lot of fun there and was still able to keep to my Medifast Meals. I just took my shakes in with me to mix up with some water so I wouldn’t be tempted by all the other good foods that were there. I have to say that I haven’t really been craving a bunch of food like I though I would. Of course, I would love to have a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken but every time I think about all the grease that is on it, it makes me not want it anymore. I have found that my wallet is staying fuller too. It’s amazing just how much we spend on snacks and running through the drive-through!

The rest of the family left today for vacation. I stayed behind to watch the dogs and because I didn’t have enough vacation time saved up to go. I just started my job a few months ago. It’s been kind of lonely without everyone here. I am so used to all the noise us 7 women make that when everyone is gone you can hear a pin drop! I had to turn the radio on last night because it was way too quiet and I couldn’t sleep. I woke up this morning yelling for my sister to bring the dog in. I then quickly remembered they weren’t here. But I have been keeping myself busy while they are gone. I have mowed the lawn, done the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and more. I find though I have not been scoping the fridge out to see what’s in there like I used to. I used to, when everyone was gone for a couple hours or something, raid the cabinets looking for all the goodies! This morning I did that but it didn’t spark anything, which is good. I just went and made my oatmeal, snuggled up on the couch and watched the morning news. I have found I have lost my taste for super sugary foods, or greasy foods.

Well, I am off to go run to the store. I have to get to the store so that I can get some more greens while they are all gone. Hope everyone has an awesome week and Best Wishes!

WEEK 1
So week one has come and gone quicker that I ever thought it would. I am officially down 10.5 pounds since Monday. I can tell I have lost weight, especially in my jeans. I have wrinkles now on my backside in the thighs and butt. My best friend told me it looked like I had an accident in my pants which made me feel good because it meant my weight loss was noticeable. It’s so amazing just how quickly the pounds seem to have just melted off. I cannot recall anytime in my life that I was able to loose 10.5 pounds in a week! I have had a lot more energy too. I used to have to rely on caffeine to keep me going but now I have enough energy through the day I don’t need the caffeine. A couple of days I had so much energy a co-worker told me I needed to run around the building! I haven’t tried running yet, but I think I am getting closer to putting on those tennies and hitting the pavement. I have noticed also a huge change in my face. I have really greasy skin that causes really bad acne. No time in my life have I ever been able to get rid of it. Right now I only have about 2 spots that have broken out; but my face is not greasy and is not as red as it used to be. Between my face looking better and losing weight I have had more self-confidence in myself.

This week, though, I do have to say, was no walk in the park. Monday went pretty good. I didn’t have any hunger pains at all! Tuesday was a different story, though. I felt like I was starving constantly! I wanted a hamburger soooo bad. I kept to my Meals though and made it through the day. Wednesday, I went to a luncheon for one of my co-workers’ birthdays. I went ahead and ate my Lean & Green Meal there. I seemed fine until one of my co-workers got a hamburger. Then it was like a battle not to snatch it off his plate. I have to say though I did really good I just ate my Lean & Green and moved on. On Thursday though, I had a few tummy growls but that was it, and by Friday it was like I had been doing this forever and my stomach wasn’t “starving”.

The MyMedifast Members have been so supportive through this last week. I have had so many people read and comment on my blogs. I have found lots of inspiration through everyone else’s writings. It’s amazing, its like all of us are a huge family who support one another. I have connected with so many people on the website too. I have also learned how to deal with problems like the dreaded “sharts” and the charlie horses I have experienced this past week. It’s amazing just how many people have taken back their lives with Medifast, and so many people being able to do things they haven’t done in years.

I am so looking forward to next week and just to see how many more pounds will “melt” off. Who knows I may have to go find some belts this week to keep these pants on!

Background

Charlotte was athletic in junior high school, but she’s gained weight steadily since she stopped running cross-country and participating in charity fun runs. Charlotte wants to do her share to help those in this world who need help. She feels that she and her mom have been blessed with their loving family and she wants to pay that forward.

Charlotte also wants to lose enough weight to ride horses again like she and her mom did when she was a child. Riding the mules into the Grand Canyon is another goal for this mother-daughter team!