The Weigh in

I am weighing in at 232. My measurements are 39 waist, 50 hips, and 46 bust.
My Quote
Enough is as good as a feast. Mary Poppins
Grab your bootstraps and run. Bethany


My Goals 

• I would very much like to get out of my maternity clothes and into a 16 from a 20.
• I am going to get more exercise in on three days a week. (walking mostly)
• I am going to get some weight off to help prevent me from having to have knee replacement surgery before I am thirty. 
• I hope to lose at least 15 pounds but hoping for more.
• I am shooting to get 5 bottles of water in a day size may very.
• I am going to concentrate on losing weight in my chest, tummy, and thighs.

I plan to read a book on the Atkins Diet that I will be following throughout this challenge. I will be supportive of my fellow challengers. 

After seeing this picture I am adding the goal of working of my abs this is horrible.
Good luck to all.

Ready for a new challenge

I am ready to make some changes in my life to make me better. I just received a promotion last month and I am literally running to keep up I want my kids energy. I work in a fast paced setting I have to move if I want to keep up. Well hundred extra pound is not helping. I know that I can do this and I am going to do this. I will post an outfit that I hope to get into by Easter. Good luck to everyone.
Bethany

Struggles

Every day is a struggle that we must work through whether it is big or small good or bad. We all have the potential to do anything we wish or imagine. That is where the struggle comes in; you have to make those wishes come true. Nothing will ever be handed to you on a silver platter nor should it. Hard work is good for the mind, body, and soul. As the last few weeks have progressed I have been facing several of these struggles, my daughter was sick, I was working third shift, and the death of my great, great grandmother. I could not handle all of this and stick to any kind of routine or food plan. I did not see my house for three days and slept about eight hour out of seventy-two. I am not proud of myself that I am not strong enough to handle all of this at once but I should be. I have let my grades slip as the diet went underway but I was surviving. I am taking charge of my life as I start this week with a good start of getting my schoolwork done for this coming week and I am back to my water routine. I am trying to get my food back in form as I have the first few days of this week off. I want to apologize to Allan for yelling at him, I was a little stressed for the situation. It is not his fault that I could not cope and ate myself through the last week and a half. My weight has gone back up as everything has been going on but I will get it back off and keep it off. I wish everyone the best of luck with the struggles they are facing.

Bethany

Jas

Jasmine is now on a nebulizer. My family doctor could not believe that the hospital did not send her home without a treatment. Her oxygen levels were way below normal and even after they gave her a treatment at the office her level barely came up to normal. So they called in a nebulizer to be delivered to our home but aparently didn't think it was important enough to deliver it last night as told but are finally bringing it today after me being on the phone half the morning trying to get it straigtened out. Well starting hard core this morning on my water and back on my diet. I hope to get a plan ready for next week on third shift. well I have got to make arrangement to go to a funeral, I had a friend from high school die its horrible his wife is 7mths pregnant. I will try to get back on later but I have a lot of school work.

Jasmine

Sorry I didn't post yesterday a little busy with work and the ER. I want to thank everyone for their prayers. She is still running a fever and probably will for the next couple of days. She has a horrible cough and nothing I can do except give her tylonel. She is still to young for motrin and since it is a virus no antibiotic. Please keep her in your prayers it is supposed to get worse before it gets better even though we caught it early it still has to run its course. She is going the doctor tomorrow, I am still worried about how deep her cough is. I am struggling with my diet this week with me working the overnight shifts I find I do not know how to budget my food so I have been over my calories the last two days. I am getting ready to go in to work tonight and then off a couple of days. However, next week I am back on third shift for a few more days so I hope that I am able to figure out some sort of system for my eating habits. I wish everyone the best of luck with this week on the challenge.

Planning for today, tomorrow, and Forever.

I found myself a little frustrated with my scale this morning when it started bouncing between my wight yesterday and three oz higher today. I walk a strong 5.79 miles yesterday according to my pedometer that is 12264 step not to mention I did my walk away the pounds video yesterday. I was able to get in all of my water easily with all of the physical activities. As I start each new day I get up and plan my food for the day, I have to or I would not be able to keep count of everything I need. At the start of this challenge I had a hard time working the diet in to my work schedule but as we are almost three weeks in I have made adjustments so that my weekend foods are as strong and planned as the rest of the week. I do switch things around in the middle of the day sometimes but I still count it to make sure I am under my calories. I found that the scale is not my friend. Salt is not my friend. I found that I hate diets but I want to be healthier for myself and my kids. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get there. I want to have the freedom to get up in the morning and run without the embarrassment of having my fat jiggling in the wind or my oversize chest hitting me in the face. I found that part of the reason I am frustrated with the scale is because I am thinning out a little, I could easily be back into a D cup instead of a DD seeing as how they are to big and my clothes are getting to big. I have found that some of my pants that use to be tight through the thighs are a lot looser there and getting looser in the waist but I still have a long way to go. Well I will stop boring anyone who is reading this and eat, exercise, and smile. I will try to post again later.

Bethany

Catching up

Sorry if any one has been anxiously waiting on a post from me. I find that I have very little time for anything as of right now. I am working full time again plus school plus the challenge not to mention my precious children, who do not sleep. I am starting some time on third shift to help with vacations. I am feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment I am working out and eating right and the scale is not really moving as much as I would like. I find that my school work is dropping to the bottom of my list of things to do but I am going to have to find time to get everything in. I really wish my husband could find a better job so I would not have to work so much but jobs are limited in the area right now because of dead season and even then its hard to find anything that pays more then minimum wage. He has finally decided to go back to school so that he will have a better chance at getting at least a management position. I find that I am getting tired and need a nap. I wish everyone the best with weigh ins this week.

to early to think

It is the awful hour of 5:30 am and I am exhausted. My work ran over and my son is not feeling so good not to mention up and down all night. My day is starting with a work out before work once again with walk away the pounds and then to work by eight this next couple of weeks are going to be crazy as I start back to work full time. I found in order to get my hours in I am having to pick up random shifts which means I am going to be on third shift so yeah no sleep for me. I will be glad when their vacations are done. After I get off I plan to go by mom and see if I can cheer her up and try the kettle bells work out. I hope that at that point I am still able to function. I see me going to bed early tonight as long as my homework for this week is done. I will see yall another day.
Bethany

Good Morning

Good Morning,
I found that this morning I felt pretty good I bought a new scale yesterday and I hope it measures right against mom's because I will be down three pounds already this week if so. I started my morning with water, breakfast, and walk away the pounds followed by Allan's exercises. I feel great and I am off to work. I hope everyone has a great day and Kelly welcome back. Mom I hope you have a decent time tonight with the family, give them my love.
To be continued.....
Bethany

OMG! I am tired.

I am not used to the additional exercising and the additional days of work so this week has kicked my butt. I have beat the devil, the water, and my bosses. The devil being my mother-in-law who brought over a quarter of a sheet cake to dinner the other night and no I didn't touch the dam thing. I struggled for two days before everyone else made it go away. On Fridays I normally work on the front register and do not have the freedom of running to the bathroom every ten to twenty min as needed so I have been trying to get it in by lunch so I don't have to worry so much about it later. In addition to these struggles my managers do not know how to make a schedule so we were slammed all weekend and I had to pick up shifts to help them out. I better be down again next week just from all the running around then we can talk about food I barely have enough time to get any food in with my crazy schedule. I am trying to get better at preparing my meals early so that I can throw them in a lunch box and run. Well back to the grindstone again water, exercise, and work. Lets do this.
Bethany

ten today

Today is a great day. I got up,weighed and found that I am down 10 pounds since starting my new regimen. I feel good today and wish that I had not agreed to go to work. Oh well, an eight our shift on my feet wont kill me and might even help me with my next weigh in. I found that I have adjusted to all of the water I am to consume. I find that if I get my water in to early, I still get thirsty the rest of the time. I feel better about my weigh in this week and am looking forward to seeing everyone's results. I wish everyone the best of luck with their weigh ins this week.
Bethany

Good Morning

Hi all,
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile finally got our income tax back and had a lot of shopping to do. We bought a new washer and dryer (Yea no more going to my mother-in-laws). I also was without a computer for a short time but that is fixed now. I am doing good on the diet had a rough start but now the game is on. I am working extra hard this week to see that the scale goes down this week. I am having some trouble with the new exercises mostly the Buddha crunches. I have to much of a chest to completely touch my knees but I hope as the weight comes of some of it comes from there. My son is being a brat today but he is doing well with potty training since I took his pull ups away. I flat out told him that I was not going to buy anymore and he has done well but with the occasional accident. My baby girl just started talking at four months. She said mama and dada I almost fell in the floor. My son didn't really start talking until he was nine months. I hope everyone is doing well this week with meeting their calorie limits and getting in all of their exercises. Well will see you later.

Today

Today has been a little hectic as anytime a mother is sick. I seems that my household can not function without me. I hope that my new meds will help me to function better soon. I am still under on my water today but I will get it in by the end of the day. I planning fish for supper (Yum! not) the sacrifices that I make. Oh well, my two year old loves it so we eat it. I will be attempting the exercises in a few min. Then I will be hitting the books for my new classes that start on Monday. I am also getting ready to plan my meals out for the remainder of the week. I find it easier to stick to the plan when I have everything laid out for me and schedule my exercise times to make sure I will be able to get them into my already hectic schedule. Well that is all for know I will try to post again later.
Thanks,
Bethany

Sick as a Dog

Hi all,
Today just sucks bad. I have a urinary tract infection and the doc can't see me until tomorrow. The pain is horrible and I can't keep any food down with the pain meds. So I will not be getting very many calories today. I am hoping for a better tomorrow. I hope everyone had a good first day on the challenge and I hope have a good day week. I was so excited about starting today and then I can't even keep food down. well time for a nap see yall tomorrow.
bethany

Sunday Weigh In

This is Karen, posting for Bethany again. Bethany is working a double shift today and won't have time to blog. She asked me to post the photo of her official weight in today so here it is:

You can see that she is at 220.8 today. This is her official starting weight even though she has already lost several pounds from the day she signed on for challenge 4. I'm very proud of her at she is down almost 8 pounds since then and it has been just a week. She is doing well. She phoned a few minutes ago and said she is working on her water and her food is on track so far. She will get home too late to see the packet tonight but I know she will be up first thing in the morning to work on the food plans. She wishes everyone  the best of luck on the challenge.

Karen

Today's Foods

Today I managed to get my 140 oz s of water by around 5 pm. I am hoping that this will make it easier for me come bedtime.
Breakfast
Chocolate Equate shake
Lunch
turkey sandwich with only one piece of bread
snacks
apple
banana
protein shake
dinner
a bowl of chillie
with sour cream
Not bad for a day but I found that I do not have the energy needed to function between going to work and coming home to eat dinner. I have a headache from waiting so long to eat. I am going to have to figure out a better routine then the one I have now. I hope that with a little more work I get into the swing of things and not have the side effects of being on such a strict diet. Please do not misinterpret this I am very much looking forward to the challenge just having to make some adjustments to my schedule.I am very excited and hope to reach my goal. Once again I wish everyone the best of luck.
Thanks,
Bethany

Re: BYOC

1. What piece of clothing can you absolutely not live without?
  Seeing as how I wear a triple D bra, I believe that is the one I could not live without. 
2. If you could go back in time for just 24 hours, where would you go and why?
 I think that I would pick my last OB visit when I was still pregnant with my daughter and smack the doctor  until he listen to me about her size. He did not think it necessary to check the size of the baby before trying to deliver her and she was way to big to be delivered naturally. 
3. If you could change one feature of your looks, what would it be and why?
 I would change my chest size, I thought I was going to end up with a black eye the first time I tried to do Allen's jumping jacks. 
4. What things do you enjoy or only do when you’re alone? (All you perverts out there….try to resist the obvious answer here)
 I find that I am rarely alone but when it does occur I take a long bath and read a romance novel or get caught up on any school work I was behind on.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your life in real life and in blogland this week.
Blogland is a little hectic considering I have never used it before and I found that everyone is really friendly. I am finely learning my way around and still trying to figure out what to talk about.
Real Life is not as hectic but close I am working on potty training my 2 year old son(not an easy task). I am trying to balance my home life, work, and school. In the last few weeks I have been trying to make life changes maybe to many at once. I have managed to quite smoking and start a diet at the same time. I have a problem controlling my temper at work and that can be a problem when I am nicotine free and what feels like food free. 

I am ready

I was finally excited to get to be on a diet that might actually work and then it was canceled. I do not approve! I am looking forward to a chance to start the challenge from the beginning. I have had to children and the weight from that is still hanging around. I was not exactly at a good weight when I became pregnant. Therefore, I am looking forward to the new challenge that starts on Sunday. I wish everyone the best of luck.

Bethany

Checking In For Beth

I talked to Bethany last night and she was able to stick to the plan and get in her water and walking even though the challenge is officially ended until Monday. She is signed up for phase 5 so expect her to be around for a while. I should haven't to make any more posts for her. They are getting internet installed at their place today so she will be able to access the internet and post herself from now on. I just wanted to update and let you know she is doing well. She did a lot of shopping yesterday so she is stocked with good healthy foods to see her through the next phase. I will be doing my own shopping later today. So, we are ready, willing, and able to see the challenge through.

Karen (posting for Bethany)

Food For Today

This is Karen, blogging Bethany's food for today. She is at home and phoned to give me her list. She is still working on her water but she got her walking in for today. She will do strength training again tomorrow. Her food today looked like this:

Breakfast:
Equate Weight Loss Shake

Snack:
3 boiled eggs.

Lunch:
Body Fortress Protein Powder
6 ounces 2% Milk

Snack:
I slice whole wheat toast
1 tsp margarine
1 tsp grape jelly

Dinner:
4 ounces boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup green beans

Snack:
Smart Pop Popcorn

Calories: 1077
Fat: 42 grams
Carbs: 108 grams
Protein: 108 grams

Bethany is doing very well and she saw the scale move down a bit more today. Nothing breeds success more than success itself. I'm very proud of her for doing this and I don't mind at all using my Fitday PC to log her food for her.

Karen

OMG!! What about those wall sits.

Hi everyone, 

I am slowly adjusting to the calorie limit and no longer starving to death. I for the first time yesterday did the exercises and I was extremely sore by the end. When I fell asleep last night I was reminded of what my two year old goes through when he drinks to many fluids close to bed time, you wake up with a wet bed. Now I know I will have to get my 140 oz of water in earlier in the day. I plan to walk to day and back to the wall sits tomorrow. I am working very hard this morning to get in my water early so I do not wet the bed again.(some of you have to know about this) I wish everyone the best of luck.

Thanks

Bethany

Posting For Beth Again

This is Karen, posting for Bethany again. She did come by this evening but didn't have time to post herself and she wanted to get in her exercise before she had me post for her. She stayed completely on her plan today and she got in all her strength training and her walking. When she came by, I had her to undress to weigh in and you can see that even though her missing clothes explain part of the loss, she is already down at least 3 pounds of fluid just after being on the plan for two days. The total loss so far, including the clothes, is 6 pounds. I'm VERY proud of her and her seeing the scale moving has motivated her even more to stick to the plan. She and I spent some time this evening working on her meals plans and her shopping list. I think she will be set for a while when she grocery shops tomorrow. She is struggling a bit with the water goal but she is working hard at increasing it every day. Her goal is 140 ounces per day. She almost made it yesterday but was a little behind this evening. Of course, she just got in her exercise tonight and that will help her get in the rest of the water. Her food for today looked like this.

Breakfast:
2 eggs, scrambled
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 tsp margarine
1 tsp grape jelly

Lunch:
1/2 can tuna
1/2 boiled egg
1 tbsp light mayo
1 tbsp relish
2 slices whole wheat bread

Dinner:
4 ounces baked chicken breast
1 cup whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 tsp margarine

Calories:1157
Fat: 38 grams
Carbs: 110 grams
Protein: 93 grams

She will be coming back by here tomorrow and I will help her with more food plans. I will also teach her more about using blogger herself. She will have internet at her house soon so she can do her own blogging. Thanks to those who are following her. I know she appreciates it.

Karen, standing in for Bethany for now.

Food For Sunday

I'm posting this for Beth has she hasn't been able to get here for her internet access but I talked to her by  phone. I'm her mother, Karen (Sunshine's Heart). She has decided to join the weight loss challenge and I'm very proud of her. I helped her log her food yesterday and and am going to post it now. I would like to say that she started this with little preparation and so she is making do with the food she has in the house right now. In light of that, her first food choices may not be the best. She will be grocery shopping tomorrow and will then be able to follow the plan's food choices more closely.

Breakfast:
Equate Weight Loss Shake

Snack:
1 medium banana

Lunch:
Equate Weight loss Shake

Snack:
Atkins Chocolate Chip Granola Protein Bar

Dinner:
I cup Pinto Beans
1 slice cornbread

Snack:
1 medium apple

Calories: 1185
Fat: 28 grams
Carbs: 166
Protein: 59

Her carbs were too high but she stuck to the plan and will be able to make better choices starting tomorrow. She is hoping to come over today to blog herself but until then I will blog for her. I will be helping her make some meal plans today for the next week or so. She also got in all of her walking yesterday. In fact, she worked late last night and got in more walking than was necessary. Today she can work on the strength training as she is off from work today.

Sunshine, reporting for Bethany.

Welcome To My Blog

I'm brand new to the blogging world and my mother is helping me get the blog up and running. I am starting a weight loss journey today and plan to blog about the difficulties and the triumphs I face as I move toward my goal. I have signed up for a weight loss challenge with a blogging friend but prefer to keep the challenge anonymous for now until I see how things go. I will be logging my food each day for the sake of accountability. Wish me the best as I take on the greatest challenge of my life.

Bethany